Music isn’t something Ross Lynch necessarily HAS to do.
The 21-year-old Coloradan has a perfectly fine career in acting, with roles in Disney’s “Austin & Ally,” in the “Teen Beach Movie” series, “Girl Meets World” and more. But rest assured Lynch is fully committed to and passionate about R5, the band he formed with his siblings eight years ago and which so far has released a pair of albums, four EPs — including this year’s “New Addictions” — and singles such as “Loud,” “(I Can’t) Forget About You,” “Pass Me By and “Let’s Not Be Alone Tonight.”
R5 is on the road now promoting “New Addictions,” and Lynch promises there’s even more new music to come on the horizon…
* A couple of years passed between R5’s sophomore album “Sometime Last Night,” and the “New Addictions” EP, so Lynch says the group as well as fans are energized by some fresh music. “Oh, definitely; Just getting a new batch of songs to play is so refreshing,” he says by phone from Denver. “People forget we’ve probably played our songs thousands of times now, so when you get a fresh batch it kind of re-energizes you on stage and everything.”
* Setting “New Addictions” apart from R5’s other recordings is the fact R5 wrote and produced it entirely on its own, without outside help. “I guess these past eight years have been a progress to get to the point where we could do that,” Lynch explains. “Before this we were always doing songwriting sessions and stuff like that, and that’s absolutely still in our future ’cause collaborating is great. But we felt like this was a good time to do everything on our own, and it was really fun. I had a great time.”
* With brother Rocky Lynch taking lead on production, Ross Lynch says it was easy for the band to get into a regular working method. “We set up a little studio in our house and every single day we’d just get in the studio writing and producing stuff all day long,” he recalls. “I think that’s really what we love to do is just craft and create songs. I think that’s something we’re going to do a whole lot more in the future, even if not for R5 but for other artists. We found that is our love and passion.”
* On “New Addictions” R5 covers the INXS hit “Need You Tonight,” which Lynch says is one of the siblings’ personal favorites. “INXS has always been one of our biggest influences as a band,” he says. “I personally love (the late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence; He’s one of my favorite singers of all time. Their 30th anniversary for ‘Kick’ was around the time we released this EP, so we thought it would be appropriate to give them a tribute. They’re one of the big reasons why we’re a band, and obviously that’s an amazing song.”
* Lynch’s next big film role is in “Dahmer,” the feature film about Wisconsin serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer — a definite change from his previous work. “It was interesting; I definitely had dark days and bright days on the set,” says Lynch, who will also be in the comedy “Status Update.” “There’s definitely a wide array of emotions that my character goes through, and it takes a toll when you get home. Depending on what you’re filming that day is how you feel for the rest of the night. It’s a very interesting role to play and a great challenge for me. I’m truly happy with how the film came out and I’m really excited for people to see it.”
IF YOU GO
R5 brings its New Addictions Tour to the TLA on July 2. For ticket and more information, check http://venue.tlaphilly.com/. Concert is at 7:30 p.m.
