2007 | Michael Sweet - Touched | Indie
June 16, 2008
 You Are So Beautiful Together As One She’s Got A Way All Of Me Without You First Love First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Honestly The Rose My Love, My Life, My Flame Color My World |
This is a special indie release of the “Touched” cd. It was only available from www.MichaelSweet.com and the first 500 preorders were autographed by Michael.
In addition to several classic Stryper ballads, this album contains Michael’s intreptation of many pop standard songs previously recorded by artists such as Joe Crocker (”You Are so Beautiful”), Billy Joel (”She’s Got a Way”), Harry Nilsson (”Without You”), Roberta Flack (”The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face”), Bette Midler (”The Rose”) and Chicago (”Color My World”). It also features the brand new Michael Sweet song “My Love, My Life, My Flame” |
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| Read the Touched story from Michael ▼ |
1992 | Michael Sweet - Blue Demo | Sweet 2 C Music
June 16, 2008
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This is a rare demo CD that was only available directly from Michael Sweet. It is a high quality limited edition CD in a simple blue paper sleeve. It was also available on cassette, the cassette was a translucent blue color. |
| I Think You Hear Me Knockin’ All I Wanna Do Is Love You Tomorrow, Tonight Someday |
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Former STRYPER Bassist Tim Gaines Joins TOURNIQUET For FLEVO FESTIVAL!
June 16, 2008
Christian neo-classical progressive thrash metal band TOURNIQUET has enlisted former STRYPER bassist Tim Gaines for its upcoming appearance at the Flevo Festival, an open-air Christian music festival set to take place August 14-17 at a recreation area near Voorst, The Netherlands. The festival was first organized as Kamperland Festival in 1978 by the Dutch arm of Youth for Christ and became a private foundation in 2002.
Here is a direct link to the acknowledgment on Tourniquet’s website…
www.tourniquet.net/home/#newsitem87
1989 | Mass - Voices In The Night | Enigma Records
June 15, 2008
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“Voices in the Night” was produced by Michael Sweet and has a very similar sound to the 80’s Stryper albums. |
| Voices in the Night Nine Tonight Reach for the Sky Chance to Love Turn it All Around Carry Your Heart Miles Away Follow Me Call Out Your Name Staying Alive Still of the Night |
More than a feeling: Tour bittersweet for new Boston singer Michael Sweet
June 14, 2008
For Stryper frontman Michael Sweet, touring this summer with Boston as one of its singers is bittersweet.
“As excited as I am, I’m also incredibly concerned and a bit bummed because I’m leaving my wife, who is very ill,” Sweet said.
Add to that the 2007 suicide of Boston’s lead singer, Brad Delp, and it doesn’t make for a pleasant situation. However, Sweet and the rest of Boston are determined to accentuate the positive.
“This is a tour that’s certainly honoring him,” Sweet said. “Nobody’s trying to be Brad, or replacing Brad or anything. We’re going out there and carrying on the incredible music and trying to have as good a time as we can doing so. Having fun and encouraging one another. So far it’s been a great journey.”
Sweet will appear with Boston, which is co-headlining Doug Fest 2008 with Stevie Nicks, at 7 p.m. Sunday at DTE Energy Music Theatre. Sweet — who is joined in the band by guitarist Tom Scholz, drummer Jeff Neal, fellow singer Tommy DeCarlo, bassist Kimberley Dahme and keyboardist Gary Pihl — said to consider Boston’s summer tour as a celebration of Delp’s life.
“We’re really wanting to focus on the positive,” Sweet said. “We don’t want it to be a down time. We want people to be encouraged. We’re honoring the man with the music. A lot of fans on the (bulletin) boards have been so discouraged by what has happened. They’ve been kind of down. It’s sad what happened, rightfully so. But we’re just wanting to encourage everyone to pick everyone up, and hopefully everyone will leave the show with that feeling.”
Sweet is sharing vocal duties with Tommy DeCarlo. An amateur singer and Home Depot employee, DeCarlo recorded covers of the band’s songs and uploaded them to a MySpace page. A Boston associate heard the music and forwarded it to band members.
“Tommy’s an awesome singer,” Sweet said. “He sounds so much like Brad, so we split everything up. He’s handling songs like ‘Smokin’,’ ‘Party,’ Don’t Look Back,’ those songs with the higher signature Brad range. I’m doing ‘Amanda,’ ‘More Than a Feeling,’ ‘Peace of Mind,’ songs that suit me more.”
Like DeCarlo, Sweet is a longtime Boston fan, a journey that began when he was 13 years old. He explained that the first Boston record inspired him to strive for better guitar tones.
“That’s when I went from just being a kid with a Sears electric guitar and a (clean) amp, to cranking it up to get distortion,” Sweet said. “That’s when I started seeking the ultimate guitar tone. I heard that tone and thought, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I started buying foot pedals and all these gadgets. It changed me a lot as a player, and as a writer — the arrangements, the vocal harmonies, the guitar harmonies. If you listen to Stryper, even though we’re much heavier sounding and classified as a hard rock or metal band, you can definitely hear the similarities, the influence in many ways.”
Although he’s only been in Boston for a couple of months, Sweet is excited about the prospect of writing and recording new music with the band.
“Tom has mentioned on occasion the possibility of me contributing to music. I would be completely honored,” Sweet said. “I know they’re going to be working on a new album when we get back from tour. I think they might use some old songs that Brad sang on and remaster, remix some other songs and record some new songs. I’ve been asked to be a part of that process. In any way, whatever I’m doing, if I can be a part of it, beautiful.”
Boston’s Scholz is reciprocating the favor. Next year, Stryper fans will see a new album with the first single of “Peace of Mind,” a cover of the Boston song.
“Tom Scholz is playing on it. It’s absolutely fantastic,” Sweet said. “That’s going to be released by Big Three Records in early ‘09. At some point, we’ll go out and tour on that. It’s the best record we’ve done. Sonically, musically, it’s got a lot of energy, and I’m really excited about that coming out.”
But for now he’s focusing on Boston and, according to its official Web site, shows are selling out.
“I think that’s surprising,” Sweet said. “It came as quite a surprise to everyone, especially Tom. You never know what’s going to happen in a situation like this.”
by Christina Fuoco-Karasinski | Contributing writer June 13, 2008
Studio Pictures! Stryper - Murder By Pride
June 12, 2008
| I was searching long and hard but I found some!Here are a few pictures from the studio of Stryper in the process of recording “Murder By Pride”…
These pictures were taken at SpiritHouse Studio (www.spirithouserecords.com) in Massachusetts. SpiritHouse Studio is owned by Danny Bernini, Record Producer / Engineer. |
     
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Tim Gaines - Life of a “Forty Something” Career Musician
June 12, 2008
This is a resent (06/11/08) blog from Tim Gaines that he posted on his myspace site.
www.myspace.com/timgainesmusic
Tim Gaines
Life of a “Forty Something” Career Musician
How is it I can live in the heart of Music City – Nashville TN, and I can’t find a band or like minded musicians to play with? This is one of the most frustrating things for me at my age right now. Nobody seems to want to get out and do anything. They have kids to raise, work, spouses … etc. I thought my thirties were a drag, but my mid forties are looking very depressing.
I have pretty much given up my whole life to play music. It is what I have always done and it is all I know how to do. I don’t have kids or any real responsibilities to hold me back. My wife is 100% supportive of my career and wants to see me on the road doing what I do best. In the past I have had a lot of success in music and have made a great living. I have been very blessed.
Gigs here in Nashville are few and far between. MIT and Berkley are spitting out thousands of newly “educated” players every year that all flock to Nashville so that they can land a “gig.” They really need the work to pay off their $80K student loans, so they all work for next to nothing. Most of them end up teaching music lessons for $10 bucks an hour at local music stores. Then there are those that are lucky and seem to have everything just fall into their laps.
I was fortunate enough to get work with a famous songwriter/ recording artist last year for a short tour. The money was good, and everything was done first class, but I don’t want to be a side guy. I want to be in a real band where everyone matters, and the fans know your name. Not this bunch of crap where you have to scramble to get your charts made up at the last minute because the artist with an inflated ego has some 50 songs for the band to learn, but can’t make up his mind which songs to play, and you are forced to play the show with little or no rehearsal, and you better not mess up or there will be a plane ticket home. I hate it, but that is what Nashville is all about. You are expendable.
This January I was hired to play bass and be music director for a famous Christian artist. I was told to go ahead and promote his new album on my website and gigs would soon follow. Well, gigs didn’t come and one by one, the band members started finding other paying gigs. For five months I waited, and still promoted the album. I took on a temp job loading trucks in a warehouse to hold me over till things took off. Then I got an email that this artist had hired a new band and would be rehearsing in Seattle for an upcoming tour. I was just being used for my notoriety by this artist’s management company to help generate record sales. It was just a big scam.
I have a lot of really talented musician friends here, but not one of them is motivated to do anything. It’s like everyone has given up pursuing the dream they once had in their youth. They still dream but life or age is holding them back.
I come from the garage band school of thought. It’s what we all did as kids…. You learn and work up a bunch of really good songs in the garage. You hang out with the band and become really good pals. You’re like a gang and everyone stands up for the other guy. It’s all about fun and enjoying the music. You become really good at what you do, and then you go out and start playing shows. The money might not be great but you just love playing so much that you don’t mind. I guess that’s what I am looking for but can’t seem to find it anywhere. At the same time, who am I kidding? I am forty five years old.
Tracy on Bass w/ “Johnny Vance & The Outsiders”
June 10, 2008
Some of you may remember that last August Tracy Ferrie joined the band “Johnny Vance & The Outsides”.
I recently traded emails with Johnny and he said that Tracy is still playing for them and that they have a couple of dates in June. He also said that they are headed to Florida for most of the summer. Check out his site for more information as it becomes available at www.johnnyvance.com
Christian Music Hall of Fame Inducts - Stryper
June 10, 2008
Christian Music Hall of Fame 2008 Inductees include;
David Meece,
Dottie Rambo,
Ed Enoch,
John Schlitt,
Lou Wills Hildreth,
Michael W. Smith,
Stryper,
The Staple Singers,
Where:
Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church
1015 State Hwy 121
Allen, Texas 75013
For more information visit www.hallmuseum.com
10/07/85 | Concord, CA. - Concord Pavillon | CDx2
June 4, 2008
Great live show! Michael interacts with the crowd a lot and seems to be having a really good time.
Click here to view track listing ▼