![Rich Lynch Remembers UFO Cult's Ride Into Heaven with "Kingdom Tonight"](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2017/RichLynch.jpg "Rich Lynch Remembers UFO Cult's Ride Into Heaven with "Kingdom Tonight"")
It was a seriously disturbing scene as the world quickly approached the new millennium. In late March of 1997 police discovered the bodies of 39 members of a religious group who had committed mass suicide. They did this at the direction of their founder and leader Marshall Applewhite in order to reach what they believed was an extraterrestrial spacecraft following Comet Hale-Bopp. The horrific event was strangely captivating as widespread media coverage documented the doomed departure of the identically dressed decedents.
Five years after the fact two friends and musicians from Ringwood, New Jersey set out to tell the tragic and bizarre story of the Heaven's Gate incident. The musical collaboration between John Sheehan and the Rich Lynch Band resulted in the dark and dramatic "Kingdom Tonight" which drew upon both performer's love of the classic rock genre. The track was originally a workshop exercise in songwriting but now as the 20th anniversary of the "ride to heaven" approaches the pair have decided to officially release it to the world via digital distribution.
Fans can now buy the critically-acclaimed track on Amazon.com, iTunes, CD BABY, and Google Play to hear the tale of "Bo and Peep and all their sheep". Signature moments in the production include a haunting chorus of voices and a uniquely compelling reverse slide guitar lead that underscores the perplexing story of Applewhite and his San-Diego based followers all powered by driving drums and a neo-Doors vibe.
"John had a great idea to write a song about this subject matter and it came together really fast," Lynch said describing the musical collaboration that stayed on the shelf for over a decade. "We couldn't get it commercially released at the time so it kind of was forgotten about and lost in the vaults."
"Now, two decades have passed since the unfortunate loss of these unique individuals," Lynch recalled, continuing, "and, there's a significant solar eclipse coming later in year. We wanted the world to finally hear it because a lot of effort went into the recording and we feel the timeless track retains an important message as a cautionary tale. So far, the overall feedback has been great."
Rockin' Rich Lynch officially launched his recording career in 2014 with the forward thinking "I Want to Live in a Dome". The reaction to his observational and socially conscious rock was so overwhelmingly positive that he moved to Nashville to pursue songwiting and recording full time.
"It's been a good run here in Music City. My fist song here was an anthem for the Standing Rock stand-off and that generated a lot of press and dramatically expanded my fanbase," said the recent Tennessee transplant. "I couldn't be more excited for the next one. It's a unique take on the standard drinking dirge and just might be the best song I've written yet in three decades of trying."
John Sheehan continues to amaze audiences in northern New Jersey with his fiery fingerstyle guitar performances and he is a supporter of local regional talent hosting a regular "Original Music Night" every Wednesday in West Milford, NJ.
