Lounge punker Jimmy Psycho is back Dayton — and here’s what he has to say

What better place to interview a rocker named Jimmy Psycho than Zombie Dogz?

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The rocker sat down recently at the new Brown Street eatery to discuss his return to the area and his new album, “Mosh Pits & Mai Tais: The Ultimate Punk Rock Lounge Party.” The new instrumental album will be released December 8.

The early years: "I spent my formative years here. I was born in Dayton. I lived in Xenia and then in Jamestown. I graduated from Greenview High School in Jamestown in 1983. I went to college for four years and then I went into the Army. After that I came back to go to Ohio State. After that, I was off to the races — I lived in Miami, New York City and Los Angeles."

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Leaving California: "I was super busy in L.A. For the last two or three years, I was doing between 75 and 100 shows a year. It was great because L.A. is such an entertainment-driven industry you actually get paid for your gigs. It was great but I've been thinking about trying to come back here for about 10 years."

Back to the Buckeye State: "I finally moved back here in July. I've been back to visit but I haven't lived here in 30 years. It was just the right time to come back to Ohio. My mom is getting older, she's 75 now, and I wanted to be here for her. And my son is 4 now and I didn't want him to grow up in L.A."

Deep Ohio roots: "Part of me has always enjoyed living in the Midwest. There's a lot of great things about living in a major metro area but the reality of the daily grind of being there and working and living is very claustrophobic and the cost of living is astonishing. Being back here has been great."

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Solo artist: "I played everything on the record. I recorded it in L.A. I worked on it the last five or six months I was there. It was just easier for me to sit down and knock it out when I could."

Lounge punk: "I started out doing lounge versions of horror movie themes and sci-fi songs. I expanded it to doing punk rock songs as a goof and people really liked them. So this album has instrumental lounge versions of songs by the Stooges, the Clash, the Dead Kennedys, Green Day and bands like that. I've played in loud bands for a long time so it's fun to do something a little more mellow."

Artist info: www.jimmypsycho.com

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