“MCA Records passed on us because of the poor product we produced for them. Not because of grunge.”
— Mick O’Brien of Lypswitch
LOS ANGELES –Of all the former Sunset Strip headliners who came this-close to making it big before Grunge rose its ugly head, Lypswitch is among the handful that stood out.
They had the usual glammed-up image that predecessors Poison, Ratt and Warrant all had, but Lypswitch’s music was more experimental and varied.
It was hard to put a finger on Lypswitch. They were somewhere between pop and alternative, sometimes bluesy and moody and sometimes simply praising California life and its enticing components like girls and cars and the summer sun.
But do not just take our word for it. The band has new CD called “World of Sin” – remastered by Anthony Focx and featuring three new tracks (17 total) – that’s been released on Eonian Records.
The CD celebrates Lypswitch’s short but superlative reign in Hollywood after emigrating en masse from Florida,
These guys were in the thick of it for years during the hey-day and we’re happy to give them some love.
Check out our recent mini-interview with the Lypswitch 35 years later!
1. Your band had an awesome image. How popular was Lypswitch with the ladies?
Mick O’Brien: Popular enough to get into too much trouble.
Danny Whaley: Based on the following we generated, I think we were pretty popular!
2. A very unique name for a band. What’s the story behind it?
Kevin Agosta: It was actually inspired by a street named Ipswich back in Orlando Florida before the band moved to Hollywood.
Mick: Yep not much to it really. We saw that street sign and just changed it to Lypswitch.
3. How might your life have been different if Grunge never came around?
Mick: I’m not sure my life would’ve been much different honestly. MCA Records passed on us because of the poor product we produced for them. Not because of grunge.
Danny: I think we were close to having a real shot. Funny how it was all or nothing, like all music lovers turn the switch and only have a single style. The Hollywood bands needed outside competition to really have us be the best of the best instead of one of the rest… I wish grunge didn’t kill us, but made us skill and hone our craft. Hindsight is 20/20. Who doesn’t have Metallica to Gaga to Dre on their playlist today?
Kevin: Great question and who really knows. Things also changed in Hollywood as Grunge was starting to get popular. The riots in April of 1992 scared a lot of people out of Hollywood and that didn’t help the scene either.
4. What’s the biggest show you’ve ever played?
Kevin: March 30, 1990 our first headlining show at the Whisky.
Mick: At the Whisky October 1988 opening for Black Cherry and Love/Hate.
5. You’ve got a new CD. Can you list some songs on it with comments on each one?
Danny: Love them all, depends on my mood. All-time favorite is Razorblade Slide, fun live is Psychedelic; crowd favorite Rattlesnake- the crowd had their own choreography!
Kevin: The 3 new songs (Get Out – RUN, Out of Control, and Man in the Middle) tell a dark story of addiction, betrayal and losing yourself. But by the third song (Man in the Middle) hope is restored and the addict comes out of the turmoil to find salvation and a new and better life.
Mick: “World Of Sin” is a collaboration between everyone in the band musically and it’s a killer song to play live. It gets our hearts pumping for sure!
“Carry Me Away” was fun to write and record. There are some Zeppelin influences throughout the song. We all had a lot of input on the writing of that song and the final version you hear is on the CD. I love Danny’s lyrics and melodies. It wouldn’t have been a great song without his vocals and writing.
6. Back in the day, who were your favorite local bands?
Mick: Funhouse, Bang Tango, Scratch and Children.
Danny: Love/Hate was my top of the list. Also loved Daddy Ray but to find the girls, you went to the next TUFF show!
Kevin: Hell yes, all great bands, also liked Blackboard Jungle, Hardly Dangerous, Imagine World Peace, Electric Love Hogs, Bad Blood, man there were so many I know I’m forgetting…
7. A lot of public schools have eliminated music because of budget cuts. How big a mistake is this?
Mick: It’s a shame. Music and art are very important in the development of a youngster’s creativity and imagination.
Danny: HUGE mistake- music is the driving motivator for all cultures. I started on an alto Sax in 6th grade without that – who knows. I still have a sax today!
8. What was your go-to order at the Rainbow when someone else was treating?
Mick: Jack and cokes, large pepperoni pizza, chicken noodle soup with bread.
Danny: This is a story – I just found this out in 2022 when KA and I went to see Funhouse at the Whisky. We had dinner at the Rainbow before the show that night and he tells me the pizza story… David Love and I were too young to get into the Rainbow, but apparently the band got free pizza from the Rainbow all the time. WTH I don’t remember that at all! But they will say that is because I am the singer and I arrived late and left early!
Kevin: The pizza was the best and was even better when it was free with beer upstairs at the Whisky No Bozo Jams!
9. What are the three biggest achievements Lypswitch enjoyed, and what were the three biggest mistakes?
Mick:
1 Establishing lifelong friendships with my brothers in Lypswitch and close friends of the band. We’re all still close and keep in touch regularly.
2 The band making the final cut on the “Hollywood Rocks” box set. I am so grateful for that. It was our first national exposure and humbling to be one of the bands to be on that release.
3 Getting a record deal with Eonian Records. A dream come true for sure!
The 3 biggest mistakes we made? That’s a good question. The MCA record deal is definitely a big one. But I feel like we’ve learned from our mistakes and have moved forward.
Danny:
1) Getting help from Current Management
2) KNAC playing Rattlesnake Skin (heard it as I was walking the strip from cars – priceless)
3) Opportunity to record a Demo for MCA and work with Bret Hartman.
Mistakes:
1) NOT having Alex and Elliot record the MCA demo – that was the nail in our coffin with MCA as the demo we turned in was lame and not a good representation of the band.
2) Refer to #1
3) Refer to #1
10. And finally, give us a dark secret that will shock Metal Sludge readers.
Mick: I hate pineapple on my pizza and love window shopping
Danny: I never drank or did any drugs, although the band tried constantly to sneak me drinks, and they succeeded one night at the Troubadour; who knew Long Island Iced Tea wasn’t just a sweet tea? Still my favorite if I ever have a drink!
Kevin: Before the move to LA we did an interesting acoustic version of WASP Fuck Like a Beast.
Lypswitch @ WebSite – Facebook – YouTube – X/Twitter – iTunes – Store – Eonian Records –
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