Stryper frontman Michael Sweet‘s autobiography, Honestly, goes to editing next week. There is a 12-song solo record to go hand in hand with the release of the book.
In a September 2012 interview with Chris Axe, Sweet stated about his autobiography: “It’s coming along nicely, but slowly. It’s therapeutic but it’s also eye-opening to realize how fast time flies by. It seems like just yesterday that we were kids on the Sunset Strip.
“Life is short. I know a lot of people say that, but it’s true — you really do have to live each day to the fullest because the next thing you know you’ll wake up and 30 years have gone by.
“But I’m excited about the book. It’s tentatively called ‘Honestly’, which, of course, was the name of one of our bigger hits, but it’s also because the book is a very honest account of my life, the good and the bad.
“The idea is to release both the [new solo] album and the book at the same time. But since I record albums faster than me and my team can write a book, we have completed the album but the book is still being worked on daily. I say it’s coming along slowly, but then again, I have nothing to compare it to. I’ve never done a book before. It’s coming along slowly in comparison to how long it takes to make an album, but I feel like we’re making good progress daily on the book. We’re pushing hard to get it completed as quickly as possible. I think people are going to enjoy reading it, even if they are not Stryper fans. It chronicles my entire life from the beginning days on the Sunset Strip, through our entire early-years career, me eventually leaving Stryper, my years as a solo artist, playing in Boston, losing my wife to cancer, reuniting with Stryper, and getting married again. It’s all in there.
Michael‘s new solo album will be issued via Big3 Records. Guest musicians set to appear on the CD include Chickenfoot drummer Kenny Aronoff, Fozzy singer Chris Jericho, Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich; Tony Harnell of TNT, and Michael‘s brother Robert Sweet and Stryper‘s Timothy Gaines.
Regarding Harnell‘s appearance on the CD, Sweet previously stated, “I think Tony is truly one of the most underrated singers of all time. He’s always been one of my favorites and is an incredibly nice, humble guy to boot. I’ve always wanted to work with Tony and I knew this would be the perfect song and opportunity to do so. ‘Taking On The World Tonight’ is very heavy with a combination of old-school riffs and solos yet it’s got a very modern, relevant sound as well. It’s the best of both worlds!”
Writing on Facebook, Sweet stated about reaction to his previously released solo album samples, “To the handful of people who think it sounds like Stryper — well, earth to moon, I am the singer/guitarist/songwriter for Stryper so there is the remote chance that their will be similarities right? Maybe you can’t comprehend that but I think most people here do.
“For those of you who wonder why it isn’t a Stryper record, the truth is that I had the opportunity to make a record and I took it. It’s been almost 12 years since my last solo release and I felt it was long overdue. There is a lot of down time with Stryper and life goes on, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do … We all have done solo projects over the years and it’s a great way for all of us to be artistic and express our musical ideas individually.”
Sweet‘s last solo album, Touched, was released in December 2007 exclusively through Michael‘s official web site, MichaelSweet.com. The CD, which included reworked versions of four Stryper songs, was not made available in stores.
Stryper will release a collection of re-recorded versions of the band’s classic songs on March 22 via Frontiers Records. Entitled Second Coming,
Stryper will enter the studio on April 2 to begin recording their next all-new original album for a late 2013 release. The band’s frontman, Michael Sweet, states: “[I] started arranging songs for the next Stryper record today. I’ve got a phone filled with 50-plus riffs and I’m diving in! Stryper starts recording on April 2 and wrap the record on June 1. It will be released later in the year, 2013! We’re busier now than in 1986.
Stryper Tour Dates:
February 16, 2013 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Teatro Flores
February 17, 2013 – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Carioca Club
March 16 – 20, 2013 – Monsters Of Rock Cruise , FT Lauderdale
Aug. 10, 2013 – West Allis, WI Wisconsin State Fair w/ Vince Neil NEW
more dates tba.
Band members:
Michael Sweet- Lead Vocals / Guitar
Robert Sweet- Drums
Oz Fox- Guitar / Vocals
Timothy Gaines- Bass/Vocals
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Twitter
‘Michael Sweet’ Talks About Upcoming Solo Album, Autobiography [Sept. 2012]
‘Robert Sweet’ Interviewed By His Mother ‘Janice Sweet’, Video [Oct. 2012]
‘Stryper’ ‘South American’ 2013 Tour Dates Announced [Nov. 2012]
‘Michael Sweet’ Releases Solo Track As Tribute To Those Affected By Hurricane Sandy [Nov. 2012]
‘Michael Sweet’ Joins Ex ‘Dokken’ Members On Tour In 2013‘ [Dec. 2012]
‘Stryper’ ‘Upcoming Anaheim Show To Feature Special Guests ‘Todd La Torre’ & ‘Jeff Scott Soto’ [Dec. 2012]
‘Stryper’ To Release ‘Second Coming’ On March 22 [Jan. 2013]
‘Michael Sweet’ Says People Who Liked ‘The Covering’ Will Love ‘Second Coming’ [Jan. 2013]
’Stryper’ Announce New Multi-Album Deal With ‘Frontiers Records’ [Jan. 2013]