Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd are tearing up the stage and the promotion rounds in anticipation of their first new album in six years “God & Guns”. Lead singer Johnny Van Zant and Guitarist Rickey Medlocke represented the group today (one day after their NY release party) at Fox to talk about the new tunes and what it means to keep on jamming after all these years… and after a catalog of over 60 albums!

The new songs fans can add to their playlists range from the personal to some penned from strong points of view. Medlocke says this mix falls right in line with what fans expect “I think there’s a little something there for everybody which has always been a Skynyrd tradition anyway dating back even to the early band. You’ve got rock, you’ve got country, blues, pop.”

The band has kept on going through their share of tragedy, including the recent loss earlier this year of Billy Powell, keyboardist and founding member and longtime bassist Ean Evans. So their new album also serves as a tribute, with Medlocke adding how much it means to him, Van Zant, and original band member Gary Rossington to have finished the new material, “It was really important for the three of us after Billy had passed you know to finish that, which they were on already, to finish it up and not only for the fans but for those guys too because I think they would’ve been really disappointed if we’d have pulled the plug on it and said hey we’re going to call it a day. So you know what, the Skynyrd Nation is still alive and kicking.”

And with plenty of tour dates always on the schedule, Van Zant makes sure folks know they’ll keep that Skynyrd Nation kicking for as long as they can… “Getting up on stage and playing is a great thing you know not that many people get to experience that and we’ve been blessed to be able to do that. We’ve got great fans, they’ve been with us for three generations. And you know we got new, old, and in between. And you know what, we’re going to be out there as long as the good lord lets us go out.”

If you’re wondering if the new tunes will replace any of the classic hits on the road, rest assured there’s plenty of room in the line-up for the ones you want to belt out to from the audience. Especially when Medlocke steps up on guitar, “that is a great honor for me being in the band is playing the classic tunes to what they were really all about and as close as I can get to it. My greatest thing is, I get to end the night playing Free Bird.”

Plus the group is finding loyal fans have introduced the music to their kids and now their audience internationally, is looking a little different! Van Zant jokes that they “just played Milan, Italy earlier this year and I was telling the guys we’ve been making a joke out of it, the crowd was at least 99% young kids and they were singing all the words, they were louder than the PA! So I’ve been saying, I think we’re the Jonas Brothers in Milan, Italy.”

Well, right here in the US, they’re “Lynyrd Skynyrd” and they’re heading to a town near you with a constant tour schedule and their new album “God & Guns” available for all to rock out to!  FNC's Laura Ingle went to the Beacon Theater show last night, and at the studio interview at Fox today, and took some great pictures and video.  Check it out, and "turn it up"!