Raw and raunchy rock ’n’ roll is alive and well in Los Angeles, and its name is SWEET EVIL. Now a five-piece beast, SWEET EVIL is a band that embraces all that made the late sixties and seventies so groovy and heavy. Not content to merely regurgitate style without substance, Mark Starr and the boys have revived the loud, raucous sound that catapulted Humble Pie, The Faces, Aerosmith and The Sweet to the top of the mountain—and they look the part. SWEET EVIL’S brand of dangerous rock is giving Los Angeles a much needed kick in her jaded ass!SWEET EVIL was conceived by vocalist Mark Starr when he relocated to L.A. from Seattle in 2005 to be the touring bassist for the garage punks The Masons. Mark Starr is no stranger to the scene, having done time in hardcore/punk bands in the ’80s—after which he founded the cult garage rock outfit The Gimmicks (signed to Estrus Records). In the aftermath of The Gimmicks, Starr went on to form Shake City, where he shared the stage with respected acts like Mudhoney and Zen Guerrilla. In SWEET EVIL’S early days, Mark played guitar and sang, but after a couple of guitarists and drummers had been dispatched, Starr assumed the role of front man. Mark’s vision of a perfect band was completed when he opened the wings for gunslinger guitarists Dave James and Paul Sanchez to do some serious string bending. Mark, in his trademark scarves and bell-bottoms, struts the stage and sings from the gut. Every bit the star of his surname, Mark could teach Rod Stewart a lesson or two!Dual axe attacks like Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, the original Alice Cooper band’s Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton or Judas Priest’s Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing don’t come along often, but SWEET EVIL’S Dave James and Paul Sanchez deliver the goods—and then some. Dave James stalks the stage like a bobcat on the prowl, slashing out wild solos on his trademark Gibsons with generous helpings of wah-wah and fuzz. Retro rock freaks will remember Dave James from his years at the forefront of L.A. faves the Superbees, who released a CD on Acetate Records in 2002 and a vinyl EP on Fuct Recordings in 2003. Dave has toured extensively with the Superbees and also while in the Lords of Altamont. Native Angeleno Paul Sanchez, previously of the Primitive Rollers and the Monoshocks, injects some southern fried chicken pickin’ to the equation, keeping you free birds flyin’ high in the air. Dave and Paul trade some mean licks and harmonies.Drummer Andy Baker (no relation to Ginger, though they’re both killer percussionists) comes to SWEET EVIL after a successful stint in the B-Movie Rats, who played many gigs with Dave James’ Superbees and toured both in the U.S. and Europe. Andy also drummed for the Street Walkin’ Cheetahs and Rock City Morgue (alongside ex-White Zombie bassist Sean Yseult). Part of Andy Baker’s ’70s appeal is that he’s often told he resembles Animal from the Muppet Show. Andy goes wild on his kit, blonde hair flailing while he pounds the skins. Andy is the backbone of SWEET EVIL, and he keeps the beats funky, solid and groovin’. Andy is definitely from the old school of top-notch drumming, citing Zeppelin’s John Bonham, Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer and The Stones’ Charlie Watts as his heroes.The mystery man of SWEET EVIL is modern day hippie bassist Ray Mayfield, who hails from San Diego, CA. Ray’s throwback fingerstyle playing brings to mind Andy Fraser of Free and Jack Bruce of Cream. Equal parts rhythmic pulse and melody, Ray climbs the fretboard with abandon, squeezing out notes that keep in the foreground, where rock bass was meant to be.Lost footage of us in 1973 in Lake Tahoe. Ski Bunny Festival!
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