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Skid Row bassist,
Rachel Bolan, gave in-depth interview to Blasting-Zone.com about new album and posibility of reuniting with Sabastian Bach. Partial interview are followed:
Blasting-Zone: What can you tell us about the new record?
Rachel Bolan: “…The only thing we had in our minds is that we weren't going to put any ballads on it. Wed decided we're were gonna just write and not worry about radio or anything like that. Whatever is on there is whatever was in our minds at the time. That's why it goes in so many directions. But at the same time, it all seems to have common threads, ya know?”
Blasting-Zone: In hindsight, do you feel the group wrote more from “the heart” on this record in comparison to previous releases?
Rachel: “We've always wrote from the heart, but this time, we wrote with absolutely no parameters and no boundaries…whatever came to us. There's stuff that sounds like signature Skid Row, and then there's stuff like “You Lie” and “When God Can't Wait” that just sound like they're outta left field. For some reason, it kinda works (laughs).”
Blasting-Zone: 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. 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: How much does the group's past success affect the 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 part…' Shit like that. It doesn't affect us that much.”
Blasting-Zone: 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: When you began looking for a replacement for Sebastian, how may singers did you audition prior to discovering Johnny?
Rachel: “Actually, Johnny was the third out of six. After Johnny auditioned, we cancelled the other three guys. We were just like ‘…whoa…'. 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 singer…'”
Blasting-Zone: 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 point…once we started to get really popular.”
Blasting-Zone: 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 thing…if they can back up what they say. But if someone tries to take credit for something they didn't do…that's kinda weird. I would never do that and neither would any of the other guys. But you know what I always say…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: 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.”
Blasting-Zone: What ultimately led to Rob Affuso leaving the group? Do you keep in touch with him?
Rachel: “I believe he works for a marketing company. That's what he went to college for before Skid Row. He's doing really well. He has his own band Soulsystem Orchestras that's kind of a Motown thing. They have a horn section, back-up singers…it's a pretty big deal. He's doing really well for himself. He owns a horse farm in upstate New York and he's really happy.”
Blasting-Zone: When you joined Skid Row, did you feel as if you were abandoning your Punk Rock roots?
Rachel: “No, because I still listened to it and I still loved it. I think there's elements there, even on the first Skid Row record that are there attitude wise and lyrically. I never felt that I abandoned it. Some of my friends may have felt that way because the band became such a success. I still have my original Ramones shirt from when I saw them a Six Flags in New Jersey before it was even called Six Flags. It's falling apart. I can't even wear it anymore. It's barely holding together.”
Read the whole interview here |
