A karaoke bar. Guns n Roses. Destiny? It was, at least, for Bassist Jaime Horrigan. In 2001, Horrigan’s future would be forever altered when he walked into a Columbia, Maryland karaoke bar and heard Julie Cymek singing “Sweet Child Of Mine” by Guns N Roses. He decided that they must make sweet music together…immediately! And they did. The duo teamed up with producer Kevin Hill to create the band, Bittersweet, and they went on to record their first full-length album, “This Is Bittersweet”. After a few years and a few changes, Cymek and Horrigan finally found an undeniable energy with two very talented and well-known local musicians, drummer Don Boyette and guitarist Omar ElDieahy…and a new band — Sweet Leda — was born.
Powered by Cymek’s sultry, commanding vocals and electrifying stage presence, Sweet Leda has earned a reputation as a “rising star,” taking the diverse Annapolis music scene by storm and becoming one of the most exciting and accomplished live acts around. With its rich blend of new school funk, soul, and pop, Sweet Leda’s heartfelt original material has drawn comparisons to Joss Stone, Janis, Maroon 5, Supreme Beings of Leisure, and Edie Brickell, while garnering its very own stylistic label: “sexy smooth rock and groove”.
With their HOT new album “Need The Music” in hand, produced by Pro Producer Stephen Joseph Antonelli and mixed by Drew Mazurek (Linkin Park, Allman Bros.), the band is working hard to share their music with the world! The album’s first single, “Can’t Stand,” was well received and has garnered much airplay. New cuts such as “Let Her Love Her”, “What I Need”, and “What You Don’t Know” are now getting some love from the press as well as SL’s favorite radio stations…and are available to you right now on iTunes!
Local stations currently spinning Sweet Leda are Annapolis’ 103.1 WRNR, Ocean City, MD’s 98.1 IRIE Radio, and Towson’s 89.7 WTMD.
The year ahead promises to be a more exciting one than ever for Sweet Leda, so be sure to check the website for updates. In the meantime, rest assured that the band will be working hard — in the studio and on the live circuit — to do what they do best: make sweet music.
Sweet Leda has had the pleasure of playing some of the regions largest venues and festivals and has shared the bill with a healthy list of international, national, and regional artists . . .
Opened for:
Big Head Todd and The Monsters at Ram’s Head Live
Indigenous at Ram’s Head On Stage
Cederic Burnside and Lightnin Malcolm at The Night cat
Cowboy Mouth at Ram’s Head Live
Shannon McNally at Ram’s Head On Stage
Civil Twilight for WRNR’s Rockin River Cruise
Played Hot August Blues 2010 with:
Lyle Lovett, Keb Mo, Black Joe Lewis, The Bridge, Jackie Scott, Higher Hands, Dean Rosenthal, and more…
Played Hot August Blues 2011 with:
The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, Lower Case Blues, and more…
Played Art Scape with:
Gov’t Mule, Jah Works, Fools and Horses, and many more…
Headlined SOWEBO with:
Pasadena, Higher Hands, Grilled Lincolns, The Remnants, Caleb Stein, and many more…
Played Annapalooza with:
SOJA, Bill Kirchen, The Bridge, Blue Miracle, The Pie Tasters, The Cheaters, Jarflys, and many more…
Played the DC BBQ Battle with:
Chuck Brown, Higher Hands, Grilled Lincolns, Pressing Strings and many more…
Was on the bill for Silopanna (canceled due to Hurricane Irene) with:
Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, Trombone Shorty, Matt and Kim, Fitz and The Tantrums, Harper Blynn, and more…
Played several large original showcases for DNL Entertainment with:
Pasadena, Ballyhoo, Bond and Bentley, The Grilled Lincolns, Skribe, Hot Box, Code Anchor, The Pocket, The Cheaters, 86 The Effort, Fat Daddy Has Been, Cool Kid Collective, Tsunami Rising, and many, many more…
Other Highlights:
- Sweet Leda was hired to record the song “Lovely Molly”, as the custom end title credit track for the film Lovely Molly, the latest from Haxan Films (The Blair Witch Project) and producer Mark Ordesky (Lord of The Rings Trilogy)
- Sweet Leda’s song, “My Angel” was featured in A&E’s television series “Random 1″
- Sweet Leda’s song, “It Wasn’t Me” was featured in the independent film, “Dead Giveaway”
- Sweet Leda’s song, ”Karma” was featured in the following films: “Swooped”, “Crystal Fog”, and “Please God Someone Normal”
_____________________________________________________
What are people saying about Sweet Leda?
Carrie Neuman for 103.1 WRNR
“…they are one of the tightest bands on the local circuit and their professional attitude off stage does not prepare you for their raucous on stage antics. To put it simply, they are fun, and this new track (“Can’t Stand”) off their latest album embodies that fun.”
“Sweet Leda put the ‘Hot’ in Hot August Blues!”
by Randy Bucksner for TriState Indie
” . . . Sweet Leda was this year’s delightful find . . . Julie Cymek’s distinctive voice brought it strong . . . Think Adele mixed with Mary J. Blige with a certain South Of The Mason-Dixon Line ache that’s all her own . . . I listened to the CD in the car on the way home and it made my trip north on 83 quite the funky ride. There is not a bad song on it. I recommend you get one for your own ride or house party or whatever. You will not be disappointed.” (more)
What’s Up Annapolis Magazine Spotlight
by Natalie Lord
“Their rock, soul and even funk influences are not subtle, and the band members do not hold back their intimacy with the music from their active presence on stage. Their fusionist sound may make you so inclined to stomp your boots before you kick them off after hard days work . . . ” (more)
Ocean City Today
Music Makers by Brandi Mellinger
“Led by Cymek’s dominant vocals (not as cutting as Pink’s or as gritty as Janis Joplin’s, but with a little more edge than English songstress Joss Stone’s), the Annapolis-based act performs music that would fit snugly into the psychedelic rock period, but with a modern twist.” (more)
The full versions of these reviews and more can be found on our Sonicbids page HERE.
