Michael Sweet's Reborn Again

Most fans know that Stryper's 2005 release titled Reborn was originally intended as a Michael Sweet solo project.  Instead, the band reformed with bassist Tracy Ferrie and released it as one of their own.  It was a clear departure from their classic sound of the '80s and included hints of nu metal, a style known for drawing on other musical influences such as alternative, funk, and grunge, all of which can be heard on Reborn.

I was thrilled when it came out and played it endlessly.  It was an exciting new musical direction for the band, and I was on board with it.  In the more than fifteen years since its release, I have continued to enjoy it just as much as I did in 2005.  The lyrics are deep and the music is hard and aggressive, just the way I like it.

Now here we are in 2021, and Michael Sweet has decided to re-release the album under his own name.  As he says on his website, "After years of requests and a lot of thought, I decided to release the original versions/tracks and add some things that I felt were always missing:  guitar solos, high vocal notes, more rhythm guitars, synth parts and an alternative version of 'Passion.'"  The question we have to answer is whether this is a good thing.

My first step was to create a playlist that included the songs from each album in alternating order.  In other words, the first track was "Open Your Eyes" from the Stryper album followed by the same song off the Michael Sweet album and so on.  As I began listening to this song from Reborn Again, I noticed that it sounded a bit cleaner, and had that been the only difference, I doubt I would have recommended the new album, but then the guitar solo hit and my eyes flew open.  Literally.  I was blown away and suddenly couldn't wait to hear each of the others songs paired with the 2005 versions.

Michael Sweet certainly achieved what he set out to do.  There are indeed additional synth and rhythm guitar parts and high notes, but what really knock me out are the guitar solos, and for my money, these make this an entirely new album.  Overall the feeling is heavier in places, perhaps even darker.

Let's also not overlook the cover by Stan Decker, who has worked with Sweet before on the covers of the most recent Stryper albums as well as Sweet & Lynch.  For me an album is a whole work of art, from the lyrics to the music to any graphics included in the packaging, and Decker continues his powerful imagery and color scheme on this cover.

In short, I give this five of five stars.  I can listen to the 2005 Stryper album and then this one and have two completely different musical experiences, each of which is a shot of powerful, aggressive rock.

For the interviews Pastor Wildman and I did with Michael Sweet and Oz Fox along with even more goodies related to Christian rock and metal, head on over to www.wildmanandsteve.com and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @wildmanandsteve!  And don't forget to subscribe to The Wildman & Steve Show!  Thanks!

Going Solo

Yes, this one of my Christmas gifts. Must have been a good boy this year!

In late 2017 Michael Sweet (Stryper, Boston, Sweet & Lynch) released a DVD called Sole:  Songs and Stories From a Life In Music, and it just that.  I love behind-the-music videos and opportunities to hear the stories behind the songs I love, and this provides all of that.  First and foremost it is a recording of Michael's solo show at the Narrows Center in Massachusetts from June of 2017.  Interspersed are rare video clips of Michael and a new interview in which he reflects on his music, his career, and all that goes into making the sounds that form the soundtrack of our lives.

What do you need to know about this disc to head over to Michael's site to buy it?  It is an incredibly well produced testament to a seriously creative force in rock music.  We get songs from Stryper, from Michael's solo career, and from his work in Sweet & Lynch, and we get them in a form that not everyone can bring off...acoustic solo.

Some of us remember the days of MTV Unplugged, whose undeniable highlight was Eric Clapton's rendition of "Layla."  That show introduced countless rock fans to the genuinely respectable musical chops of their rock heroes.  This is not to say that there is not legitimate musicianship blasting through a Marshall stack, but it is easy to get caught up in the sonic tsunami of a concert and miss the nuances.  When an artist stands alone on a stage with nothing but a mic and a guitar, there is nothing to hide behind.  It is raw and immediate, or "starkers" as David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) once put it.

So is Michael Sweet someone who can bring this off?  Let's get this straight, folks.  Michael Sweet is a serious musician.  He can write music and lyrics that take songs into the stratosphere and has done so for more than thirty years.  He is a technician who knows his craft incredibly well.  And the guy can flat out play and sing, perhaps better than ever, and that is evidenced clearly on this disc.

What makes this DVD so special is that Michael's true character comes out.  He interacts with his fans and with family members, and the whole thing makes you feel as if you and your friends were hanging out with him at your house.  I have been fortunate to interview Michael and connect with him after shows, and I can tell you that what you see of him on this DVD is the real deal.

One word of warning, though.  Get this one quickly.  It is a limited edition of 1,000, and it can only be purchased through Port Merchandise online.  If you are a Michael Sweet fan, a Stryper fan, or just a fan of the magic behind music, then add this to your collection today.

Sweet & Lynch: Unified

There was a time when I thought there was no more good, new music.  I even used to joke that "the day the music died" did not refer to the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, but December 31, 1989, for once we left the '80s, there was nothing good anymore in the musical world.  That was, of course, an exaggeration, but let's face it.  There comes a time when many of us stop listening to new material and just replay our favorite albums over and over.  The 21st century, however, has seen a rebirth of some great rock music, and the latest testament is the sophomore release from Sweet & Lynch.

Their 2015 debut, Only To Rise, was a solid record, but their new album, Unified, simply blows it and many others out of the water.  Michael Sweet (Stryper, Boston), George Lynch (Lynch Mob, Dokken), James LoMenzo (White Lion, Megadeth), and Brian Tichy (Billy Idol, Whitesnake) have returned tighter than ever.  Their individual efforts mesh on this album, and they simply sound comfortable together, a fact that gives the album its defining characteristic, creativity.  I have never heard an album that experiments as much as this one from track to track, and those experiments pay off, yielding music that is intensely interesting and that makes you want to keep the album on repeat.

The opening track, "Promised Land," forms a clear bridge with the last album.  In fact, it could well have been on Only To Rise and has much in common with that album's title track melodically and rhythmically.  After listening to it, you say, "Okay.  Sounds good.  Pretty much as I expected.  What's next?"  And that's where things get interesting and take off.

Track 2, called "Walk," is unlike anything these guys are known for in their other bands.  It is certainly unlike anything Michael Sweet has ever sung.  It opens with a funky rhythm followed by Michael's rapid fire vocals that recall Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes on "Hard To Handle."  Early comments on this song based on the video likened it to Queen, and that is clearly evident in the chorus. After two verses and twice through the chorus, things change again for a tasty solo from George Lynch that is again evocative of Queen, yet at the 3:14 mark we hear a throwback to "Under The Bridge" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  From there, it is back to a big, Queenesque finish.

At this point, any first-time listener should be wondering what is going on and curious for the next track, for it is clear that this album is not going to sound as if each song were cut from the same mold.  And if curiosity killed the cat, it is probably because the cat tripped and fell as it stumbled into the dark metal of the third song, "Afterlife."  It is dark, heavy, and sludgy.  Oh, and did I say it is dark?  It features a slow rhythm that, when it does accelerate, moves into a swagger and then back into slow...what's the word I'm looking for...darkness.

It is well known that I'm a huge Michael Sweet fan, but these opening three songs display an amazing talent.  The lyrics are wildly different as are his vocal styles, and he pulls each one off with great success.  For someone who has enjoyed his metal screams for years, "Walk" and "Afterlife" are delicious treats.

"Make Your Mark," the fourth track, returns to the familiar Sweet & Lynch of the first album and Michael's aggressive screams, although at the 2:07 mark his vocals call to mind Steven Tyler from "Sweet Emotion."

A slow, country/southern-rock groove opens track 5, "Tried & True," and turns into a melody that would have stood well alongside Bon Jovi's "Never Say Goodbye."  In fact, you could well imagine this playing at the high school dance or in the car as you and your date hung out after the football game.  It takes you back to a simpler time and is quite a lovely tune.

And speaking of taking you back in time, the title track, "Unified" comes up next and does just that.  While Sweet & Lynch is without a doubt a rock outfit built on the solid guitar work of George Lynch, it is the subtle, almost ethereal keyboard floating above the verses that conjures up images of big hair, Aqua Net, and spandex, and for this Roman Rocker, that always fits the bill.

Is it the theme song to a 1970's sci-fi film?  No, that's just the intro to "Find Your Way," the seventh song, but despite prompting us to imagine George and Michael dressing like Space Ace Frehley, this one is again solidly in the vein of Sweet & Lynch's first album with thundering vocals and good, meat-and-potatoes guitar work.

"Heart of Fire," track 8, is a true sing-along song.  Great harmonies on the chorus bring this one home, and by this point in the album, you've pretty much stopped paying attention to whatever else you were doing and have just settled back into the music.  But at the 2:39 mark, you look at your device or record player with a "what is that?" expression on your face as George Lynch takes off on a solo that goes in an unexpected direction.

Track 9, "Bridge of Broken Lies," could have been a Michael Sweet solo number.  In both music and lyrics, it sounds as if it could have come from his 2014 album I'm Not Your Suicide.  A slow number that explores the pain of broken relationships, it is a solid rocker that really opens up with Lynch's solo in a blues-rock groove.

Dark and foreboding that explodes with wailing guitar.  That's what you get with the opening of the tenth song, "Better Man."  And then comes another surprise, for this is a love song.  Again there is the '80s-inspired keyboard and driving, child-of-the-'80s rhythm and guitar wail.

The final number, "Live To Die," opens with a straightforward rock drum and guitar attack, but when the vocals kick in, you would swear you were in 2005 and listening to a lost recording for Stryper's Reborn album for the first two minutes.  The solo that enters at that point gives you the Sweet & Lynch vibe from their first album, and then shifts again at the 3:00 mark to sound like a Michael Sweet trademark guitar assault.

This is an album for music lovers, and by that I mean it is a project that those who are genuinely interested in the making of music will enjoy.  It experiments.  It plays with different sounds from what we are used to from these musicians.  It mixes things up, proudly reveals its roots in other eras and styles of music, and creates something new.  This is what music making is all about, and this what musicians, not merely entertainers, seek to do.

As I said before, I'm a huge Michael Sweet fan, but it is not for that reason that I note this is his project.  Yes, George, James, and Brian brought their tremendous talents to the table, but if you watch any of the behind-the-scenes videos (here, here, and here) you will see just how much Michael was the ringmaster of this musical circus.  These are some of his most interesting and heartfelt lyrics to date, his vocals in even this wide range of styles are spot on, and his ability to arrange and get the sounds he is looking for all add up to one thing.  The guy is a serious musician who has aged better than a fine wine, and when you put musicians the likes of George, James, and Brian in the same studio with him, the result is fantastic music for the serious and discerning listener.

Paid In Full

No More Hell To Pay, the tenth studio album released by Stryper on November 5, 2013, may simply be the single best album ever of all time anywhere on planet earth.  How's that for a bold claim?

There are many albums that I loved initially, but whose enjoyment for me faded over time.  There are albums that are fantastic, but that have one or two songs I can comfortably skip.  There are albums that I still love and sing along with in the car, but if someone starts talking, I will just turn them down a bit, happy to let them play in the background.

And then there is No More Hell To Pay.  I want it loud, start to finish, with no interruptions.  If someone starts talking while I'm playing it, I will hit pause, because I do not want the music interrupted.  Oh, and the combination of the music with the cover art...well, all that will be discussed in what follows.

The opening track (Revelation) begins with a nice, dark tone and opens up into a broad, full-throated piece that sets the pace for hard, in-your-face tunes that continue through the fading note of track 12, and lyrics like "blood, blood, blood will run and turn the waters red" set the stamp on its metal credentials. Track 2, the title song, continues with a dark intro and a pounding rhythm with scorching guitar.  If "apocalyptic faith" were a genre of music, this song would be its poster child with its chorus line, "If the dawn reveals the end of days, I'll follow You 'til there's no more hell to pay." 

Track 3 (Saved by Love)...good night! A fast, aggressive track that grabs your face from the first note, smacks you hard with Michael's screaming chorus, and makes you reach for the volume dial again. It ends in a frenzy of screams, guitar, and drums and without even letting you catch your breath blasts straight into Track 4, which is simply the best cover of any song ever. Stryper takes the Doobie Brothers classic "Jesus Is Just Alright," shoots it full of nitrous, and makes it hot.  When it slows down at the 2 minute mark, we are treated to the best of muscle-car '70s meets 21st century rock. Track 5 (The One) is the power ballad, guitar driven rather than piano driven, and it reminds me of "Blue Bleeds Through" from Michael's solo album Truth. Track 6 (Legacy) takes us to modern metal and a grittier tone to Michael's voice than usual. The chorus is reminiscent of Twisted Sister from the Stay Hungry days.  Track 7 (Marching Into Battle)...again, good grief. How can I keep my hands on the wheel when this song makes me start drumming along with Robert? Once again, Tim's powerful bass drives it home. This is a true anthem made to be heard in arenas, and with a lyric straight out of the book of Revelation, it is picks up where "Soldiers Under Command" left off.  And yes, I do have the opening as the ringtone on my phone.  And yes, my son and I made a Lego music video of it.

Track 8 is "Te Amo," which is a bit lighter, but is still solidly in the Stryper vein.  Although it is Stryper's nod to Oz' Hispanic roots and their legion of fans in Spanish-speaking countries, the words te amo are also Latin, which makes this Roman Rocker want to bang his head.  Track 9 (Sticks and Stones) has it all...great message, driving sound, and even a bit of humor. An honest song ("Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, so they say.  Oh, well, yours hurt like hell."), it is one we can all relate to. Track 10 (Water Into Wine) again opens up with the wrecking crew of Robert's and Tim's drums and bass. This one has me singing at full volume and would easily have rocked the '80s. Track 11 (Sympathy) opens with severe guitar and Michael's trademark, full-chested vocals. A great melody takes this one through the roof.  Oh, and according to Michael, it was Dave Mustaine's (Megadeth) preference for this song that led to its becoming a music video.

The final track (Renewed) is right in line with "Blackened" and "Bleeding From Inside Out" from the Second Coming album and even has a chorus that, intentional or not, has a clear link with John Donne's Holy Sonnet 14.  With Stryper we hear, "Take me, shape me, break me, make me renewed," and with Donne we read, "break, blow, burn, and make me new."  Now who says rock doesn't have literary cred!

The whole album screams with Michael's and Oz's incomparable guitars, and the cover art, well, it is again, quite simply, the best album cover I have seen in decades of listening to music. I keep staring at and don't want to take my eyes off it.  Stanis Decker, who also did the cover for Stryper's Fallen and Sweet & Lynch's Unified, created this masterpiece, the full size poster of which hangs framed in my garage.

I am something of a synesthete.  For reasons I cannot explain, certain sounds and colors are the same for me, and the colors of the No More Hell To Pay cover perfectly match the music in my mind.  The sounds ARE the cover for me, and this complete package of killer music and cover art is what makes this the perfect album.

Falling To The Top

On October 16, 2015, Stryper released Fallen, their eleventh studio album.  Before I get to some thoughts on the music, I want to talk about why this album has a particular meaning for me that no other album has.

October 16th was a Friday in 2015, and since I was scheduled to fly out of town that afternoon, I asked my wife to purchase the CD for me and my teenage son to rip it for me so I could put it on my phone for listening on the plane.  At some point in the day, I felt my phone buzzing like mad with incoming text messages, and at my first break I pulled it to see what was going on.  My son had started texting me pictures of the album...CD cover front and back, liner notes, the disc itself, and the interior of the jewel case.

I have told him numerous times how much that meant.  Neither my wife nor daughter are the music nuts that my son and I are, and while Stryper may not be to his taste (he is a for King & Country, One Direction, Toby Mac, Harry Styles kind of guy), he knew that I would want to see what the album looked like.  I will never be able to listen to this album without thinking of the kindness of my son.

So, what does the album sound like?  What follows is the review I wrote of it two years ago on another blog.  As I listened to the album again today on the way to work, I can honestly say I would not change a word.  Oh, and at the end of the review, check out the two videos for the songs "Fallen," "King of Kings," and "Yahweh" that I put together with some classic art.

In October the metal band Stryper released their eleventh studio album since blasting onto the scene in 1984.  I have been a fan the whole time and am writing this review just so I can be part of the historical moment that is the re-birth of classic metal.  Stryper’s album Fallen proves what talented musicians can do who stay true to their roots, care about their fans, and have enough creativity not to live on the glory days but to create new ones in keeping with the times.

The opening track, “Yahweh,” begins like no other Stryper song.  It starts with an acapella choir sound that turns into a thundering, sonic guitar attack as Michael Sweet begins the story of Christ’s crucifixion.  It is an epic story, and the music stands up to it.  The entire album has a ten-foot deep, concrete foundation made out of Robert Sweet’s pounding drums and Tim Gaines’s aggressive bass.  On this track they combine to lend the perfect tone to this tale.  And let’s be serious.  If you are going to open your album with this story and a sound this big, the audience knows it is going to be a killer album in whole.

From there we get the title track, and one cannot help thinking of the epic poem Paradise Lost as we get the story of Satan’s fall from glory told in traditional Stryper guitar attack style.  Michael’s high scream opens the tale and resurfaces in the chorus, which always has me reaching for the volume to turn it up.

“Pride,” for which the band released their first official video, picks up the dark, heavy sound from “Yahweh” for the third track, and again we have the pounding rhythm section to open.  We are treated to a beautiful melody that morphs into a gritty scream during the chorus, and those who have never heard Michael Sweet simply accept his powerful vocals, but those of us who have heard him for three decades stand in awe at how he has continued to grow.

“Big Screen Lies” is a fun tune with another aggressive, rhythmic opening.  It talks of how Christianity is portrayed in popular media, something the boys in Stryper know a little about.  It has that in-your-face, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” it feel of “Loud ‘n’ Clear” off their debut album.  The chorus features thundering guitars, and the song ends with a gritty, greasy, snarling vocal.

The next track, “Heaven,” would have been at home on the Sweet & Lynch album Only To Rise.   This is another song of rebellion against what others think is the way to go.  Michael has strong, soaring vocals without going into the stratosphere.  It is again an in-your-face lyric.

“Love You Like I Do” almost has a Whitesnake feel in the very opening.  It is a call-and-response song that could be seen as a lyric between a man and a woman, but is more likely, and more reasonably, a lyric between God and His creation.  I could not help thinking of Oz Fox’s wife, Annie Lobert, in this one, as she leads the fight against sexual exploitation of women.  No one will ever see us as God sees us, certainly not those who see us only as means to an end.  And speaking of Oz, his guitar work has been killer on ever track, and the guitar solo on this song begs to be seen live in concert.

“All Over Again,” for which the band and their wives have released the album's second official video, is a country-rock ballad and may be the best of their career.  Let’s face it.  A fair portion of their fan base is of a maturing age.  This lyric hits home.  It is not a rose-colored glass view of the past, but one that can honestly say that with the good and the bad, we would not change a thing, but would do it all over again.  It is a big sound, worthy of the cowboy rocker of the ‘80s and perfectly suited for today.

“After Forever” was the track a lot of people were eager to hear.  It is a cover of Black Sabbath and, despite that this may get me negative comments, I will go on record as saying the cover is better.  It is sharp, clean, and aggressive.  It is a perfect fit for Stryper, and the boys carry it off perfectly.

The next song, “Till I Get What I Need,” is a fast, blistering number that seems directly born from Michael’s autobiography Honestly.  It has the classic Stryper guitar sound that would have been at home in the ‘80s, yet sounds in no way dated.

I’m not sure what it is, but I often like the last two or three tracks of an album the best.  Time and again for a variety of artists, these seem the heaviest.  "Let There Be Light" would have gone well on their last album, No More Hell To Pay, and is musically in that vein.  Again we have a strong, epic sound to the epic story of Genesis.

"The Calling" may be my favorite.  It is a chest-beating, bold, head-thrown-back anthem, with a fast and aggressive rhythm.  It has almost a classic rock sound at points.  Matthew Arnold, the famous scholar of Homer, said the Greek poet had a fast-moving, forward-driving feel to his poetry.  The same is true in this song.  It grabs you and drags you along at Mach I.

The final track, “King of Kings,” is another that would have gone well on the last album.  Stryper has always given us anthems, and this is one that calls to mind the expansive chorus of “Passion” from the Reborn album.  We have a sonic race at the beginning that slows and hits a slower, powerful stride in the chorus, forcing us to listen and, if so inclined, to belt out the lyrics, too.

And speaking of lyrics, I have to say these are some of Stryper’s best.  The stories are epic, yet the lyrics have a way of speaking directly to us.

If you did a word count, you would see I used “epic” and “aggressive” more than any other.  This is how I like my music.  In one of hissongs, country singer George Strait sang, “I don’t want you under my roof with your 86 proof watered down ‘til it tastes like tea.  You’re gonna pull my string, make it the real thing for me.”  I couldn’t agree more, and Stryper delivers better than ever.

Stryped History

R.E.M. once had an album titled Life's Rich Pageant.  I think of that phrase whenever I reflect on the wildly different threads, so intricately woven, that form the tapestry of life, and yes, I know I am mixing metaphors here.  Can there be only one metaphor to capture the complex beauty of human life?  How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand indeed.

Part of my life's rich pageant involves classic rock, hard rock, and heavy metal.  I love these kinds of music.  Nothing else even comes close.  Okay, blues comes close.  And some country.  And the classic hymns.  Gotta love the '80s pop, too.  Throw in some Motown and ballads while you're at it and don't forget the crooners.  But on a regular basis, it is the sounds of rock and metal that blast through my speakers as I drive to and from school each day.

A dream came true recently when I interviewed Michael Sweet, founder and lead singer/guitarist of Stryper and Sweet & Lynch and also a former member of Boston.  Yeah, that's right, a high school Latin teacher got to interview one of his rock heroes, a guy who has enjoyed multi-platinum success and tours to millions around the world.

Back up the story to around 1985.  My youth minister, John Cutshall, introduced me to a cassette tape of Soldiers Under Command by a Christian metal band called Stryper, and I went to Beethoven's, the music store in Greentree Mall in Clarksville, Indiana, and purchased it.  It went straight into my Sony Walkman and hardly left.  Okay, I did put it in my boom box so I could play it for my grandma one Sunday.  I told her it was church music.  The point is, I was hooked and immediately went back to Beethoven's to get their debut album, The Yellow And Black Attack.

When I bought their album To Hell With The Devil in 1986, I had no idea I was getting such a rare treasure by purchasing the cassette with the controversial "angel" cover that was quickly replaced for later issues.  This album led to one of the iconic rock poster's of the '80s gracing my bedroom door and my first rock concert ever when I saw the band perform in Louisville, Kentucky.

When Stryper released their fourth and fifth albums, In God We Trust and Against The Law, I snapped them up as fast as I could get to College Mall in Bloomington, Indiana.  Studying to become a Latin teacher at Indiana University for many reasons, including my introduction to cable television and MTV, which played videos by Stryper, Whitesnake, and Bon Jovi and even had a show dedicated to the greatest musical form on the planet called Headbangers Ball.  The Stryper albums I purchased in those years were on the still relatively new format of the compact disc, which meant hair metal in all its digital glory cranked to 11.

And then came the long cold winter.  The band pursued other projects, and it was not until 2003 that I, as a now married man and father, found a new Stryper CD.  It was staring at me from the music rack at Wal-Mart in Westfield, Indiana, and was a compilation with a couple of new tracks.  Was Stryper back on the scene?  A year later saw the release of 7 Weeks:  Live In America, a live album from a tour the previous year that ranks with Deep Purple's famous album Made In Japan as my favorite live recording.  Something was up.  It seemed that Stryper indeed was making a comeback, and that was proved accurate from 2005 to the present.

Since that live album, the band has put out Reborn, The Roxx Regime Demos, Murder By Pride, The Covering, Second Coming, No More Hell To Pay, Live At The Whisky, and Fallen.  During that time Michael Sweet has continued his solo projects, done a stint with Boston, and formed Sweet & Lynch with George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob), James LoMenzo (White Lion), and Brian Tichy (Whitesnake).

After nearly twenty years, I saw Stryper again playing an acoustic show in Pekin, Illinois, in 2014.  I met up with my own former Latin teacher and now colleague, Marcene Farley, and took my son to his first rock concert.  As we waited to enter the venue, Michael came out to meet the crowd, and Marcene got his attention.  I was like a kid myself as my son and I got our pictures with him.  Later that night as the band members tossed Bibles to crowd, I yelled to drummer Robert Sweet, and he tossed one directly to me.  Since then I have seen Stryper twice in fully electric shows and have seen Michael perform solo twice as well.

The first time I saw Michael Sweet play a solo show, I was with my friend Dr. Brad Oliver, an education leader in our state and a huge Stryper fan.  We met Michael afterward, and I gave him a copy of the lyrics to their 1985 hit "Soldiers Under Command" that I had a translated into Latin.  Shortly afterward, he tweeted out a picture of it, and earlier this year he autographed a copy for me.

And that brings us to the present.  When I knew I was going to attend Michael's solo show in Richmond, Indiana, I reached out to him and asked if I could interview him.  Amazingly, he messaged right back and said yes!  I was so excited!

Michael Sweet is a humble and honest man.  His faith in Christ makes him who he is, which is pretty amazing given his incredible talent.  The world is filled with people who elevate themselves, but Michael is a down-to-earth guy and the real deal.  So check out the time a Latin teacher got to interview a rock star!