Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of Dirty Shirley, a new band project featuring guitarist George Lynch (The End Machine, KXM, Lynch Mob, ex-Dokken) and vocalist/keyboardist Dino Jelusick (Animal Drive, Trans-Siberian Orchestra).
Dirty Shirley’s self-titled debut album will be released on January 24, 2020. The disc’s first single, Here Comes The King, can be streamed below.
Croatian singer Dino Jelusick, over the course of just one album and one covers EP released with his band Animal Drive, has started to make quite the name for himself in the hard rock and metal scene. More than a few musicians of note have called up Dino to see if he might be interested in collaborating, which he is floored by. This talented young singer has an appreciation and deep respect for the musical heroes who preceded and profoundly influenced him. So, when George Lynch opened the doors to the idea of writing and producing a record together, Dino was more than intrigued. Frontiers, known for releasing interesting collaborations of this nature, was more than happy to be the label home for this project.
The resulting album and band, Dirty Shirley — named after one of the first songs they wrote together — covers a wide spectrum of styles. Classic metal to more “traditional” Lynch Mob-oriented sounds and even some hints of the first Badlands album are in the mix. Showcasing a stunning performance from George Lynch — a seemingly bottomless pit of inspired and creative guitar playing — and an absolutely over the top lead vocal performance from Dino, Dirty Shirley is going to be an easy “must listen” for the hard rock and metal crowd. Evanescence drummer Will Hunt rounds out the lineup.
Dino says, “This record was done differently from everything else I did so far. George jammed and sent me rough versions and I tried a thousand melodies and lyrics on it. It turned out fantastic and very versatile. From R&B and rock ballads to some very heavy tunes, bluesy stuff, hard rock, rock ‘n’ roll, grungy vibes… everything. Will was the perfect drummer for this, loud and groovy. I recorded vocals while being on tour with TSO in the bus, every evening when we had a day off. And finished it in Croatia. You gotta listen to the whole album to get the impression of it, not only singles. But the first single will surely kick your ass, so better be prepared.”
George adds, “At its core, this record is built on classic guitar riffage and grooves, but is also infused with eclectic tendencies scattered about that are unexpected and challenging. 80% of the guitar work on this record is rhythms, so I wanted to create a three-dimensional sonic tapestry that complimented the more basic riffs and chords. I tried to add a little twist to everything.” He continues: “It was funny because when the label approached me about pairing up with Dino, for some reason I got the impression he was an Italian pop singer. LOL. So I wrote some songs in that vein, haha. ; ) Then when I heard what he was actually all about, I had to duck back into the laboratory and reinvent the wheel. If Ronnie James Dio and young Coverdale had a baby boy, his name would be Dino.”
The band is currently exploring live show opportunities for 2020, so stay tuned for more news on Dirty Shirley.
Dirty Shirley recording lineup:
George Lynch: Guitars
Dino Jelusick: Vocals, Keyboards
Will Hunt: Drums
Trevor Roxx: Bass
12 Responses
what happened to lynch’s other 50 bands?…………. done listening to these bands that form for one album maybe 2 – with no tour
Why? Good music is good music. These are just creative outlets for these artists. There shouldn’t be any expectations that these are anything but one-and-done. Add the songs to your playlists and enjoy them.
I hate to break the news to you, but these guys need to make money. Nobody buys music, and tours are extremely expensive, so guys like George probably have to do a multitude of projects, clinics and whatever to support themselves. Dokken wasn’t never Motley Crue level of $$ to begin with.
Don’t blame George, its the music industry, or lack thereof.
Michael, you shouldn’t say nobody buys music, because I still do, and always will! Same goes for my buddies! We’re old school, (there’s still a lot of us left) we don’t stream, download, upload, burn or whatever! I don’t believe in this digital crap, I like my music the old fashioned way!
– forgot to mention, I just bought the new Airbourne CD last week ~ Boneshaker! Love every second of it!
Cool song! The singer does have a Dio/Coverdale vibe to him.
Does George ever say no? How about committing to one band and sticking to it.
Gotta agree with Davenport, tired of the same handful of musicians who constantly rotate in and out of bands to only last a very short while. Getting to the point I am losing respect for a lot of musicians I once respected. How can anyone get into a band that last 1-2 years with 1 or 2 albums. I get the industry has changed, but short term bands that do not last is not the answer.
Thank you JJ Look I understand the other comments – if I really really liked any songs from these countless projects I might be singing a different tune – but only my opinion not a lot of good songs being written by these tossed together bands – last thing if the object is to make money – spending money in the studio when most people don’t buy music is bad business- touring is how make money now – and you can’t tour behind mediocre music – these projects seem like a huge waste of money and time and effort ~
You have to listen to the music and forget about this pre conceived baggage that you attach to it…just take it as a stand alone statement and judge it accordingly….this is good music…I liked that break in the middle…I gotta hand it to Lynch who continues to be viable this deep into his career… If this was a video back in the day it would’ve been killer…probably heavy rotation.
Lack of chemistry is a good reason to not like something; but that’s a separate issue…this song here has a vibrancy to it…it has this very familiar yet exotic flair that takes you somewhere new.