Rachel and Johnny from SKID ROW talk about the new album and some roumors...

04 October 2006

Blasting-Zone.com recently conducted an in-depth interview with SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan. Several excerpts follow:

Blasting-zone.com: What initially prompted the band to begin playing again?

Rachel: "We missed our fans. We kept getting a lot of e-mails about how people wish we would get back together so they could see us. But we knew when we got back together, we knew we were gonna get a new singer because we had already parted ways with Sebastian [Bach]. We didn't wanna go through that again because it was a marriage that just didn't work and that's all there is to it, ya know? It was a love of the music and a love of playing live. We wanted to create more music as SKID ROW."

Blasting-Zone.com: How much does the group's past success affect they way you write or perform?

Rachel: "It's hard to say, especially with this record. We just kinda went at it with a blind abandon. We just wrote what we like and if it got us all off, we put it on the record. Every once in a while we'll write something at it'll be like, 'Oh, that kinda sounds like 'Monkey Business'. Maybe we should change this partвЂ¦' Shit like that. It doesn't affect us that much."

Blasting-Zone.com: Are you trying to avoid looking back at the past?

Rachel: "No. We're proud of our past and we love our fans that we have from back then just as much as we love our new fans. We're not trying to put it behind us at all. We just keep growing as a band just like anybody does."

Blasting-Zone.com: When you began looking for a replacement for Sebastian, how may singers did you audition prior to discovering Johnny [Solinger]?

Rachel: "Actually, Johnny was the third out of six. After Johnny auditioned, we cancelled the other three guys. We were just like,' WhoaвЂ¦' He totally nailed it. He's a good guy, he completely understands what we're trying to accomplish, he understands SKID ROW and he's a great singer, so we just called the other dudes and told them, 'Thanks, guys, but we've found our new singerвЂ¦'"

Blasting-Zone.com: At what point did you realize things really weren't working out with Sebastian? Was there a clear defining moment?

Rachel: "For me, it was probably after the first record at some pointвЂ¦once we started to get really popular."

Blasting-Zone.com: Really?

Rachel: "Yeah. We went in to do 'Slave to the Grind' and it came out good and all that, but I think it was in the midst of that tour that the tension really began. We went into it as a band and all of a sudden it became a band and a front guy. If someone brings stuff to the table, that's one thingвЂ¦ if they can back up what they say. But if someone tries to take credit for something they didn't doвЂ¦ that's kinda weird. I would never do that and neither would any of the other guys. But you know what I always sayвЂ¦there's always plenty of rock 'n' roll to go around. He's out doin' his thing and we're doin' our thing and we're happier this way."

Blasting-Zone.com: So there's absolutely no chance there will ever be a reunion with Sebastian?

Rachel: "No. There's no point in doin' it, ya know? We're happy doin' what we do. We're not gonna jeopardize what we've got goin' on now just so people can say they saw the SKID ROW reunion. It's just not worth it to us. Nostalgia is cool, ya know? We've got our core fan base from back in the day, but we've got new fans too. It's just one of those things where we've moved on. To look back or to go back would be just ridiculous."

Read the entire interview at Blasting-Zone.com.

In an interview with MetalAsylum.net, SKID ROW frontman Johnny Solinger discusses the band's updated sound and musical direction, clearing up rumors about a reunion with Sebastian Bach, and those out-of-print videos "Oh Can You Scream" and "No Frills". A couple of excerpts follow:

MetalAsylum.net: So you said this new record "Revolutions Per Minute" is something new, going in a new direction. What do you think makes it different from past SKID ROW albums?

Johnny: I think it all depends on what we are listening to at the time, whatever happens happens. We don't want to have to be pigeon hold into a specific style or sound. We wanted to work outside the box and it may throw some fans for a loop, but we didn't go into it trying to do that. I mean, "When God Can't Wait" is a great bar drinking Irish American folk anthem I love it and the you got "Another Dick in the System" where the title speaks for itself and "You Lie", which starts off as a kinda cow punk song and then its hardcore. Like the title states, going in revolutions per minute is where you keep moving ahead while stepping on the gas to go a bit faster.

MetalAsylum.net: SKID ROW really solidified themselves as a heavy metal band with "Slave to the Grind" and while keeping in that sound branched out a bit for "Subhuman Race". With the new record, and "Thickskin", your sound and style is more modern and even punkish. What led to this direction and how much of this was a conscious decision?

Johnny: Rachel and I have always loved punk and even going back to earlier SKID ROW you can hear the punk in their sound. Rachel always considered SKID ROW a punk band with hard rock over tones. Maybe it's a bit more so obvious on the new record but it also has its hard rock and old school metal to it. You know we didn't want to do "Slave to the Grind 2006".

MetalAsylum.net: Any rumors or stories either in the press or generated by the fans that you would like to clear up?

Johnny: NoвЂ¦. well there is that inevitable rumor every year that there is gonna be a reunion and that's not true and never has been and I don't think it will ever happen because everyone is happy where they are. We've been together with this lineup for a long time so I welcome new rumors all the time its funny. You know, we are an open book there's no secrets or hidden agenda we just want to play rock n roll until we die. You know we have the new record coming out October 24 worldwide by SPV it's just another chapter in the SKID ROW book. It's not your mother or father's SKID ROW anymore, ya know, and we'll see how the public reacts. We are not trying to throw the same old curve ball at ya.

Read the entire interview at www.metalasylum.net.

Source: blabbermouth.net

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