When he was growing up in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Justin Lyons wasn’t yet known as “GuitarSlayer.”
That would come later when his musical chops went global.
But he was an athlete. A good one, too. He particularly excelled at basketball, enough to chase the dream.
“I was a Mavs fan, a sports fan, because I played basketball all the way to college,” Lyons said. “I thought I was going to be on the court, be a Dallas Mav.”
As it turns out, his dream came true. It just happened with him shredding a guitar instead of shredding defenses like Luka Dončić.
If you are unaware, Lyons is the guitarist virtuoso who has played worldwide with a plethora of top artists. But he hasn’t forgotten from where he came.
He now has revitalized the Mavericks’ pregame introductions, adding his live guitar work to the classic intro music “Eminence Front.”
The Who’s anthem has been a staple before the Mavericks’ starting lineup is announced before tipoff since the last season at Reunion Arena (2000-01). Using the first iconic notes from the rock band’s song was the brainchild of the late Matt Fitzgerald, a longtime Mavericks’ marketing executive.
In a 2019 interview The Who’s Pete Townshend, who wrote and sang the song, said that the Mavericks’ decision to use Eminence Front was “a wonderful use of the song. I must have known (about it), because I must have given permission, but I had forgotten.”
But like all great things, it needed some updating. And Lyons has provided the perfect modern-age touch to the 42-year-old song that has been perhaps the most consistent thing, other than Dirk Nowitzki, since American Airlines Center opened in 2001.
“I love it,” said Mark Cuban, who owned the Mavericks from the inception of the “Eminence Front” intro until recently selling majority stake to Miriam Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont. “The energy was off the charts and the crowd loves it as much as I do.”
For Lyons, it’s been a great experience. And he’s had a few, from playing with the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Wayne and practically being responsible for the Korean-pop explosion. He’s still known as GuitarSlayer, a nickname born from his early days in the music business when no guitar was safe. It was said he was responsible for many instruments “resting in pieces.”
And now, a generation of Mavericks fans are learning of him, even some who maybe weren’t expecting it.
“One of the most incredible things I’ve seen at a sporting event,” said Dana Larson, the Bally’s Sports Southwest studio host. “And I’ve seen it all. I got chills.”
Before the start of the Western Conference semifinals series against Oklahoma City, Lyons sat down with mavs.com to talk about how his well-received work at center court before games came to be:
Mavs.com: So tell us the genesis of you getting involved with the Mavericks to bring a new, vibrant element to their pregame introductions.
Lyons: “From my good man, Tee (Leach, CEO/Founder of BHF Marketing Management & Consulting). He’s the one who came up with this amazing vision. It started with the Dallas Stars and me doing the national anthem there. And Tee was like, let’s try the Mavericks as well. From his connections and his people and his relationships, he connected that dot. We came here and did it once and then the talks began and they were like, yo, we can’t believe we didn’t have him here earlier. So it kind of started blooming from there. And then when I got approached to do the Eminence Front, that was breathtaking.”
Mavs.com: You’re a musician, but Eminence Front was a hit before you were born. How much did you know about the song or how it was used by the Mavericks?
Lyons: “I won’t lie and say I paid close attention to it until it was presented to me. And then I started paying attention to the fact that we have a young team now, so how can I influence it to have a younger energy, but still give respect to what has already been here for 23 years.”
Mavs.com: So all the acts you’ve played with, what stands out about your career so far?
Lyons: “That’s a great question. I always look at every moment as a moment. Growing up right here in Dallas, in Oak Cliff, I feel like I’m not even supposed to be here. I feel very blessed and fortunate to hold this position. I have been on many stages with a lot of A-list artists. And I’m looking forward to what is to come because I haven’t even scratched the surface yet, especially with my own solo thing.
“But this journey has been a blessing. I know I can play. I know I’m really good, just because of the blessing that’s been bestowed to me. But I’ve always been a guy who thinks, when it’s time, it will be time for people to hear and know what I have to bring.”
Mavs.com: So when did you know it was time to jump into Korean pop music?
Lyons: “You know what? I didn’t even know K-pop was a thing until I got called about it. But here’s the most amazing thing about that. We were the group that emerged that music to another level. They hired six of us to come over to flip their music to what now has been a global sensation. So I feel very fortunate to have blueprinted a particular sound with K-pop music. You never know when an opportunity will come along. Just being ready and staying ready, you know?”
Mavs.com: And there are whispers going around that you are about to dive into a new genre. Country?
Lyons: “You know what? That’s my next phase. I’ve actually just finished working on a country album with an artist by the name of Hi Jackson (and the Country Club). And I’m planning on visiting Nashville for a couple months after this summer because I’ve done every genre.
“I’ve done Gospel, R&B, Jazz, Blues, K-pop, punk-pop with Machine Gun Kelly, hip-hop with Lil Wayne. And now I want to tap into country. I want to be one of the ones that can say that he actually nailed every genre authentically. I don’t want to stay in one lane. Music is a language and I do my due diligence of studying it all. So I want to be that one that went down in history as one that conquered every genre of music.”
Mavs.com: Is it hard to master such different forms of music?
Lyons: “For me, taking on a different genre, I study it, I do my research and my homework and I spend so much time with it until it becomes a part of me. And then I know how to translate it and mix it into my own flavor.”
Mavs.com: Tell us about your parents. Were they a big influence on you becoming a musician?
Lyons: “My dad playing the guitar was a big inspiration because I was able to see him play and hear what I was taught by my mom. My mom is the one who spent the hours humming to me what to sing, what to play. And that’s why my ear is incredible like it is and I give a lot of that honor to my mom for that.
“But seeing my dad play – my dad is like my version of B.B. King. He sounds just like B.B. King. And I feel like I sound like a 3.0 version of my dad. So every time people hear me, they’re hearing the influences of him as well, because I hear it.”
Mavs.com: So when you get to center court and 20,000 pairs of eyes are on you, do you ever get nervous? Or are you beyond that at this point?
Lyons: “The butterflies come from just executing it. When I’m up there, lights out, I don’t see anything else. I’m just in the emotion of the energy. They (butterflies) quickly go away. And then when it’s over, I’m like, I wanna keep going.”
Mavs.com: It sounds like you’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, so it shouldn’t be hard to keep going.
Lyons: “With all of the stuff with the Mavericks, I’m doing my first solo show at the Twogether Land Festival that’s here at Fair Park on May 25th. They’re expecting 20,000 people to attend. So this (performing at sold-out Mavericks’ games) is the perfect preparation for it.
“And I’m also working on new music and a couple documentaries. Plus, the Lyon’s Den is my studio here in Dallas. It’s right on I-35 and Mockingbird. And I want to build a complex to develop other artists. I feel like Dallas has amazing artists here, they just need the proper development so we can get some real music and some substance again.”
Mavs.com: And if people want to check out your original work, where should they go?
Lyons: I’m pretty much everywhere. Apple music, Spotify or on social media at guitarslayer.com (and also on X at @guitarslayer24).
Mavs.com: Lastly, you mentioned how the youthful nature of the Mavericks helped inspire you to put a new energy into Eminence Front. But what do you think about this team?
Lyons: “This team here, I believe in. They have the fire in their heart and the energy that they need. And I think the morale is really good. I see them going a long, long way.”
X: @ESefko
