Here
are some of our MANY reviews...
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See
a recent interview with Artie Blaurock and a review of the SWEET REVENGE/MAMMOTHSHOW
in the Good Times:
Sweet
Revenge February 12-25, 2002 Issue Number 829
Holy old school Batman! As I walked into Mulcahy's
this past Saturday night, I could not believe my eyes. The room
was packed to the gills and it was only 9:15!! As I found myself
a spot at the bar, it was amazing to see what an amazing job
the band did of promoting this show (See guys advertising in
Good Times does work!) As the DJ was playing nothing but old
school i.e.: Ratt, Crue, and Kiss to name a few, time flew by
and before you knew it was showtime(With the emphasis on SHOW!)
I can't say I remember any of the bands songs
from ten years ago, but I do remember them as the band from
the Roy Rogers commercial! I was familiar with frontman Jay
Cee and guitarist Artie B. from their days in Dorian Grey, so
I knew that Jay Cee had one of the best set of pipes I've ever
heard and Artie is an innovative guitar player who can shred
with the best of them.
Have you looked at a picture of yourself from
ten years ago? Do you remember watching crappy TV shows or listening
to 3rd rate hair bands like Winger, Danger Danger, and the oh
so forgettable Shotgun Messiah? So I won't slag the band because
the songs didn't age gracefully. Thankfully the band did. Jay
Cee had medium length hair, jeans and a decent shirt. The rest
of the band looked respectable and not foolish. I commend them
for that. It seems the last thing to discuss was the performance,
and what a performance it was!
The band sounded like they were ready to play
for Madison Square Garden. The only time I recall hearing better
harmonies live was the Beach Boys and the mighty Van Halen.
Artie B's guitar playing was so awesome that at times it seemed
like there were two guitar players up there. The rhythm section
was tighter than a crab's ass in water and Jay Cee proved without
a doubt he could've been a major star. Vocalists like him don't
grow on trees. As I lost my notes and never owned any Sweet
Revenge music, I can't recall any of the song titles but that
shouldn't matter. They play unashamedly classic 1985 rock n'
roll and I for one was glad I was there. If this is their last
show, then what a way to go out. Bravo guys!!
- John Michael Osbourne
Sweet
RevengeReunites at Mulcahy's January 15-28, 2002 Issue Number 827
The year was 1986. The place, L'Amours in
Brooklyn. And this is when and where it happened: the all-time
best moment in Sweet Revenge's nine-year career. Before a sold-out
show and while opening for Zebra. Artie Blaurock remembers a
sea of fans - - most of them there to see the headliner - -
collectively pumping their fists in the air while Sweet Revenge
played its song "Top of the World".
There couldn't have been a more apropos number
to play right then and there during that life-defining moment
- - the song title best captures the feeling, the magic of that
one night in 1986. Fast-forward to 2002. It's been almost 10
years since the members of Sweet Revenge - - Jimi Hunt (bass),
Jay Cee (lead singer), Blaurock (guitar) and Steve Kloos (drummer;
he's actually the band's second) - - got together to play a
gig. And on January 26 at Mulcahy's, the '80s party rockers
will reunite to "do it one more time, to get that
feeling again," says Blaurock of the reunion show. The
guitarist is full of electricity as he talks about the band,
the reunion and getting back into it with Sweet Revenge. Blaurock
is, in a nutshell, unabashedly stoked.
For the uninitiated, Sweet Revenge, during
its existence between 1983-1992, did enjoy commercial success
- - literally and figuratively. While its development deal with
CBS fell through in the 80's, the band, in 1990, was featured
in a Roy Rogers commercial. You know the one: It shows a room
full of stuffed-shirt executives sitting around a board meeting
and Sweet Revenge, in full rock regalia hammering out a full-throttle,
spandex-inspired jingle. At the end of the spot, one old geezer
says: "It needs more energy" So there's your daily
dose of music trivia.
While Blaurock's TV days are over, he has
since played in other groups, namely, Dorian Grey and currently
Needulhed. But it's Sweet Revenge that holds the most significance
and personal place in his being. How could it not?
This was "13 years of my life,"
Blaurock proudly points out. For the Mulcahy's reunion, all
the original band members, barring the first drummer, will be
playing. Blaurock says that it was Kloos who kept pushing -
- for seven years - - for the reunion. He also says that "it's
been surprisingly easy" jumping back into Sweet Revenge
songs during rehearsals. Incidentally, Blaurock hasn't really
played that stuff since 1991. "You know, I cannot believe
the response I've been getting about this," say Blaurock,
genuinely surprised. "I never realized how our music touched
so many people."
At the moment Sweet Revenge has no concrete
plans to record new material in the future or play additional
shows. But "whatever happens, happens," Blaurock says.
"We just all want to do it one more time. We're looking
to have one more killer, killer show." Kinda like that
night back in 1986. When four guys on a scorching hot club stage
felt like they had the world in the palm of their hands. And
you know what? They really did.
- Liana Jonas
Sweet
Revenge January 25, 2002
SWEET
REVENGE. One of Long Island's biggest local bands in the
'80s, the hard-rocking quartet known for songs like "Rocking
Heavy" will reunite 10 years after its break-up. After
resisting a reunion for years, guitarist Artie Blaurock,
now with Needulhed, said that after the Sept. 11 attacks,
he realized how fleeting life can be and how he shouldn't
put off the show any longer. The reunion, no matter how sweet,
however, will last only one night.
(8 PM Mulcahy's, 3234 Railroad Ave., Wantagh, 516-826-6857.
$10.
Sweet
Revenge
Sweet
Revenge
