Sebastian Bach: I absolutely love the record. I can’t wait until this interview is done so I can go on a 7-mile run and crank it. I worked so hard on it. I tortured myself. The process is pretty funny. I’m in the worst mood for a year when we’re making it and then I hear what I want to hear at the end and I’m the happiest, most humorous guy in the world. I think it sounds timeless. There’s certain singers that can still sound the same as they get older, like Steven Tyler, and I’m very lucky that I can do that as well, but I don’t know how I pulled it off! It’s also my best sounding record. I’m a total audiophile as far as wanting a clear, clean sound and no separation between the instruments.
Steppin’ Out: How did Duff McKagan end up on the album?
Sebastian Bach: I was in this band with Duff called Kings of Chaos. We were playing in Sydney about a year ago and I said to him, “I’ve got to turn in a new record, do you want to collaborate.” He said, “where and when.” Give ‘Em Hell also has John 5 (Rob Zombie), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and Devin Bronson (Avril Lavigne, Pink) on guitar and Bobby Jarzombek (Halford) on drums. Musically we have a lot of depth.
Steppin’ Out: Who will be playing with you at the Starland Show in New Jersey?
Sebastian Bach: I’ve got Johnny Chromatic on guitar, Will Hunt from Evanescence on drums and Jason Christopher on bass. My new second guitarist is Devin Bronson. He’s played with Avril Lavigne and Pink, but don’t let that worry you, metalheads!
Steppin’ Out: This year is the 25th anniversary of the first Skid Row record. Any thoughts on that period of your life?
Sebastian Bach: Fans still ask, “are you going to get back with the old band?” If I was to do that there would be no new records and that’s what I love to do. It would just be a retro thing. I need more than that in my life. But I think it’s insane that we don’t celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first record with a remastered version with unreleased songs or a box set or something. I don’t understand why some of the other guys in that band have such an adverse reaction to doing something like that. That’s puzzling to me.
Read the entire conversation in Steppin’ Out on April 23rd.
Skid Row–Johnny Solinger (vocals), Scotti Hill (guitar), Rachel Bolan (bass), Snake Sabo (guitar) and Rob Hammersmith (drums)—will be a long way from home throughout the summer. First, the band is teaming up with Black Star Riders for a brief tour of the west coast, which starts May 8th in Tucson, AZ at the Rialto Theatre. Once that concludes on May 16th, the band will play headlining shows across the U.S., including a stop at the legendary Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, May 17th and an appearance at this year’s Rocklahoma festival on May 23rd in Pryor, OK. They’ll then head to Europe in June for various festivals, including the Download Festival in Donington, England on June 14th. Once the U.S. jaunt concludes in July, Skid Row will head to Kostrzyn, Poland, where they’ve been invited to headline one of the biggest festivals in Europe, the Woodstock Festival Poland on July 31st.
All of this touring is getting their loyal fans ready for the highly anticipated new seven-song EP, United World Rebellion-Part 2, set for release August 5th via Megaforce Records.
After a hiatus that started in 1996, Skid Row returned to the big stage—literally–opening for KISS in 2000. Exhilarated to tour with the heroes who rallied them in the first place, the band was reinvigorated by being underdogs who needed to come out fighting to prove themselves.
“When we put the band back together, we needed to reintroduce Skid Row as relevant without relying too much on past success,” explains bassist Rachel Bolan. “We wrote songs and hit the road. We sunk our heart and soul into it, letting people know we weren’t doing it for lack of something better to do.”
2003’s Thickskin and 2006’s Revolutions Per Minute were battle plans for hundreds of live shows with new singer Johnny Solinger out front, every night being a hard fought battle to win new fans and convince the old ones. United World Rebellion-Part 2 is Skid Row coming out swinging. Rachel and guitarist Snake Sabo tapped again into the potent songwriting collaboration that built the band. Sabo says they were eagerly up to the challenge. “We seem to be at our best when we’re faced with adversity. It’s us against the world again–and by us I mean the band and the fans who stick with us and carry the Skid Row torch without fail.”
New plans came together in an Atlanta recording studio. But it’s a different time, a different industry, so they decided to record a series of EPs. “The idea really appealed to me,” says Bolan, “especially with the constantly changing musical climate. I like the idea of a steady flow of new music, as opposed to releasing a full-length album then riding it for the next two years.”
That guerrilla burst of recording a concise EP fostered a focused intensity that was liberating, says Snake. “The pressure seemed to be lifted. That immediately set me at ease and it became really exciting.”
Exciting and potent, prompting Solinger to exert the full range of his ability. “The third time in the studio as the voice of SKID ROW was the proverbial charm, and the proof is in the tracks. United World Rebellion-Part 2 is the most meaningful work I’ve done with the band. It’s definitely the most I’ve been challenged, vocally.”
That sound is rambunctious exuberance. They got older, but Skid Row never really grew up. United World Rebellion-Part 2 is still the youth gone wild, their musical spark still burning gasoline.
Skid Row tour dates:
With Black Star Riders:
5/8 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
5/9 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
5/10 Corona, CA M15
5/12 Sacramento, CA Harlows
5/13 San Francisco, CA DNA
5/15 Agoura Hills, CA Canyon Club
5/16 San Juan Capistrano, CA Coach House
Headlining:
5/17 Los Angeles, CA The Whisky
5/18 Hermosa Beach, CA Saint Rocke
5/20 Houston, TX Scout Bar
5/21 Abilene, TX Lucky Mule
5/23 Pryor, OK Rocklahoma
5/24 Dallas, TX Trees
5/25 Lubbock, TX Big Purple Festival
7/9 Rochester, NY Montage Music Hall
7/10 Cleveland, OH Agora
7/11 Newport, KY Thompson House
7/12 Arlington Heights, IL Home Bar
7/13 Watseka, IL Watseka Theater
7/17 Peoria. IL Illinois State Fair
7/18 Turtle Lake, WI St. Croix Casino
7/19 Oshkosh, WI Rock USA
7/20 Battle Creek, MI Planet Rock
7/25 Duncannon, PA Tubby’s
The daily band lineup is now available for Rocklahoma, America’s biggest Memorial Day Weekend party.
Rocklahoma will rock the Midwest with an all-star lineup featuring Kid Rock, Five Finger Death Punch, Staind, Twisted Sister, Deftones and many more from May 23rd-25th at “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK. The three-day camping festival features the top current active rock artists and classic bands and is presented by Bud Light.
The daily band lineup for Rocklahoma 2014 is as follows:
Friday, May 23rd:
Five Finger Death Punch, Deftones, Seether, Killswitch Engage, Hellyeah, Skid Row, Black Stone Cherry, The Pretty Reckless, Thousand Foot Krutch, Lacuna Coil, Nothing More, Truckfighters, Wicked, Killer Dwarfs, London’s Dungeon, Ruff Justice, Loveblast, Firstryke, Nasty Habit, Dellacoma, Chaotic Resemblance, Scattered Hamlet, Jet West, The Chimpz, Sleepwalking Home, Framing the Red, Bad Remedy, Snakefist, NICNOS, Enslaved by Fear
Saturday, May 24th:
Staind, Twisted Sister, Jackyl, Filter, Kix, Pop Evil, Adelitas Way, Trivium, Texas Hippie Coalition, Devour the Day, We As Human, Gemini Syndrome, Kill Devil Hill, Ratchet Dolls, Wicked, Black Tora, Bai Bang, ASKA, Hellion, Killer Dwarfs, Ragdoll, Siren, Hip Kitty, Well Hung Heart, Mine Enemies Fall, Vilifi, A Course of Action, The Grizzly Band, The Joint Effect, David Castro Band
Sunday, May 25th:
Kid Rock, Theory of a Deadman, Extreme, Black Label Society, Tom Keifer, Down, Redlight King, Kyng, Butcher Babies, Heaven’s Basement, Eve to Adam, Twelve Foot Ninja, Scorpion Child, Sleepy Hollow, Tempt, Station, Mystery, Lynam, Mandy Lion, Mach22, Down N Dirty, Dirtee Circus, Echofuzz, Shotgun Rebels, Able the Allies, The Bourgeois, Switchbach, Paper Tigers, The Grown Ups
Thursday, May 22nd (Campground Party):
James Douglas Show, DRYVR, Oldman, Motortrain, Blackwater Rebellion, Dirty Crush, Triple Se7en, Severmind, Fight the Fade, Benny’s Little Weasel
Rocklahoma Weekend General Admission Tickets are on sale now, with a limited number of VIP Packages still available. In addition, beginning April 22 at Noon Central Time, a limited number of single day tickets will be available for $74 plus fees. For all ticket details, please visit www.rocklahoma.com. Single day tickets will be available at participating O’Reilly Auto Parts stores with no service fees.
Fans can save by buying tickets early, before weekend ticket prices increase on April 22nd at Noon Central Time. The April 22nd ticket price increase details are as follows:
Weekend GA – From $129 + fees to $159 + fees
Weekend GA 4-Pack – From $399 + fees to $499 + fees
In other news, applicants can still enter the Miss Rocklahoma competition through April 18th. Register at www.rocklahoma.com for a chance to be crowned Miss Rocklahoma 2014. Ten finalists will be announced in late April at www.rocklahoma.com, and fan voting will help determine who will be crowned this year’s Miss Rocklahoma live onstage at Rocklahoma 2014.
Rocklahoma is located just 45 minutes northeast of Tulsa, in Pryor, OK. The “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds is a premier destination for a multi-day festival and includes onsite camping with access to restrooms and shower house, a general store for campers, VIP reserved seating, hospitality areas and much more. Camping tickets may be purchased at www.rocklahoma.com by calling the Rocklahoma Camping Office at (866) 310-2288 or emailing info@feverfest.com. Campgrounds open on Sunday, May 18th and will remain open through noon on Tuesday, May 27th.
Live SiriusXM show tonight 6-10PM ET on channel 39 TRUNKNation (Hair Nation). Tonight we go international! Joe Elliott calls in from Ireland to discuss Def Leppard and the Down N Outz at 6:15. Then Krokus founding member Chris Von Rohr calls in at 7P to discuss the bands new live album from Switzerland. Also plenty of time for your calls and to discuss the Hall Of Fame and much more. Catch you for live interactive music and talk that rocks tonight!
Just back from another crazy run of travel and rock insanity over the last few days. It started Thursday night with the HOF ceremony in Brooklyn. If you followed on Twitter you saw a ton of great photos and coverage I sent out as it happened from the very first row of the arena. I also have the complete Kiss induction speeches on my Iphone from the first row. I will post when I can. It was a great night and I am grateful Ace and Peter included me among a very very small amount of people they had sit with them at their tables. The HOF only gives every inductee a plus one for free. Everyone else they bring as guests must pay an extreme amount of money per seat. Ace and Peter’s tables were at opposite ends of the very first row. Nothing in front but the stage. Just an awesome view. I mostly hung with Ace and sat with him since that was where my seat was. But I did walk over and sit with Peter for a bit as well. The Kiss table with the current band and Bruce was slightly behind Peter’s. I did say hi to Bruce briefly but there was no interaction with any of the other guys which honestly I did not expect or seek out. I was there as a guest of Ace and Peter’s to celebrate this historic and long overdue moment. There was no real interaction I was aware of between Ace and Peter and Gene and Paul until they went up on stage. From my view it seemed at times awkward while they were all up there and at times okay. Obviously there was a ton of drama leading up to this with all kinds of things said from all corners, but in the end it was fairly uneventful as far as them all standing there and accepting. I thought they all looked good, said good stuff, and did the best they could under a fairly stressful build up to the induction. A few observations:
*Kiss was pretty much the only band who played by the rules and kept their speeches to the 2-3 minute time limit. They were up there maybe a total of 10 minutes. Most artists took a TON of time, especially the E Street Band.
*Tom Morello did a GREAT induction speech. Really fired up the Kiss fans and captured the moment perfectly!
*Paul Stanley’s speech was last and very very good. Loved how he called out the HOF
*Because Kiss choose not to perform they really ended up being somewhat of a footnote in a very long night. All the other acts had much longer inductions and played 3 songs or so. Kiss’s moment was all of 15 minutes total with a simple video package, Morello and the speeches. Could only think if Gene and Paul would have allowed just one song with the original four they could have blown the place up! Sucks to think what could have been.
*As a result of no performance from Kiss the Kiss fans in the building were much less than I expected. Maybe third biggest reaction from the crowd after E Street band and Nirvana to be honest. I also know some tickets were given away to help fill the building at the last minute. No way that happens if original four did even one song.
*The original four did pose for photos in the press room after their speeches but did not take questions. I tweeted out some of these shots which likely will be the last time the original four are photographed together.
*I was stunned in Gene’s speech when speaking about Ace how many guitarists try to imitate him but none come close. I’m sure Tommy Thayer sitting right there loved that!
*Ace stayed until the end of the very long night. He was asked to jam with Nirvana and Tom Morello to close the night on a cover of “Highway To Hell” but at the last second the jam was called off by the HOF because the event ran way too long. Ace was ready to go and even had his guitar with him! He would have been the only member of Kiss to play on stage if it had happened and was clearly bummed when it was cancelled.
*Bill Aucoin’s sister and partner were also at our table along with a photo of Bill. Ace said he was really thinking of Bill all night.
*Tommy, Eric, Vinnie, Mark, Bruce and Eric Carr were all mentioned during the induction to minimal reaction from the crowd. A few cheers, a few boos, and many cries of “Ace” and “Peter” from the stands.
*All four members of Kiss wore sunglasses on stage. Weird but I guess they thought it looked cool?
For me it was a weird night in the sense that I had been screaming so hard for so long like many fans to see this finally happen, but then we only got an abbreviated section for Kiss since they wouldn’t play. But there were also times I went back to being that kid in high school made fun of for liking this band and relished the moment and let out a cheer when they all stood on stage. It was sweet vindication for Kiss fans to see this happen right in front of the critics who tried to keep them out. But you can’t help but to think how much more special this night would have been if Kiss would have taken the stage to play. They were the only band to not have some music represented on the stage. As Kiss continues to inch closer to being a full time sanctioned tribute band (and that is what is in the works soon) I have to think this may have been the last great moment for fans of the original band to see them at least standing there one final time. So much more to discuss but that’s how I saw it. I’ll take your calls on all of this live Monday 6-10P ET on SiriusXM 39 TRUNKNation. Joe Elliot and Chris Von Rohr of Krokus will also be guests.
As of the rest of the night all the performances sounded good from the other artists inducted. I thought Joan Jett with Nirvana sounded really good and was a cool surprise.
My thanks also to Matt Swanson for his hospitality at the HOF event and the many fans I met that night who thanked me for pushing to help get Kiss and other hard rock bands in. The HOF still has so much wrong with it but progress being made with Alice, Rush and Kiss now in. Purple MUST go next!
Thanks to all in Mexico City and Puebla! Just returned home from live shows there this weekend with Don & Jim. Was a blast and the Mexican TMS fans were amazing and sold out both of our appearances. Thanks also to Christian Beristain and his entire team for having us and treating us well. We will be back Mexico, thank you!
Rolling Stone has printed KISS’ acceptance speech from their Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame induction on April 10th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Read it below.
Gene Simmons: Lemme hear ya! Tom Morello, we are humbled—all of us—to stand up on this stage and do what we love doing. This is a profound moment for all of us. We are humbled that the fans gave us the chance to do what we love doing. And so I’m hear just to say a few kind words about the four knuckleheads who, 40 years ago, got together and decided to put together the band that you see on stage, critics be damned.
To Ace Frehley: his iconic guitar playing has been imitated, but never duplicated, by generations of guitar players around the world. To Peter Criss, whose drumming and singing…Well, there’s not a guy out there who beats the sticks who sounds just like Peter. Nobody’s got that swing and that style.
Something happened, 40 years ago: I met the partner and the brother I never knew I had—Paul Stanley. You couldn’t ask for someone more awesome to be on the same team. I am humbled.
I was going to say a few kind words about Eric Carr, Rest in Peace. Mark St. John, Rest in Peace. Vinnie Vincent, the great Bruce Kulick, and of course, here we are 40 years later with the great Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, and we continue on.
However, we wouldn’t be here today without the initial Fantastic Four. God bless you all. May I introduce the powerful and attractive—Peter Criss!
Peter Criss: Thank you. I want to say it’s great to be home in Brooklyn. I’d like to thank the Hall of Fame for this honor; I never thought this could happen in my life. Thank you. I’d like to thank everybody that had to do something with my career and the band’s career. For 50 years, I’ve been doing it; 40 years, we’ve been doing it.
Jesus—from the grips, to the truck drivers, to the great producers, to the great managers, to the great people who were just all there for us through all the years and the hard times. God bless you and thank you so much.
I definitely want to thank our first manager, Bill Aucoin. We would not be here if it wasn’t for Bill. Sean Delaney, the great Joyce Bogart, and the great Neil Bogart—who with Casablanca Records…those were the great days and I thank them all. I’d like to congratulate the band, of course—Mr. Stanley, Mr. Simmons, and the one and only Spaceman, Ace Frehley.
I’d also like to say I’m now seven years male breast cancer-free. Thank you—I’m very proud that I have… my fancy support center, and my doctor, who saved my life in the first place. Thank you so much.
I would like to thank my family—my sister Donna who I know is out there. All my friends who have come…and God, I’d be here all night. I’d like to thank my lovely wife Gigi, who makes my life really, really a lot easier. Lemme tell ya: walking through life with her is a blessing. I love you, baby.
I got my first lesson from my best friend, Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls. And boy, that’s what started it all off.
I want to say that, even out of makeup, I’ll always be the Catman. God bless each and every one of you—I will remember this the rest of my life. Thank you so much.
Ace Frehley: I have a speech here, but these [glasses] aren’t prescription, so I can’t work it out [laughs]. It’s so great to be here with all these celebrities and other musicians.
I want to thank Paul, Gene, and Peter. Thank you so much, Tom, for that beautiful introduction. I want to thank the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for inducting us; thank you very much.
When I was 13 years old, I picked up my first guitar, and I always sensed that I was going to be in for something big. Little did I know, a few years later, there it was. I experienced the Summer of Love. [laughs] Alright. That was before I met these clowns. Several years later, we got together—you know the story, it’s all KISS-tory.
A few quick names—Bill Aucoin, Joyce Biawitz—who used to manage us in conjunction with Bill, then ended up marrying Neil Bogart. We wouldn’t be here without Neil Bogart and Casablanca Records. Everyone at Casablanca Records, everyone at ATI, Jeff, and Wally. Everyone at the press office; Carol and Al Ross; Carol Kaye; just to name a few. If I named everyone who helped us through our career, I’d be here for another half an hour. It’s great to be here.
I wanted to touch on the fact that I’ve been sober now for seven and a half years. We still need to educate the people in this country about sobriety because some people think it has to do with willpower. But unfortunately, most addicts are born that way and people need to be educated about that. My sponsor, he used to have a good saying, to try and explain what it’s like to be an addict: when people would say to use willpower, he’d say, “Try using willpower when you’re having diarrhea.”
So, only by the grace of God I’m here. I want to thank my first wife Jeanette, my daughter, my current fiancé Rachael Gordon. Life’s been good to me; hopefully I’ve got 10 or 20 more years to go. Thank you very much.
Paul Stanley: I can make this short and sweet because everybody said everything and has been much funnier than I’ll ever be.
So, I got to thank Tom, who’s championed us shamelessly and unapologetically. Took a lot of balls, and God bless you. For us, this is a special night, but it’s really a special night for all of our fans—this is vindication. We couldn’t have done this without you.
To Peter, Ace, Gene—we are the original four, so we could not have done this if we didn’t start this together. Everything we’ve done is built on the past. We’ve got a great, great legacy. We’ve got Bruce here, we’ve got Tommy, we’ve got Eric…
When I first started listening to music, I was lucky: I saw a lot of people I loved. When I was a kid, I saw Solomon Burke, I saw Otis Redding, I got to see the Yardbirds. I got to see Led Zeppelin; Jimi Hendrix; Sly and the Family Stone; the list goes on and on. What I loved about all these musicians is that they had the spirit of Rock and Roll. I believe that the spirit of Rock and Roll means you follow your own path regardless of critics, and regardless of your peers. I think we’ve done that for forty years.
Here we are tonight, basically inducted for the same things that we were kept out for. The people, I believe we’re speaking to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and what they’re saying is, “We want more.” They deserve more. They want to be apart of the induction. They want to be apart of the nomination. They don’t want to be spoon-fed by a handful of people. Choices. The people pay for tickets. The people buy albums. The people who nominate do not. Let’s not forget that these are the people that make it all possible.
So, I look out here and I see all these people. I see faces that over the years inspired me. People who made me what I am. So I am here tonight because of the people who inspired me, but I’m also here because of the people I inspired. So God bless you all; it’s been a wonderful night.
, Scotti Hill (guitar), Rachel Bolan (bass), Snake Sabo (guitar) and Rob Hammersmith (drums)—will be a long way from home throughout the summer. First, the band is ... )
. Tonight we go international! Joe Elliott calls in from Ireland to discuss Def Leppard and the Down N Outz at 6:15. Then ... )
