Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) with Rick Rizzo | Hideout Chicago (original) (raw)

Steve Wynn In 25 years, Wynn has released at least that many albums and has seen over 300 of his songs recorded. He has played over 2000 shows in more than 25 countries. His songs have been recorded and/or performed by REM, Luna, Concrete Blonde, The Black Crowes, Yo La Tengo and Eleventh Dream Day, among others; his “That’s Why I Wear Black” became the #1 single of 1993 in Norway as the leadoff track from the debut album by Somebody’s Darling. He has been prominently featured in Rolling Stone, Mojo, Uncut, Entertainment Weekly, People, The Los Angeles Times, New York Times and countless other publications all over the world.

Or maybe you know Wynn from his groundbreaking work with The Dream Syndicate, a band that–along with REM and the Replacements–practically invented the American indie rock scene of the 1980s. Perhaps you know Wynn from his critically acclaimed solo albums of the 1990s which were fixtures on many Modern Rock radio stations across the country. Or it could be from his highly touted side-project Gutterball which by its fifth gig found itself signed to Mute/Elektra and on a national tour with The Black Crowes. Or maybe from his recent “Desert Trilogy” and the near-legendary shows with his current backing band The Miracle 3. Or maybe you tuned in for the first time when he played on the Late Show With David Letterman as part of The Baseball Project earlier this year.

“What he took from punk had more to do with attitude, noisy energy, abyss-skirting emotions and musical riskiness–qualities, of course, present in the best rock and roll of any scene, era or sub-genre” – Trouser Press Music Guide

Steve Wynn was born in Santa Monica, California in 1960 and got his first guitar (a nylon-string acoustic) when he was nine, shortly after which he wrote his first song “Sing My Blues”. He formed his first band “The Light Bulbs” that same year and the band made the circuit of parties and school functions; the band’s oldest member was ten years old. By the time he was 13, Wynn had played in bands with such colorful names as Purple Passion and Sudden Death Overtime, alternating between his own early originals and songs by Neil Young, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

The excitement and immediacy of the punk rock explosion of 1977 brought him back into the world of songwriting and performing. He found himself writing and playing guitar for UC Davis (near Sacramento) New Wave pioneers “Suspects”, a band for whom Wynn wrote over 100 songs, none of which he has performed since. A move back to Los Angeles with Suspects lead singer Kendra Smith was the first step towards the formation of The Dream Syndicate, the band with whom Wynn would gain national and eventually international acclaim.

The Dream Syndicate played together for the first time in December 1981 and within three weeks had recorded its self-titled first EP. The record was released in April 1982 and followed six months later by the band’s debut album “The Days of Wine and Roses“, an album which fans and critics alike still consider one of the best and most important rock albums of all time.

Rick Rizzo

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