Adler's Lonny Paul

By Jay Oakley

You just performed at M3. How was your set?

I think everybody had a great time, including everybody in the band. The people seemed to like it.

One of the songs you performed was with Gabbie Rae. How did that come about?

Jacob (Bunton) and Gabbie have been friends for a long time and she was backstage with us before we went on and I think they just arranged it. I didn't really know about it but before we went on Jacob said she was coming up with us and I said, "Oh, great." I'm not even sure Steven (Adler) knew that she was coming up. [Laughs]

Cool! That's alright too. One of the interviews I did that day was with Ace Von Johnson (Faster Pussycat) which was right after he played with you guys and he said he's had a little bit of history and plays with you guys. Is that the case?

Yeah. That have this jam night here in Hollywood and they used to do it at Lucky Strike down off Hollywood Boulevard and Highland. They used to do it every Wednesday or something like that and one time Steven and I went down there with Johnny (Martin) actually the whole band and we invited Ace to come up and play two songs with us. We've talked about bringing him on the road with us before. If he's available and it works out that way we'd love to have him be a part of that or at least on a touring sense of it.

Absolutely. So the with the band Adler, your album's (Back From The Dead) been out for a little while now. What do you have planned for any up and coming music or have you just been concentrating on touring?

Well, truth be told we actually have more then enough songs written to record another record. We've mostly been waiting on Jeff Pilson's schedule because he's out with Foreigner most of the year. So, when he gets back and there's enough time we'll try to get in with him and record the next record. We already have the material, probably enough for two more records.

Since, he produced your first record it sounds like you guys are totally stoked to have him stay and produce you guys again?

Yeah. It's that old saying, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." We really just enjoyed recording that first record. That was the formula. It was just me, Jacob, Steven and Jeff in the studio. We figured we'd do the same thing this time around.

You also have another band with Jacob, Lynam. How's everything going with that band?

Lynam's, kind of, been on hold. We released a record just before Christmas and it's doing well. But, then Jacob moved out here to LA so two of the guys are back in Alabama and Jacob and I are out here in LA. So, it's not that we're broken up or anything it's just that things have been on hold because we're expecting to do a lot more with Adler this year. But, then things with Adler, kind of, on hold so we're, kind of, in a holding pattern right now. [Chuckles]

Since, your bands are on hold do you personally have anything planned coming up that you can talk about?

Well, I have been writing with other projects and I'm producing a couple of other projects but to be honest, I'm not sure I can talk about it. There's one band that I would love to talk about but it's just a little premature.

No problem. I love to talk a little about history. How did the forming of Adler come about?

Well, Steven was doing Adler's Appetite. He had a guitar player named Michael Thomas and Michael and I had a history of working together and writing a little bit and I was actually the singer of a band called Tilterworld and he was our guitar player. So, he called me up a couple weeks before they were going on tour and he wanted to work on a new song. So, I went over to his house, we were working on a song and as I was leaving he said, "Do you mind learning a couple Guns N' Roses songs to help us audition a singer for this up and coming tour that we have in a couple weeks?" and I said, "Sure." So, two days later, we all met up at the studio and auditioned the singer, Patrick Stone and the very first song we played, I believe it was "Welcome To The Jungle," after we finished the song Steven stood up and told me that he wanted me in the band. It was just coincidence that the first singer they auditioned for the band was Patrick and that was the guy they chose for that tour. So, I went out for six weeks, we did a bus tour, just a club tour just doing all the Guns N' Roses songs. So, while we were out on the road, Steven and I became friends and he was kind of bummed out about just playing clubs and I said that the only way you're going to move on and play bigger places and be taken more seriously is if you release an original record. Not the GNR stuff but an original record and he agreed. So, when we got back home he fired everybody and had me put together a band.

I was out at the Key Club one night and ran into Jay Ruston, the guy that ended up mixing our record and also recorded Steel Panther and he produced Anthrax and Stone Sour and all these kind of bands. So, I ran into Jay and I asked if he knew about any singers and he said, "Yeah! My buddy Jacob Bunton is here tonight." and he texted him because the place was crowded and Jacob came to the back bar and we met. I instantly liked him so I arranged the following day for Steven to meet up with him. So, the next day, Steven and I met met him at his hotel and everybody hit it off and we agreed to work with each other and the rest is history as they say. I actually knew Jeff Pilson too so I immediately called Jeff and I said, "Hey, I've got a singer, I've got a drummer, I've got some songs and If you've got some time I'd like you to play bass and produce some songs with us." and he said he'd love to so we went into the studio a few weeks later and after the first couple songs we decided to keep on going so we recorded the whole record, had Jay mix it and then we brought in Johnny. I actually had a barbecue at my house, after we finished the record and Johnny had been a longtime friend of mine so I had him at the party and he picked up one of my basses that was hanging on the wall and played in front of Steven and Steven said, "Hey! I want that guy to play bass!" so that's how Johnny got in.

That's awesome! So, is Jeff Pilson the bass player on the Adler record?

Yeah. He's playing all the bass. He's singing background vocals with me on the record.

I've got to tell you Lonny, you guys really looked stellar at M3.

Thank you. To be honest, I really wish we had played more of the record but Steven insisted on playing those Guns N' Roses songs so it's going to be a process. When we first went out it was 90% the record and we only played two Guns N' Roses songs out of the whole set and then over the last couple years, the more we play out, the more he wants to work in these Guns N' Roses songs so It's kind of a struggle we're having with him. We tell him that we appreciate his past and we honor it and we understand that people know us because of your being in Guns N' Roses and all but to make a name for yourself you have to make it with new songs, new sound and do all that. So, we're hoping to do more of our stuff and less Guns N' Roses as time goes on.

I'm definitely with you. He's got his own thing going with you guys and it's REALLY good. There's no harm in throwing in a couple of those tunes every now and then in the set but it should be your set.

Yeah, I agree. Thank you.

Absolutely. Lonny, thanks again, man. I really do appreciate being able to set this up with you.

My pleasure, thank you.