Rock Veteran And Country Chart-Topper Receive International Recognition For Charitable Organizations

Top 20 iTunes rocker John Vento and Pittsburgh club owner Ron Esser, along with #1 radio chart country artist Richard Lynch are Communitas Award Winners.

MTS Management Group is happy to announce John Vento and Ron “Moondog” Esser, along with Richard Lynch, are 2020 Communitas Awards Excellence Winners for their work with Band Together Pittsburgh and Love Tattoo Foundation, respectively. Communitas winners are recognized for specific programs involving volunteerism, philanthropy and ethical, sustainable business practices. Band Together Pittsburgh was recognized for their innovative programs, experiences and vocational opportunities to enhance the lives of those on the autism spectrum. Programs include Professional DJ Services by people on the autism spectrum, Drum Circles, Autism Open Mic and the Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival. Love Tattoo Foundation was recognized for its work that honors and assists American Veterans who carry mental or physical scars, from serving our country. Its mission is to raise money and awareness to help give these Veterans the opportunities they sacrificed, so we could have ours. Richard Lynch has raised well over $150,000 for veterans through Love Tattoo concerts at his Keepin’ It Country farm.

Communitas nominees are evaluated based on the extent and effectiveness of their program. The size and potential scope of the nominee is also taken into consideration. Winners are located throughout the world and include such recognizable companies as MasterCard, Honeywell, Dow Chemical, Toyota and Vonage. A full list of winners can be seen at http://enter.communitasawards.com/winners/.

ABOUT COMMUNITAS AWARDS: Communitas Awards, a Latin word that means people coming together for the good of a community, was started in 2010 as an outgrowth of the pro bono recognition program of the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (www.amcpros.com), a several-thousand-member group that honors creative achievement and fosters partnerships with charities and community organizations. As part of its mission, AMCP gives grants to community organizations and underwrites a large portion of Communitas expenses.

ABOUT BAND TOGETHER PITTSBURGH: Band Together Pittsburgh is a non-profit founded in 2016 by successful businessman and musician, John Vento (Nied’s Hotel Band, solo artist) and Ron “Moondog” Esser, owner of Moondog’s and the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox.

John Vento returned to music to front The Nied’s Hotel Band, voted Pittsburgh’s Best Bar Band – 2016. He is also a Top 20 iTunes charting solo artist and an International Music and Entertainment Association Award winner. John has also been seen in Billboard Magazine. Through his performances, he has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for charity. His leadership, generosity and work ethic are well known throughout the Pittsburgh music scene. John loves to perform and wants to share that experience with those on the Autism spectrum. John and the Nied’s Hotel Band are donating proceeds from downloads of their music to Band Together Pittsburgh. http://www.johnvento.com

Ron “Moondog” Esser has been a huge part of the Pittsburgh music scene for 30+ years. Ron owns Moondog’s and the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox, and he produced the Pittsburgh Blues Festival for more than 20 years. The Festival, during that period, netted over $2 million for charity. Moondog has also been awarded Volunteer Philanthropist of the Year by the Western PA Fundraising Professionals and he is a board member of the Autism Society of Pittsburgh.

ABOUT RICHARD LYNCH: Richard Lynch is a Waynesville, Ohio-based country music artist, who has compiled a long list of country hits and chart toppers in the world of traditional country music. His single, “A Better Place” topped the New Music Weekly AM/FM country chart, the IndieWorld Country Record Report, and spent an incredible 32 weeks atop the Roots Music Report True Country chart. His next 4 singles also topped the country airplay charts, including a duet with Grammy Award Winner, Rhonda Vincent. Richard’s single, “Country Music Isn’t Country Anymore” went Top 25 on the iTunes Canada sales chart. His last single, “Pray on the Radio” received Christian radio airplay and charting, also reaching the US iTunes Single Sales chart. His current release, “Back In 1953” is topping charts all over the world. Lynch has appeared on WSM Radio Nashville, RFD TV, Fox TV, and countless other media outlets.Richard is a member of the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame, The Independent Country Music Hall of Fame, and he is a Billboard Magazine Emerging Artist. http://www.richardlynchband.com

Country Singer Richard Lynch Honored With American Patriot Award

The Ohio Country Music Hall of Famer and founder of the Love Tattoo Foundation was honored by the Josie Music Awards, for his support of veterans, farmers and barn preservation.

WAYNESVILLE, OH - November 22, 2019 - Country music singer-songwriter Richard Lynch has been awarded many accolades for his music over the years. From his induction into the Independent Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame, to his multiple Josie Music Awards, Academy of Western Artists Awards, Independent Country Music Association Awards and many others, Lynch has been recognized as one of traditional country music's biggest champions. Now, Richard Lynch has been honored for his actions off the stage, as the recipient of a Josie American Celebration Patriot Award. Lynch, who is a founder of the Love Tattoo Foundation, was acknowledged for his above and beyond support of veterans, American farmers, and barn preservation. He was chosen from a field of 28 nominee submissions from fans around the world.

The Patriot Award was given in a ceremony held on October 26th in Lebanon, TN. https://americancelebrationtour.com/ Lynch said, "I am very proud to be considered a Patriot for using my traditional country music to benefit our true patriotic heroes...our veterans!" Richard Lynch is currently promoting his Christmas single release, "I Saw Santa Fishin'." https://open.spotify.com/track/1Mnf5tsp5UWFLbZtJwRDmd?si=mjl3QMqlTTa4Ibj9yuMx9Q

BEACH SLOTH – July 5,2019 Richard Lynch  

Think I’ll Carry It On Jul 2, 2019 | Music | 0 comments A true slice of Americana rolls through Richard Lynch’s “Think I’ll Carry It On”. Richard Lynch delivers the songs with true grit and soul. Country, folk, with a nice western rock touch helps everything come together in a perfect fashion. Taking a bit from Wilco’s directness, the whole of the album works akin to chapters in a greater story. Every piece builds off the last one resulting in a vast tapestry of sound. Concepts of faith, patriotism, and navigating relationship all comes into the fray, with Richard Lynch singing of universal truths.

The whirlwind of “We’re American Proud” celebrates the joy of what it means to be an American. A rollicking good time bursts forth with the wild style of “You Can’t Stay Here” complete with slide guitar for good measure. Nostalgia comes into view with the reflective scope of “Back In 1953”. Full of love “Back In 1953” serves as the album highlight, showing off Richard Lynch’s uncanny storytelling ability. “Fast Times and Easy Money” goes for a virtual blur, as the tempos barrel through with such intensity. With “Daddy’s Guitar” the gorgeous chamber pop arrangement recalls Lambchop at their most astute. On “One Breath Away” Richard Lynch sings with such incredible tenderness. Perfectly ending the album is the meditative work of “They Don’t Play ‘em Like That” which closes everything in a colorful way.

On “Think I’ll Carry It On” Richard Lynch crafts a pitch-perfect sound, one whose richness virtually teems with life.

INDIE BAND GURU – Scott Carlito July 2, 2019

A soft strum of the guitar is all that it takes to rouse the attention of listeners in “They Don’t Play ‘Em Like That,” one of the dozen songs that comprise Think I’ll Carry It On, the latest album from country singer Richard Lynch. Like the other eleven tracks that join it in this treasure chest of twang and tonality, “They Don’t Play ‘Em Like That” is loaded with an undying Americana that is hard to come by in mainstream country music these days, and while Lynch isn’t reinventing the framework of the genre in his new LP, he’s playing to a faction of Nashville’s longtime audience that has been neglected by the establishment for far too long now. Think I’ll Carry It On is old school country at its finest, and that’s certainly no small statement to make.

There’s a tremendous amount of instrumental detail in this record, with songs like the balladic “Back in 1953,” fire-starting “Fast Times and Easy Money,” “Keyboard Cowboy” (featuring Donna Lynch in a brief guest appearance) and the bluegrass-influenced “Daddy’s Guitar” packing some of the heaviest string harmonies that I’ve heard in a Richard Lynch album thus far in his career. Unlike his peers in the major label-led mainstream, he puts just as much effort into making the melodic backdrop of these tracks as evocative and heartfelt in tone as any of his actual singing is. Think I’ll Carry It On is much more than an exercise in pastoral poetry and decadent down-south grooving; this is the sort of full-color depiction of traditional country music that many of us, myself included, have been begging for these last few years.

You can tell that Lynch has a personal investment in “One Breath Away,” “We’re American Proud” and the gospel-tinged “Pray on the Radio,” and it goes far beyond their intimate lyrical content. There’s an emotionality in his voice when he serenades us with the spiritually-strengthened verses of “Pray on the Radio” that transcends the limits of rhyme and rhythm altogether, and I wouldn’t say that it’s inaccessible to those of a faith different from that of Lynch’s at all. Much like the rich cultural fabric of the country that inspires so much of his music, Lynch’s latest record is a melodic melting pot of material that is as indebted to the work of his predecessors as it is a forward-thinking, constantly evolving artistic entity.

This has been an incredible year for country music so far, with scores of young up and comers making headlines in both the underground and the mainstream, but Richard Lynch’s Think I’ll Carry It On definitely gives us some of the most straightforward and relatable songcraft that I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing this season. Whether you’ve been following him since his debut or are just now discovering his music for the first time through this stellar new album, this is a sterling listen for anyone who enjoys unvarnished country sung by a deeply gifted singer and lyricist. I’m looking forward to seeing him hit the road in support of this set, and once you’ve heard it for yourself, I think you’ll share my sentiments.

GASHOUSE.com June 30, 2019 Sebastian Cole

Country has been enjoying a massive spike in talent from its independent underground lately, and among the more intriguing acts to catch my attention this year has been Richard Lynch, a blue-collar country singer whose music can’t help but evoke imagery that is endearingly American, through and through. Lynch’s brand new album, Think I’ll Carry It On, comes to us frills-free and sporting a homespun artistry that is refreshing to hear right now, when it feels like country music is as in love with sonic indulgence as mainstream pop has been. Think I’ll Carry It On is a product and celebration of the unrelenting American spirit, and it’s an excellent acquirement for any patriotic music fan this season.

There’s a lot of gospel influence in this record, but Lynch avoids overstating any religious themes in the bulk of his lyrics. “Pray on the Radio” is simply moving in its velvety, honest verses, while “Love Tattoo,” which features Ronnie McDowell, has the bones of a southern soul ballad with the tonality of a modern country single. Lynch isn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve with us in Think I’ll Carry It On; if anything, he’s volunteering more of himself to listeners in these songs than he ever has before. Conventional country swing is bountiful in “Fast Times and Easy Money,” “We’re American Proud,” “Another Honky Tonk Song” (Leona Williams stops by for some melodic sparring in this track) and “The Old Feed Store,” while the plodding arrangements in “Daddy’s Guitar” and “Back in 1953” are slightly more experimental and twice as tension-inducing. There’s always a cathartic release to every ascending groove that we come in contact with in this album, and that in itself sets Lynch apart from most anyone in the eclectic “New Nashville” that critics have been abuzz over throughout 2018 and 2019.

With so much hybridity in country lately, it should come as no surprise that a record like Think I’ll Carry It On sounds as off the cuff and original as it does. Even taking away Lynch’s amazing command of the backing band here, there’s a smooth, reliably rhythmic stylization of this tracklist that keeps us engaged from the moment that “We’re American Proud” kicks off to the second that “They Don’t Play ‘Em Like That” retreats into the silence from which it first emerged. By keeping things simple, he yields a wealth of melodic gems in this LP that my gut tells me we’ll still be talking about when it comes time for those fabled year-end award ceremonies. I love what Richard Lynch is doing with his music right now, and to be frank, I can’t wait to hear more. Think I’ll Carry It On is an album that doesn’t demand anything from its audience in exchange for a healthy portion of percussive wallop, dexterous string harmonies and a whole lot of exquisite all-American lyricism that could get anyone excited for the 4th. This is one of the smarter country releases that I’ve listened to this June, and it’s got the potential to bring its creator into the limelight of the primetime stage once and for all.

Sebastian Cole

VENTS MAGAZINE – July 17, 2019

Cowboy crooner Richard Lynch is back and unleashing his best collection of ballads and fiery swing tunes yet in Think I’ll Carry It On, a record that I can only describe as a twelve-track gateway drug to all things country. Think I’ll Carry It On takes the accessible melodies and brutally honest poetry of Mending Fences and adds in a touch of Americana-themed lyricism that makes it a lot earthier than his third record was stylistically, but make no mistakes about it – Lynch’s most recent album is anything but soft-serve country. If you ask me, I think that it’s an urbane, stately exhibition of his ongoing love affair with the very nature of American life.

The sway of the percussion is undeniably hypnotic in “The Old Feed Store,” “We’re American Proud” and “Another Honky Tonk Song,” and I don’t know that any review of Think I’ll Carry It On would be complete without addressing the LP’s devastatingly handsome drum patterns. Like the guitar parts, they’re given the VIP treatment from behind the soundboard, and sparkle with an effervescence that contributes to the narrative of songs like “They Don’t Play ‘Em Like That” without question. This master mix is crafted with immense physicality, but it never allows the music to take on an overly aggressive tone.

Lynch’s duets with Leona Williams (“Another Honky Tonk Song”) and Ronnie McDowell (“Love Tattoo”) are incredibly magnetizing and highlight his exceptionally gifted ability to collaborate with likeminded artists. The chemistry in this pair of songs is off the charts, but it never takes away from the monolithic quality of the solo material at all. Richard Lynch doesn’t have any difficulties sharing the mic duties with some mighty musicians in their own right on Think I’ll Carry It On, and considering the presence that he has in this record, it says a lot that he was even able to find singers who can hold their own in the studio with him.

Based on what I heard in his last two albums, I’ve concluded that Lynch’s arranging skills have vastly improved with the release of this latest set of songs. “Fast Times and Easy Money,” “One Breath Away,” “Pray on the Radio” and “Back in 1953” are really complex, multilayered pieces of music that flow with a gracefulness that I had once thought restricted to R&B tracks exclusively, and for all of the intricately constructed instrumental parts in each of these songs, we never get overwhelmed by the uncompromising strength of the sonic output here. He pays keen attention to the subtleties that many of his peers would just as soon ignore, and that by itself makes Think I’ll Carry It On a worthwhile listen for country music buffs everywhere.

It isn’t easy going against the Nashville model, but this album is an irresistibly enticing effort from Richard Lynch, who has made a lot of progress creatively in a very short amount of time. Lynch is always cultivating his sound to be more efficient and affective, and both music aficionados and casual pop fans alike will be able to appreciate the fruits of his labor in Think I’ll Carry It On. He’s outdone himself here, and I’m definitely not the only journalist who is saying as much.

by Bethany Page

MOBANGELES.Com - Michael Rand June 17, 2019

Reviews “We got American pride / We stand side by side / We talk clear and loud / We’re American proud” sings Richard Lynch in “We’re American Proud,” the opening track of his all-new album Think I’ll Carry It On, which is out now everywhere that quality country music is sold and streamed. In Think I’ll Carry It On, Lynch invites us into his wild world of chest-pounding country/western twang in what is arguably his most emotionally charged release to date. “They Don’t Play ‘Em Like That,” “Daddy’s Guitar,” “Keyboard Cowboy” and “Another Honky Tonk Song” (featuring Leona Williams) would have been more than enough to put together a killer extended play, but this powerhouse singer/songwriter didn’t stop with the string-centric wonderment in this latest studio cut. Other songs like the feverish “Fast Times and Easy Money,” “One Breath Away,” “Pray on the Radio” and, my personal favorite, “The Old Feed Store,” show off more melodic moxie than anything Lynch has recorded prior to now, and from where I sit, Think I’ll Carry It On just might be the most complete country album that you’re going to hear this summer.

There’s a duality to this LP that really caught my attention when I first picked it up, and it’s something that I think makes it completely different from previous records by Richard Lynch. Instead of focusing on one specific aspect of his sound, such as the guitar-slinging or the masterful melodicism that guides his every verse, Lynch makes a point to ensure that every one of these songs feels like a symphony of bucolic balladry, delivered with varying amounts of overdrive and adrenaline depending on the narrative at hand. This makes Think I’ll Carry It On a really diverse listen, but it plays out fluidly nonetheless. “Love Tattoo,” which sees Ronnie McDowell dropping in for a Johnny Cash-style serenade, transitions into “Pray on the Radio” seamlessly, and though “Daddy’s Guitar” and “One Breath Away” boast designs that are complete opposites of one another on paper, it’s hard for me to imagine listening to either of them without the other, much as would be the case with an all-out progressive concept piece (sans the camp and bombast, of course).

You don’t have to be the world’s biggest country music fan to dig the sound that Richard Lynch is putting down in Think I’ll Carry It On, but for those of us who live for a nuanced Nashville jam, this is one album that is literally bursting at the seams with as many as a summer would require. I’ve listened to so many new country artists that are desperately searching for their place in the genre’s established hierarchy lately; more often than not, they’re not only lacking the raw talent that Lynch has in spades, but they’re confused as to what their artistic persona is, beneath all of the labels and scene politics. None of these issues are a problem for Richard Lynch; on the contrary, his confident attitude and disciplined approach to songwriting should serve as a fine example for a generation of country singers finding their way in a new and exciting age for America’s most iconic genre.