THE ROCKETT MAFIA, Featuring POISON Drummer RIKKI ROCKETT, Signs With PAVEMENT ENTERTAINMENT
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Pavement Entertainment has announced the signing of THE ROCKETT MAFIA, the dynamic new rock project featuring Rikki Rockett, drummer and founding member of the multi-platinum band POISON. The partnership includes live show engagements, merchandise, and upcoming music releases, expanding Pavement's growing roster of established and rising rock acts.
THE ROCKETT MAFIA unites an impressive lineup of veteran musicians: Rikki Rockett on drums, Brandon Gibbs (DEVIL CITY ANGELS) on vocals and guitar, Mick Sweda (BULLETBOYS) on guitar and backing vocals and Michael Adams (PUDDLE OF MUDD) on bass. Together, they deliver a high-octane sound that fuses the energy of classic rock with a modern hard-rock edge.
"This band lets me play the kind of rock I grew up loving — loud, raw, and from the heart," said Rockett. "We take the music we love and give it new life, and now with Pavement behind us, we're ready to take it to a whole new level."
THE ROCKETT MAFIA performs a powerful mix of classic rock from the 1970s and 1980s, often reimagining songs from that era with a heavier, more contemporary feel. Their live set also features deep cuts from POISON's catalog — songs the legendary band rarely performs — giving fans a rare and exciting experience.
"We're excited to welcome ROCKETT MAFIA to the Pavement Entertainment family," said Mark Nawara, CEO of Pavement Entertainment. "Rikki Rockett's legacy in rock speaks for itself, and this project captures his continued passion and authenticity. Fans can expect great things from this band."
During an appearance on the Iron City Rocks podcast, Rockett spoke about THE ROCKETT MAFIA, which released its first single in February, a cover of "I Think I Love You", a 1970 song by Tony Romeo, written as the debut single for fictional musical TV family "The Partridge Family". Listen to it here. Asked if he and the other members of THE ROCKETT MAFIA have talked about writing and recording original music, Rockett said: "Yes, we have. In fact, Mick and I played yesterday and we've been talking about stuff. And we got a couple of things under our hat now. We're just trying to do it one step at a time and put all the pieces together. So, if we do something, we can actually make a really decent effort out of it and not — pardon the French, but half-ass it. I don't wanna do that."
As for what other covers THE ROCKETT MAFIA is playing at its gigs, Rikki said: "We do a FACES song. We do a Billy Joel song. We do an Elton John song. We've taken some of this stuff and just kind of reimagined it in a hard rock format. And that's the idea of it, rather than take something that was already a rock song and compete with it. I don't wanna redo a BLACK SABBATH song. I'm not gonna do a better job than Bill Ward; I'm just not. To me, that's the pinnacle of BLACK SABBATH. And FACES arguably… But back then, I feel like some of those recordings were rushed… [FACES'] 'Stay With Me', by way of example, I've heard so many versions of that — funky versions and fast versions and slower versions — and it's okay to do our own version. I don't wanna do 'War Pigs' my way."
Asked if he and the other members of THE ROCKETT MAFIA plan on mixing up the setlist night after night, Rikki said: "Yes, we will. It depends. If we're doing like, let's say, a corporate gig where people want a huge variety of stuff, we'll do a bigger variety of stuff. I think at certain rock shows, like Summerfest, by way of example, people are gonna want more of the POISON stuff, they're gonna want more of the straight-ahead rock and roll, so we'll probably do that. But, really, the whole set rocks. We have no ballads at this point — not one. It never slows down. And I was thinking, 'Man, is that a bad idea?' And then so many people came up to me after the show and went, 'Oh, no. It was fun. I love that you guys never stopped.' There was only a couple times where Brandon talked. It was almost like a punk band, like the RAMONES. 1, 2, 3, 4 — bam — right into the next thing."
THE ROCKETT MAFIA, with Bryan Kimes on bass and backing vocals, played its first official show on February 21, 2025 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)
