BulletBoys
are an American hard rock band that were formed by vocalist Marq Torien (born Mark Maytorena), guitarist Mick Sweda, and bassist Lonnie Vencent (born Lonnie Miller) in the late 1980s after they left King Kobra. They also featured new, young rock drummer Jimmy D'Anda.
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THE BULLET BOYS TICKETS
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Biography
BulletBoys was formed in 1986 in
Los Angeles, California. The band’s first two albums (
BulletBoys
and
Freakshow
) were well received by critics and fans alike proven by the band selling over 1 million copies worldwide. Some critics compared the band to
David Lee Roth-era
Van Halen, as Torien's vocal and performances were similar to Diamond Dave. That argument was furthered by the fact that Ted Templeman produced both the Roth-era Van Halen albums and the BulletBoys. In addition, both bands were signed to
Warner Bros. Records.
The BulletBoys split up in 1993. Marq Torien and Lonnie Vencent continued to use the BulletBoys name and recorded
Acid Monkey
, a heavily
alternative rock inspired album that was a major departure from the band’s usual hard rock style.
Torien started a band in Ft. Myers, Florida in 2005 called
Transistor. They entered Miller Mayhem Battle of The Bands, hosted by Real Rock 92.5 and Miller Brewing company, in hopes of scoring some radio play. They did not count on another local band, Atrophy The Sun, blowing the roof off the battle and winning it by a landslide. Reports from credible sources claim, Marq Torien called the radio station to complain about the loss. He was told, "You did not even bother to stick around to see the band that beat you."
All original members got together to record one album in 2000 titled
Greatest Hits: Burning Cats And Amputees
. Marq and Lonnie released a new album,
Sophie
in 2003 under the BulletBoys name. This album featured vocal performances from former
Skid Row lead singer
Sebastian Bach.
Trivia
Jimmy D'Anda also played in the bands Zen Lunatic with
John Corabi and Lynch Mob with
George Lynch. Jimmy is now working with Jimmy Coup from
Andrew WK, and the singer Romero from Drug Under. He writes and records in his own home studio. Jimmy is fully endorsed with DW Drums, Aquarian Drum Heads and Vic Firth Sticks.
Marq Torien was lead guitarist for fellow
glam metal band
Ratt for about 3 months in 1982, reportedly filling in for
Warren DeMartini. It has been said that Marq was an
Eddie Van Halen clone and sang in the style of
Steve Perry (back in the day).
After
Mick Sweda left the BulletBoys in 1993, he formed the band
Brain Stem Babies (among others) and recorded numerous full length solo albums. Mick currently works in his studio, dubbed Redcake Digital.
Their song "Hard As A Rock" appears briefly in the movie
Beerfest
.
A BulletBoys poster can be seen in the attic bedroom of the four oldest teenage daughters on the ABC sitcom "Just the Ten of Us."
For the last ten years the band has been a literal revolving door for musicians with
Marq Torien being the only constant and original member.
Original Members
- Marq Torien- Vocals
- Mick Sweda- Guitar
- Lonnie Vencent- Bass
- Jimmy D'Anda- Drums
Discography
- BulletBoys
(1988)
- Freakshow
(1991)
- Za-Za
(1993)
- Acid Monkey
(1995)
- Burning Cats and Amputees
(Greatest Hits) (2000) (Re-recordings of the hits)
Tracks:
01. Hard As Rock
02. Smooth Up In Ya
03. Shoot The Preacher Down
04. For The Love Of Money
05. F#9
06. When Pigs Fly
07. Thrill That Kills
08. Talk To Your Daughter
09. Hang On St. Christopher
10. THC Groove
11. Slow And Easy
12. Rock Candy
13. Something Good
Tracks:
01. Kiss The Lizard
02. Neighborhood
03. Can I Show You
04. Don't Be Afraid
05. All Of The Day
06. Walls
07. Amazing
08. Outta Here
09. Shake Me Awake
10. Stoned Staley
- Behind The Orange Curtain
(2007)
Tracks:
01. Hard as a Rock
02. Hell on My Heels
03. Shoot the Preacher
04. For the Love of Money
05. Hang on St. Christopher
06. THC Groove
07. When Pigs Fly
08. Walls
09. F#9
10. Toy
11. Shake Me Awake
12. Smooth Up In Ya