Steve Wynn

by Denise SullivanBorn February 21, 1960, and raised in Los Angeles, Steve Wynn, as founder of the Dream Syndicate in the early 80s, almost single-handedly made college-age rock fans open their eyes to the two decades worth of the guitar-drenched rock that inspired him. After graduating from the University of California in Davis and a stint with his new wave band, Suspects, Wynn took a cross-country trip in search of Alex Chilton, one of his spiritual mentors, who had been sorely missed on the music scene since his days with the seminal pop band Big Star. When he returned to California, almost simultaneously the underground rock scene was experiencing a guitar rock revival, aided by fellow Chilton devotees R.E.M. and the Replacements. Wynn abruptly did an about-face and embraced the feedback-flooded sounds of the Velvet Underground for his new band, Dream Syndicate. Heralded as the leaders of the paisley underground, a neo-60s scene out of Los Angeles that included the Bangles and the Three OClock, Dream Syndicate were by far the most outside band in the bunch, often challenging their audiences to three-hour sets built around endless jams and feedback sessions. After four albums on four labels and a change in direction (Wynn traded in his Lou Reed fixation for Neil Young), the Syndicate called it quits and Wynn embarked on his solo career. Out of the gate with Kerosene Man (Rhino, 1990) and followed by Dazzling Display (Rhino 1991), Wynn relied on his keen songwriting skill, unique vocal style, and a bunch of friends (including Peter Buck) for the recordings. Fluorescent (Mute, 1994) took Wynn even further out of the spotlight due to the difficulty of finding the record in shops and his subtle stylistic variance from rocker to semi-folkie. With Gutterball, his side project with the House of Freaks and Bob Rupe of the Silos, Wynn used the opportunity to cut loose and unleash his most drunken rambler material in the context of a very unserious rock & roll band; the solo efforts Melting in the Dark (1996), Sweetness and Light (1997), My Midnight (1999), and Static Transmission (2003) followed. The 2005 release What I Did After My Band Broke Up was a 17-track of just what the title promised, with a bonus disc of Wynn performing some of his favorite songs with just piano for backing. Wanting to convey the sensation of post-millennium panic, the singer/songwriter titled his 2006 effort ...Tick...Tick...Tick.