Rikki Rockett introduces The Rockett Mafia

The new band consists of Brandon Gibbs, Mike Sweda and Bryan Kimes

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett has introduced his new band, The Rockett Mafia. Rockett features Brandon Gibbs on vocals and guitar, Bulletboys guitarist Mike Sweda and The Hot Summers’ Bryan Kimes on bass.

“This little band was formed to have fun re-imagining, for the most part, covers from the ’70s, but not the usual lot that you would expect,” Rockett says of the band. “Wait until you hear a few of these songs and you’re like, ‘Hey, I know that song! I can’t believe they’re playing that!’ But don’t underestimate original material. Brandon and Mick are both powerhouses.”

Rockett and Gibbs have a history of performing together for nearly a decade. In 2014, Rockett formed Devil City Angels with Tracii Guns and Cinderella bassist Eric Brittingham, featuring Gibbs on vocals. The Rockett Mafia made its debut following The Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride motorcycle charity event in Santa Monica, California in May with guitarist Brent Woods and bassist Wiley Hodgden.

“Last night Brandon and I jammed for the first time in a long time to grease the wheels for the Sunday afternoon show. We played some covers, but when we got into a few Devil City Angels songs, we both felt some serious passion coming back. If you don’t know, we got the Devil City Angels back together a few years ago and made what I think is a really good album,” Rockett said in mid-May.

He continues, “I’ve always put my heart and soul into everything I do and I had a passion for the Devil City Angels project. That being said, Brandon and I have been friends for a long time and it’s nice to get together with Brent Woods and Wiley for this charity event. While you may see Brandon and I do something together again and you may see me sit in on Chevy Metal every now and then, you may never see this particular pairing again. Brent Woods is a busy man with several artists including Gene Simmons, Sabastian Bach, John Waite and of course Chevy Metal with Shane Hawkins, the son of the late Taylor Hawkins.”

In 2015, Gibbs also joined Rockett and his Poison bandmates CC DeVille and Bobby Dall as The Special Guests, performing Poison hits while frontman Bret Michaels focused on his solo career.

“Tracii Guns, along with Eric Brittingham, Brandon and I, as Devil City Angels, traveled the country playing shows in one tour bus and trailer, old school. The steamroller was going strong until I got cancer. Then Tracii got asked back to LA Guns, etc., etc. Bottom line, the band got sidelined and only did a few corporate gigs. With the exception of the Stadium Tour and a few sit-ins with Chevy Metal, I’ve pretty much stayed away from playing live with other artists,” Rockett said. “This isn’t The Devil City Angels and it’s not Chevy Metal, this is the Rockett Mafia, a jam combo I put together every now and then to enjoy my love of rock and roll with some of my best friends in the rock world.”

More details about The Rockett Mafia will be announced soon.