Two BulletBoys Members Quit Over ‘Poisonous’ Band Dynamic
Original guitarist Mick Sweda and drummer Jimmy D’Anda have left BulletBoys over a "poisonous" situation.
Sweda broke the news to fans on Facebook Monday, Jan. 3, saying he and D'Anda would no longer be performing with the group, leaving lead vocalist Marq Torien and and bassist Lonnie Vencent as the only BulletBoys left.
In the Facebook Live message Sweda said, "I'll speak for myself here - that I just remove all forms of toxicity. I'm sure all of you understand it just can't be a part of my life anymore."
The departure didn't seem to be planned, with the guitarist adding, "The fact that we were all original and having some good shows and having a great time playing the shows - there's no doubt about that; I had a wonderful time and I was looking forward to doing it all of 2022 - but once it gets to a point where it's poisonous, you can't have it in your life."
"I'm grateful that everybody understands, and I apologize to you," Sweda continued, addressing the band's fans. "I was really looking forward to this being a nice run, being a nice year and finding a way to make our way through it. But that is not to be."
BulletBoys formed in 1988 during the height of glam metal and quickly gained comparisons to Aerosmith and Van Halen. The rockers' self-titled debut album peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200, and featured a cover of the O’Jays classic “For the Love of Money” and “Smooth Up in Ya,” both of which saw regular airplay on MTV. BulletBoys went on to release two more albums, 1991’s Freakshow and 1993’s Za-Za, before breaking up. They initially reunited in 2019 for a performance at the famed Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood and have continued touring since.
In an August 2020 interview with the 80’s Glam Metalcast (as transcribed by Bravewords), lead singer Torien discussed the reunion of the original BulletBoys lineup and their progress towards new music. "It's going amazing in the studio, but it's not easy to do it under quarantine. You ever seen Fight Club? Our band is kinda like Fight Club, we don't talk about Fight Club!" he said, adding that there was "a lot of stuff being thrown around musically."
BulletBoys' next scheduled performance is Jan. 15 at the RokIsland Fest in Key West, Fla.