Mick Sweda interview

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing former King Kobra and Bullet Boys guitarist Mick Sweda. I got to ask him some questions about his past, current and future projects.


Here is Mick in the middle front when he was in the Bullet Boys.

MM-What inspired you to start playing the guitar and how old were when you began playing?

MS-I was inspired by seeing a new kid in town playing on his front porch. I was hooked and it was all over after that. Plus it was summer and there was no hockey.

MM-How did you get the job with King Kobra?

MS-I was initially approached by the manager who then had Carmine come to see me. I auditioned and laid some tracks down on their songs. I think we did one rehearsal after that and I was offered the gig.

MM-Why was King Kobra’s second album”Thrill of a lifetime” more of an AOR sound than the debut “Ready to strike”?

MS-Capitol Records was unimpressed with the reception of the first album, and it’s poor showing at retail. Since they’re in the business of selling records, they wanted one that would do just that. It was suggested that, if we wanted to remain with the label and wanted to write our own songs, we should take a different approach. Personally, I was in favor of more melodic, mature and thought provoking music but the entire King Kobra experience was fraught with the interference of people who had no business being in the business. And shortly thereafter, they weren’t.

MM-How did the decision to leave King Kobra and form the Bullet Boys come about?

MS-I remember having done yet another demo of insipid and tired songs and Carmine was intent on shopping it. At that point and with great effort, I finally talked some of the others into moving on. It seemed to work out.

MM-How was playing and writing in the Bullet Boys different from King Kobra?

MS-It was better for me because I was doing the majority of writing. It was far more focused and cohesive, something KK could never be. It was a bit intimidating being the only guitarist at first because I always wrote for two guitars. Ultimately, it was a great learning experience and did a lot to boost my skills and confidence.

MM-The Bullet Boys’ debut did well, but why do you think band didn’t get a whole lot more popular after that point?

MS-It was a combination of the singer not taking care of his instrument (which lead to the record being delayed, which lost any momentum), our outlook and material being darker and the fact that music was in a much needed state of purging at that time and we seemed to have been caught up in it. But then it could have been our manager.

MM-What are the biggest high points and three worst low points of your music career?

MS-High points were finally getting to see my heroes Cheap Trick when we opened for them, playing on a bill with Kim Mitchell and seeing the effect we had on people who loved what we did. Being in between bands was a low point. Knowing the success of my band was in spite of some of the members was, and is, the lowest. Selling my 50 watt Marshall combo is another story.

MM-Tell us about what you are doing now in your music career?

MS-I just finished a record of cool tunes for kids. You can check it out at mickswedakids.com and I’m currently working on a new record of original material for mature audiences. You can stay in touch at micksweda.com.

MM-Any regrets in your music career?

MS-I regret not being more hands on in band management and not looking out for myself more when it came to band decisions but I’ve always been a team player to a fault. Just part of the package, I suppose. Other than that, I wish I’d joined the Secret Service.

Thanks to Mick for doing this interview. Again you can find out more about "Mick Sweda and the candy bar band" over at http://mickswedakids.com/.