Michael Sweet of Sweet & Lynch –Building the Perfect CD with No Filler!

By: Robert Cavuoto

Two of hard rock’s most notable figures have partnered up for a new project.

Iconic vocalist and guitarist Michael Sweet of Stryper and guitar hero George Lynch of Lynch Mob and Dokken have joined forces to form the new supergroup Sweet & Lynch. Joining them on bass are James Lomenzo and Brian Tichy on drums.

A CD where there is no filler, only melodic rock songs created with an ear towards the greatest eras of rock ‘n roll – the ’70s and ’80s, that include songs that showcase the two musician’s abilities like on “Only to Rise” with George’s Van Halen-esque riff or on “Dying Rose” with Michael’s soulfully smooth voice.

I caught up with Michael Sweet to talk about what went into making this CD and his views on the music industry as it relates to rock and metal!

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Robert Cavuoto: Did you and George ever sit down or talk about the scope of the project, or map out the details of what it should sound like?

Michael Sweet: We never did. Serafino Perugino of Frontier Records sent me an email asking me if I wanted to sing on a project he was putting together with John Levin of Dokken. One thing led to another and I suggested working with George Lynch. Serafino loved the idea. I offered to produce the CD and here we are.

George and I never sat down face to face to figure out what we were going to do. Once he agreed to be part of it, we brought James Lomenzo on bass and Brian Tichy on drums. Right out of the gate George started sending me riffs. I would weed through everything until we got 12 solid song ideas. It was then my job to write the lyric and the melodies. I had to take those one minute ideas and turn them into four minute songs.

Robert: I have to imagine converting a minute riff to a 4 minute song is no easy task, as all the songs on the CD are pretty detailed and intricate.

Michael Sweet: It’s really interesting how it all came together, plus me being a bit of a magician.

I would get a riff with an intro, a verse, a chorus and then it would literally shut off. I would then have to take this really cool riff and write the parts that weren’t there, like the turnaround, the outros, and the sections for the solos.

Some of the stuff he sent me had a little more, but most were just 60-90 seconds. Once I wrote those sections I went into the studio and cut and pasted his guitar parts into the layout of the song.

No one really knows this, until now; I copied George’s guitar tones and then would play the bridge I had written and drop it into the layout. I would piece it all together to make it work and flow into the song. It ended up working.

It took me a solid week of 8-10 hour days to complete. Then we mastered it, went to my house to do the vocals and sent it to George for solos and the tasteful nuances within it. Once that was all done, we mixed it.

I didn’t put down much guitar, maybe a solid rhythm on some stuff, while on other songs I didn’t touch, like “Only to Rise.” That’s a signature George song, it wouldn’t be right for me to mess with that.

But songs like “The Wish,” “Strengthen in Numbers,” and “Love Stays” I had some leeway. George’s playing is always there.

Then Brian and James came out and I basically let them do what they felt for each song. There were times they would ask if a part was too much and I would say “No more, cut loose and go for it” and they did.

We would listen to the song, and then they would go to the room and track together. In 75 minutes we would have the drums and bass parts for each song. We did four songs a day and then would grab a nice dinner. We completed twelve songs in three days. They came to the table every bit as George and I. The CD shines due to their energy.

Robert: Is it easier to create a CD the way you described or get everyone in a room at the same time for the entire process?

Michael Sweet: I don’t know if there is an easier process. I’m major OCD and ADHD and it applies to the way I write and make records. I obsess over everything, so it’s never an easy process for me. Everyone else is always saying it’s done and sounds great, but I’m always the guy coming in the room saying, “Let me hear that again.” [Laughing]

Robert: When you play live, will you be playing guitar with George?

Michael Sweet: I’ll be playing guitar, I won’t be soloing as George will get the spotlight on that.

George Lynch is one of the best players ever! I’ll possibly do some harmonies and most of the rhythm parts.

Robert: Do the songs lend themselves to singing and playing simultaneously?

Michael Sweet: Most do, some don’t like “Only to Rise.” That will be George playing and me running around doing the frontman thing.

Robert: Can you tell us when tour dates will be released?

Michael Sweet: I hope we get some this year. The tricky part is aligning everybody’s schedules, which seem to be almost an impossible task. But we are trying hard to pull it together. I would love to see 16 dates hitting NYC, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Maybe a few overseas dates, as well. I think it would be cool to do something because the fans want to see it live.

Robert: The songs have a lot of energy and excitement which would translate well in a live setting.

Michael Sweet: Also taking it a step further, to do a second CD with these guys. I think this one surprised us by the response and success. Because of that I would love to do another CD.

Robert: Every time I listen to the CD I find a new song that I love, right now, my new favorites are “Strength in Number” and “Only to Rise.” What can you tell me about them?

Michael Sweet: “Strength in Number” was one of the riffs that I came up with. We were lacking a few songs and George was busy. I was playing around with that riff at home and thought it would be pretty cool to add on this CD. I sent the idea to George and he added his flair and it turned into a really cool song. I hear a little Def Leppard and Led Zeppelin in it. It’s an interesting song with a unique vibe. Sonically, I think it is one of the best and a favorite of mine.

Robert: A hidden gem on the CD is the last track “Only to Rise” which has a Van Halen vibe off of 1984. Tell me about it and why it was used as the title, but the last track on the CD?

Michael Sweet: When George sent me the riff and called me to ask what I thought, we both felt the same about it. It had a “Hot for Teacher” or “Light up the Sky” vibe to it. We didn’t do a lot of guitar or vocal over dubs, we wanted to keep it simple, as it has a live feeling to it.

It was last because it felt right within the sequence of the songs. We tried it as the first track and in the middle and it didn’t feel right. When you are listening to the CD to see how one song flows into the other, it flowed best where it is. It is a little odd but it sits nice.

Robert: With radio stations not playing new rock and no real video music channels to speak of, is it frustrating as a musician to put on an amazing CD like this and then struggle to have it be heard?

Michael Sweet: Yeah, I get a bad rap of being so honest about things that I come across as being arrogant or cocky, but it’s not the case. If people hung out with me for a day they would see that it’s more about being confident.

The point I’m trying to make is that we are making the best music in my career. I’m not afraid to say that. No More Hell to Pay, was the best Stryper CD of our career. Some would disagree which is fine, but I do think that if it came out in 1988 it would have outsold To Hell with the Devil.

Same with Only to Rise, had it came out in 1988 to 1990 I think it would be a hit CD. It could have gone gold or platinum!

But in today’s music world, it’s lost because of the over saturation of music with so many bands. Back in the ’80s there were a few hundred bands and now there are 10,000. I’m not speaking against that, music is an art and we all have that right to expression.

It is sad that the bands that were very successful and rose to the top have to really fight hard to make it back to the top with their music these days. Back in the ’80s music lasted; they wouldn’t fall off the charts after the first week. One week and they are done. Your first week out is “THE” week, after that goodbye. It’s disheartening.

I sometimes get let down as a fan when I buy a CD and there are only two or three spectacular songs and the rest is filler. After we signed our record deal I always said there is not going to be any filler, but yeah, there is sometimes.

I always make it my goal for no filler, every song has to stand on its own and every song has to be great or otherwise it’s not going on the CD. That’s just my mentality and I’m surprised that some bands don’t think that way. Anything I do, whether with Sweet & Lynch or Stryper or my solo CD, I go out of my way to make sure every song is a good song.

Robert:  What’s your take on the Grammy’s overlooking rock and heavy metal?

Michael Sweet: It’s really crazy. I’m a fan of all types of good music. When I hear a song I don’t care if it’s R&B, country or whatever. If it’s a good song, it’s a good song. You have to recognize and respect it regardless of what type of music it is. I think rock is the best music and involves the best players and song writing. I may be opinioned here [Laughing]. I’m sure people will be reading this going, “What an arrogant jerk!” But, I think I’m right and a lot of people would agree with me.

The sad thing is that rock is so overlooked these days. We have to figure a way out of this fast, to get it back on top again. As long as bands keep making CDs that are better than their last, then fans will come around again. Unfortunately, there are a lot of good bands that are putting out crap. You A/B it to their glory days and it doesn’t compare. That’s a big part of the problem, maybe they stopped caring. Put a little more into it lose the pride and the ego in thinking you can still write hit songs.

You can work with co-writers or figure out how to put something out that rivals the old days. Fans will come back and radio will play good music. Maybe I’m dreaming, but think it is as simple as that. If you make a great CD, they will come!

Robert: Speaking of making quality CDs, give us an update of the status of the Stryper CD.

Michael Sweet: It will be reminiscent of No More Hell to Pay; I hear flavors of that as well as songs that sound similar to it. We pushed the envelope and it is going to blow people away.  We have a six minute song with four different tempos changes. It has a section like Priest, Maiden, and Metallica. We are doing stuff that is experimental, but at the same time we are not going off path.

Robert: I want to end the interview with a funny question. Did you ever consider using you first names for the band versus last names?

Michael Sweet: [Laughing] We should have gone with George Michael, it would have been cool. I don’t think we could have been sued because that’s our real names [Laughing].

We went back and forth on the names, Lynch & Sweet, Sweet & Lynch. The label seemed to like Sweet & Lynch. George and I didn’t like it, as we didn’t want to use our names. We considered Only to Rise as a name. The label wasn’t as excited for that and pushed hard for Sweet & Lynch. We didn’t want to ruffle feathers and [wanted to] make the label feel involved.