Wild West Sessions: Mark W. Lennon

Turnstyled Junkpiled’s Wild West Sessions: Gonzo Country in-house performances with some badass Q&A.

What’s your favorite Western Movie?
I just saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for the first time, I was thinking of naming the band Mark W. Lennon and the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. What do you think? Ha. As far as music though, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid takes it.

If there was a wild west showdown, which outlaw country pimp (dead or alive) would you bet would win and why?
Dead – Johnny Cash seemed like he would be pretty intimidating. Alive – I bet Steve Earle kicked some ass in his day.

What’s the most badass show you’ve seen in Los Angeles recently?
I have been lucky to see some amazing artists play in LA. Justin Townes Earle was probably one of my favorite ones lately. I saw him in February at the Autry Museum, and then again recently at the Music Box where we got to meet him. He tried out some new songs from his upcoming record, which based on those songs is going to be great.

Randy Newman “loved LA.” How do you feel about it?
LA can be a tough town, but this has been a good year. It feels like there is a great nucleus of new bands that are coming together. It is fun to go out and see a friend’s band play and come out thinking, “damn they’re good.”

Have you ever written a song about Outlaws?
Actually “Cold Mountain Steel,” off of the new record (Home of the Wheel), is about bank robbers from the 1930s. I’m usually not one for character based stories, but the idea came to me after looking at some old photos and took on a life of its own.

 

 

Mark W. Lennon (guitar), Jerry Zacarias (drums), Ross Lillebo (bass), and Matt Bradford (dobro)
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For more information on Mark W. Lennon, read our recent Sin City Spotlight or visit http://www.markwlennon.com to hear songs from his new album, Home of the Wheel.