The name Michael Sweet might be eternally entwined with the band Stryper but over recent years he’s been involved in a number of great projects – from fronting legends Boston for five years and two wonderful albums for the Sweet and Lynch project. At the moment he’s about to release his tenth solo album – cunningly entitled ‘Ten’. We caught up with Michael to find out all about the upcoming album and Australian solo Tour as well as the frustrations of scheduling and of course Stryper news…
Mark: Hi, Michael, how are you?
Michael: I’m good, how are you doing Mark?
Mark: Great thanks Michael, it’s great to speak to you again.
Michael: Nice to talk to you again, thanks for calling.
Mark: No problem. The last time you came to see us, it had been 30 years since Stryper had hit Melbourne, and now you’re back the very next year, what did we do right?!
Michael: Well, to be honest with you I had hoped that we would come every year or every other year for 30 years, but it just wasn’t in the cards. It’s very difficult for whatever reason, for bands at our level to work out the fine details and to financially make it work, whether it’s Japan or Australia, or anywhere that’s far away. But, it’s been working out lately, so, we’re really pleased to see that and obviously the fan base is still in place, people are coming and they want to come out and support what we’re doing, and it makes it easy to do, so I’m just thrilled to be coming back a year later on my own, that’s a first, so I’m very, very fortunate.
Mark: It’s a very different show isn’t it? I saw you back in 2015 on the Monsters of Rock Cruise, when you weren’t playing with Stryper, that was a wonderful show, and now you’re just bringing you and an acoustic guitar, is that right?
Michael: Yeah, me and an acoustic guitar! I’m always trying to figure out how to make it more interesting without crossing that line of making it cheesy or corny! Some people go up with the acoustic guitar and they have the headset mic on and full tracks going and you can cross that line fast and quickly and where it becomes not favourable, but I try to incorporate a looper on a few songs, a drum box on a few songs, just to make it a little more interesting without going too far.
Mark: Yeah, it sounds wonderful. Are you someone who talks a lot to the crowd from the stage?
Michael: Yeah, I love talking, that’s the great thing about the acoustic set, it’s an opportunity for me to hang out one on one with people, and hear them if someone has a question, and they want to ask a question about a year or a song, or a particular moment in time, I can sit there and answer it. That’s not so easy to do when you’re on stage with a full band.
Mark: That’s right. It will be a great, intimate show, and I’ve just been looking at some of the set lists that you’ve been doing over in the States recently, because I guess one of the things, I think, that most people don’t know about you is your connection with Boston (band), you sang with them for four or five years I think.
Michael: I did, almost five years, I only toured one year with them, that was in 2008, with the band Styx opening, we did 56 shows, and sadly that was coming off the heels of Brad Delp’s death, and they were going to hang it up and stop, and were going to do one last show and they asked me to be a part of that, a show with Sammy Hagar and Ann Wilson, Mickey Thomas and a number of other people. A number of other singers didn’t show up, and they asked me to sing more songs, and I did, and they asked me to join the band, and we went out and toured the next year, it was very surreal; it was like a blur, I couldn’t believe it was happening with one of my all-time favourite bands, who were very inspirational to me is asking me to join their band, and it was a “pinch me” kind of moment every single night on stage!!
Mark: I always think that the song “More Than a Feeling” is one of the songs that really got me into Rock music in the first place, It’s one of those songs that resonates with everyone. It must have been amazing to sing that every night!
Michael: It was, it’s one of those timeless songs, a song that will never get old, I think if in 10,000 years we’re still walking this earth, people will still be listening to “More Than a Feeling”, and I know that sounds a little ridiculous, but I really do believe it to be so!! It’s a classic, timeless song, and one of the toughest songs to sing as a singer for sure!
Mark: Definitely it would be! I’m of the personal belief that you’re in the creative form of your life at the moment, some of the work that you’ve done recently, the second Sweet and Lynch album, and the latest Stryper album, I think, are right up there with your best. Do you get that feeling and have you plenty more to give?
Michael: Oh, yeah, well, I shouldn’t say that and take that for granted, but I would like to think so and certainly hope so. I feel as though I do, and I have a lot more in my heart and mind, and I don’t ever want to go through that “the well has dried up” phase. It does happen to people, and it’s happened to me before, back in early 1992/3, around that time period it was really tough for me to write songs that I really felt good about, and felt comfortable enough to put them on an album. Nowadays, it’s very easy, if you said to me, Michael, I want to hire you to write an album, can you start tomorrow, I’d start tomorrow and I’d write a song a day, and in 2 weeks, I’d have 12 songs, they keep falling out of me and I’m very thankful for that, but are they good songs? I have no idea!! I would hope so.
Mark: One of the things I think about music in the modern day is the fact that we’re so connected, because it’s so easy to record and things like that, we get a lot of opportunities to see a lot of artists put together projects, and one of the frustrating things for me is that some of those really great projects, we actually never get to see tour, and I know there’s a lot of work involved in that. But Sweet and Lynch, I just think you created something magical, especially with the second album, I loved “Unified”. Does it get frustrating when you put a lot of time and effort in to something like that, not to be able to get it out there for people?
Michael: It does, it certainly does, because you have a high level of belief and faith in the project, and you want to see it succeed, and you want to get it out there to the fans, perform and meet the fans and just experience that magic, and sometimes it doesn’t happen. I think the reason for that sometimes, is you see these “supergroups”, and you’re talking about four or five guys that are in a band, that are in other bands that are more popular and still touring, and they’re very busy with those bands, so instantly you’ve got a bit of a problem because it’s difficult to coordinate everyone coming together to do a tour. I’ll call George and say what about a tour in October 2020, and he’ll say no because he’s on tour at that time, and he’ll say what about December, but I say no because I’m touring at that time! It’s very hard to make it happen, but I would certainly hope that we can at some point go out, even if it’s some special one off dates, I’m hoping and praying that we can make that happen.
Mark: It would be great to see you on a big stage at one of the festivals or something like that. I know, speaking to George, he’s so prolific, and he’s involved in so much, it must be a blessing in one way that you’re so creative and equally frustrating that you can’t take some of the stuff out on the road!
Michael: Yeah, it’s difficult, I really try hard not to be so creative that I wind up over shadowing the last project, I don’t want to throw out too much, four to six albums a year where it gets to the point where each project doesn’t really have a fair shot or a fair chance of seeing the light of day. That’s why I try to limit myself to a few albums a year.
Mark: I think the wonderful thing about the stuff that you’re involved with is that it does sound different. Your 10th solo album, entitled “Ten” is out in September, what are you going to give us on there? Can you give us a bit of an insight?
Michael: Well, you’re going to hear the similarities that you expect from Michael Sweet, in terms of the song writing style and the delivery, but you’re also going to hear some unique flavours that I deliver in the mix of this album, for example it’s the perfect follow up to “One Sided War” but how it’s different is I have a different guitar player on every song, so on the last album I had a few different guitar players, Joel Hoekstra, Ethan Brosh, now I’ve got one on every song. I’ve got guys like Gus G, Andy James, Jeff Loomis, Tracii Guns, and of course Joel and Ethan. I’ve got Mike Kerr, Howie Simon, Ridge Ward and Fozzy, every song was written with them in mind, for example the song with Jeff Loomis is a bit more Iron Maiden sounding and up tempo, every song has its own unique stamp, but yet they all work and flow perfectly well together.
Mark: Sounds like something we’re going to enjoy! Is there any chance you’ll be previewing some of those songs while you’re over with us?
Michael: Oh yes, by that time it’ll be out, the album will be out and I will certainly play at least one track from that album, and maybe a few from that album, I just have to work out which ones will translate best to acoustic.
Mark: I’m hoping that you’re going to keep “Dying Rose” in the set as well; I think that’s a great song.
Michael: Oh yes “Dying Rose” will be in the set, I’ll have songs like “All for One” “Calling on You”, those classic Stryper staples. I’ll also have some deep B tracks in the set that people might not expect, and then I’ll be doing some things that are totally left field, completely unexpected, a complete shock and surprise, in a good way, for people as well!!
Mark: Fantastic, sounds great! Thank you so much for your time this morning, it’s been a pleasure, as always to talk to you, the time always seems to go so fast!!
Michael: That’s the problem in life isn’t it, it goes too fast!
Mark: It is, take care, and we shall look forward to seeing you in November.
Michael: Alright my friend, looking forward to it and God bless ya and thanks for your time. Bye.
Michael Sweet November 2019 Australian Tour Dates
Sydney: Thursday 14th November, Factory Theatre
Brisbane: Friday 15th November, Woolly Mammoth
Melbourne: Saturday 16th November, Stay Gold
Tickets From: https://silverbacktouring.com.au/michael-sweet-2019/
