Rock Your World
Boston guitarist Tom Scholz (left) and Stryper frontman Michael Sweet, photo by Andy Argyrakis
By Andy Argyrakis, Senior Music Editor, GospelMusicChannel.com
The name Michael Sweet may be most readily associated with Stryper, but this summer finds the frontman for the “yellow and black attack” stepping up to the microphone for legendary classic rockers Boston. The 30-year-plus veterans recently suffered the sudden loss of singer Brad Delp, and following a 2007 tribute show featuring Sweet with several other rock n’ roll stars, appeared to have officially retired. But after a flurry of Internet chatter and overwhelming fan demand, the mainstream hit-makers behind “More Than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” “Amanda,” “Don’t Look Back” and “Higher Power” (to name just a handful), returned to the road with this famed Christian rocker in tow.
“I was contacted shortly after Brad’s death to write something about what he meant to me as a singer and it was posted on the Internet as a tribute,” says Sweet backstage at Chicago’s Charter One Pavilion before Boston takes the stage for a sold-out show in front of 10,000 fans. “People from [founding guitarist/songwriter] Tom Scholz’s camp read it and contacted my management after being touched by what I said. They hadn’t heard me sing, but heard of Stryper and invited me to sing at what they thought was going to be the last Boston show ever. But as we started playing and singing together at rehearsals, Tom said ‘oh my gosh, we’ve never sounded so good’ and those feelings translated to us working together, which is all pretty wild.”
Sweet is a longtime Boston fan, making the experience particularly surreal. Still, the singer credits the scenario to God’s ultimate timing and will, coupled with the responsibility to use this extraordinary platform for God’s glory just as he’s always done with Stryper (who will release a new record at the tip of 2009, featuring the Boston cover “Peace of Mind,” currently available on iTunes, which features Scholz as a guest guitarist).
“It’s amazing because we go through phases in life when we think God’s not there or you wonder why you’re having such a tough time or dry spell,” he reflects, citing his wife’s ongoing battle with ovarian cancer as a recent example. “But then something happens that changes your life and it’s something you never would’ve guessed. That’s how God works if you just trust Him and let Him do it in His time…I feel like God’s given me a chance of a lifetime here to really step up to the plate and be a true example to everyone around me and I don’t want to take that for granted or blow it!”
Celebrated dcTalk singer-turned-solo-artist Kevin Max is also making the mainstream rounds by participating in the suicide awareness compilation Hope Volume One (Visionary Concepts). The collection also features acclaimed secular stars Lisa Loeb (best known for the smash “Stay” from the Reality Bites soundtrack), Charlotte Martin (dubbed the modern-day Kate Bush), Ken Andrews (producer for Pete Yorn, Beck and Tenacious D) and Joanne Cash featuring Johnny Cash (yup, that’s the actual Man in Black with his sweetly singing sister).
“I believe that the Christian music community should always be proactive in organizations such as this as there are many people that have been affected by suicide and depression and we need to reach out with grace, hope and love,” Max suggests of the sometimes taboo topic. “[My song on the CD] ‘Your Beautiful Mind’ was written about a friend of mine that was ‘on the edge.’ She was always questioning the meaning of life, and where we were going after death…As an atheist, she challenged my own thought process, but in the end, I believe this song was a message to her, in part, saying that the beauty of life is obvious and right in front of us. We just need to look for it even when it is difficult to find anything good in it.”
Alternative rockers Nevertheless are so excited about their September 16 release In the Making...(Flicker) that they can’t seem to get much sleep these days. To pump up awareness for the brand new single “Sleeping In,” the guys are literally camping out overnight in front of various radio headquarters and getting up at the crack of dawn to cook for each station’s staff members. “We have really enjoyed the opportunity to surprise people with breakfast on their way into work and the stations always seemed happy that we were there,” offers lead singer Joshua Pearson. “We got a chance to perfect the art of pancake-making on them and hang out for a few hours in their studios. It was a good experience all around – for both us and them!”
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About the Writer
Andy Argyrakis is a Chicago-based entertainment writer/photographer who appears in the Chicago Tribune, Illinois Entertainer, Daily Journal, Concert Livewire, Hear/Say Magazine and Image Chicago (to name few). His record label writing credits include Warner Brothers, Atlantic, Curb, EMI and Universal, with additional photo credits for Fuse TV, Live Nation, Nikon, Pollstar, Celebrity Access, Paste Magazine, MTV.com and Vibe.com. He’s also the author/narrator of “Access Matthews” (an audio CD tracing the career of Dave Matthews Band) and spends considerable time on tour, including outings with Arlo Guthrie, The Guess Who, Madina Lake (on Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution) and Gospel Music Channel’s very own “Gospel Dream” (where he served as season one judge).
