Mick Sweda | |
---|---|
Born |
Gowanda, New York |
April 18, 1960
Occupation(s) | Musician Songwriter Producer |
Instruments | Guitar, synthesizers, vocals |
Years active | 1980–present |
Labels |
Capitol Records Warner Bros. RedCake Records |
Associated acts | Bulletboys,King Kobra |
Mick Sweda is a songwriter, guitarist and singer born in Gowanda, NY on April 18, 1960.
After attending college on a drama scholarship and touring the east coast with various bands, Sweda moved to Los Angeles where he spent time in various musical projects.
In 1984, he was approached by Carmine Appice to join his new band King Kobra, which had been signed to Capitol Records. Sweda recorded two records with King Kobra ('Ready to Strike' and 'Thrill of a Lifetime') and toured extensively, opening for bands such as Iron Maiden, Kiss and Ted Nugent. Sweda left the band in 1987 and started BulletBoys with Lonnie Vencent and Marq Torien, who had briefly served as King Kobra's lead singer. The band signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988. Upon the release of their eponymous debut, the band toured extensively opening for bands such as Cheap Trick, Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne and others, as well as headlining theaters. BulletBoys recorded two more records for Warner Bros. (Freakshow and Za-Za) and supported both records with tours before Sweda left the band in 1993.
After recording demos for a wide range of artists in his studio and doing session work, Sweda formed a new band called Brain Stem Babies which included Jason Hook and Jeremy Spencer. They played scattered shows but spent the majority of their time recording records which Sweda made available on his Monsters Making Music label. The band parted ways in 1996 and Sweda, along with BSB bassist Jon Winquist, recruited Troy Patrick Farrell ('White Lion') to form Lolligag. They played occasionally in Los Angeles but again spent more time recording and disbanded in 1998. Sweda continued to record with John Porter and Marty Horenburg at Cello Studios in Hollywood but then began to concentrate on personal matters.