In a brand new interview with the Urge for food For Distortion podcast, SKID ROW drummer Rob Hammersmith spoke in regards to the band’s ongoing seek for a substitute for singer Erik Grönwall. Erik, who was SKID ROW‘s fourth frontman since Sebastian Bach‘s departure, was identified with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021. Because of this, he’s immunocompromised, which made touring troublesome. Relating to the place SKID ROW stands in the meanwhile with regard to discovering a brand new vocalist, Rob mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We’re on an energetic search. We have now had some actually robust candidates. We have now some those who we’re actually closely engaged with and . We’re not there but. As of this second, as you and I are speaking proper now, nothing has been finalized. Nothing has been finalized, is de facto the easiest way to say that. So it is a lengthy course of. You need it to be a fast and simple course of, however like most issues in life, that is probably not the case. So, no stable updates, no grand bulletins for you as of this second, apart from we’re nonetheless working by means of the method.”
Requested if there’s something that he and his SKID ROW bandmates know that they’re on the lookout for in a brand new singer or if they may “simply know” once they discover it, Rob responded: “It is the latter. I feel we all know, as people and as a bunch, we all know, however to place it in phrases, it virtually feels to me such as you’re confining it. If I have been to offer you 4 or 5 adjectives to say, ‘That is what I am on the lookout for’… We would like any person who has a presence and a character and has one thing about themselves.
“Anyone who is aware of the band’s historical past form of is aware of we’re an brisk band,” he continued. “We take delight in that. We’re an brisk band. We have now a specific means of doing issues. That is to not say that we’re not open to any person bringing their very own stamp to it, however that is a really troublesome query for me to reply. So I might say that you just hit the nail on the pinnacle by saying we’ll realize it once we see it. Nevertheless it is a pre-existing factor. That is a troublesome steadiness. You are speaking about hit songs, and also you’re speaking a couple of very lengthy catalog from a band who has a loyal fanbase. And though all through the years, you see youthful followers coming and also you see followers flip over, I assume, if you’ll, however there’s nonetheless a core… there is a historical past and there is a legacy and a heritage that you need to honor that we need to honor. So we do not wanna deviate too removed from that. However on the identical time, there’s room for evolution and every chapter, every period of the band is completely different in its personal proper.”
Hammersmith beforehand talked about SKID ROW‘s vocalist search final month in an interview with The Steel Summit. He mentioned on the time: “Yeah, so to form of return a number of months, most of your viewers could know we have been lucky sufficient to have the ability to do some exhibits with our good pal Lzzy Hale [of HALESTORM] publish Erik Grönwall‘s departure. Sadly, earlier [in 2024] when Erik left the band, we have been form of in a scenario the place we had to determine comparatively rapidly what the remainder of the 12 months was going to appear like. So we have been in a position to do some exhibits late spring, early summer time with our good pal Lzzy Hale. So no tour dates since these exhibits. We’re nonetheless in an energetic seek for the following lead singer of SKID ROW. We have had some actually good, some actually robust candidates. At this level, no information, no official bulletins. As I mentioned, we’re nonetheless within the midst of a correct search, if you’ll, however we’re making progress. We’re getting there. So, sadly, no concrete bulletins. All of that mentioned, we wish to maintain it on the market within the rock and metallic world. Any concepts are welcome at this level. So singers on the market, when you suppose you are proper, you already know the place to search out us for positive.”
Requested how SKID ROW goes about on the lookout for a brand new singer, Rob mentioned: “There’s so many alternative elements. I say anyone that is ever been in a band, nevertheless it’s not unique to being within the music trade. That is actually true with actually any scenario in life, whether or not it is a marriage or relationship or some other trade, there’s so many alternative elements concerned. So for us, we definitely look again on a few of our previous experiences, myself included — I have been with the band for 15 years now; longest job I’ve ever held. I do not understand how I pulled this off, however right here I’m speaking to you guys, 15 years later. So we actually did wish to take a minute to say to ourselves after which to one another, how can we we actually wanna go about doing one thing like this in a means that possibly we are able to do it in a different way than we have carried out prior to now? So for us, that is been an ongoing course of. How do you attempt to account for all of those completely different standards and these items that you need to search for? And understanding the entire time that you just’re doing one thing like this with a possible candidate for a scenario like ours, they’re evaluating us as nicely. So everyone involves the desk with their very own completely different set of standards.
“It has been a extremely, a extremely fascinating course of,” he continued. “You actually have to sit down down and look at, as a band, what are your targets? What’s essential to you? What do you envision the way forward for your band wanting like? And in quite a lot of methods, that is been good for us to actually sit down and outline precisely the place we see the band in 5 years or in 10 years or in 15 years, God keen. It has been a extremely fascinating expertise.
“For us, the start of that course of was to actually sit down as a corporation, as a unit and resolve, okay, the place can we wish to go from right here?” Rob added. “After which from there you can begin to provide you with plans. And some other enterprise or like some other enterprise, you type of should have a plan, a marketing strategy, however for us the most important factor was actually sitting down and saying, ‘Okay, what can we wish to do over the following 5 years or the following 10 years?’ That was the most important a part of the method for us. After which from there, placing that out into the general public, into tradition, nonetheless that works lately, whether or not it is social media, the Web, issues like that. In order that was form of the following step after we actually determined, ‘Okay, that is what we, as a band, envision our future wanting like.’ We simply jumped proper in and began wanting. And generally, like something in life, you are simply figuring it out as you as you go. So that you form of make some changes alongside the way in which. I feel that was the most important a part of the method for us, is de facto coming collectively as a unit.”
Final July, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan mentioned throughout a question-and-answer session on the Days Of The Lifeless horror and pop culture-themed conference in Indianapolis that he and his bandmates have been “taking our time” discovering a brand new singer “as a result of we have now time. And we have a pair guys on the radar that we’re gonna audition,” he revealed. “And there is additionally a few our associates that wanna do what Lzzy Hale did and sit in [on lead vocals] for a number of [SKID ROW] exhibits. And that is enjoyable too. That was a lot enjoyable doing these [four] exhibits [with Lzzy].”
In Could 2024, Rachel confirmed to Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station that he and his bandmates had been speaking to singers about probably stepping in to switch Grönwall. He defined: “Nobody, actually, with a reputation. However, yeah, we have been speaking to some guys that piqued our curiosity, for positive.”
That very same month, SKID ROW guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo dominated out a reunion with SKID ROW‘s former singer Sebastian Bach telling The Hook Rocks podcast: “It is not gonna occur. And I say the identical factor each time. I am grateful that individuals have such an curiosity in eager to see that occur, however I additionally should reiterate that that is about being pleased within the scenario that you just’re in. So I am going to converse for myself personally.
“To start with, I do must say one thing too, is that the explanation that this is not taking place is as a result of there’s three of us — myself, Scotti [Hill, SKID ROW guitarist] and Rachel — who’ve had conversations about this, and we have all been on the identical web page that we do not wanna go down that street once more. We simply — we do not.
“Rachel has taken a beating over this by means of the years,” Sabo continued. “He is the one who’s been blamed for this. ‘Oh, it is Rachel‘s ego.’ ‘It is this and that.’ No, that is a load of bullshit. That’s not true. And I really feel dangerous as a result of he is actually, actually needed to shoulder that blame and has by no means mentioned something derogatory or something like that. However you already know what? The reality of the matter is that Rachel, Scotti and myself have frequently felt the identical means, that we get pleasure from being pleased on this band and we’re actually pleased.
“It has been such an incredible expertise for the final nonetheless, 35 years, the whole lot, all of the ups, all of the downs, the whole lot, however we simply do not wanna revisit that individual side of our historical past,” he defined. “I really like the songs, [I] love quite a lot of the reminiscences, [I am] not keen on a number of the reminiscences, however simply as people and as a collective, that is simply how we really feel. So this isn’t on Rachel. And this has nothing to do with anybody’s ego or something like that. In order that’s simply gotta be clear. Once more, for anybody to sit down there and make assumptions that that is Rachel Bolan saying ‘nope,’ it is not. It is the three of us, and we have all collectively sat there and simply mentioned that we do not wanna do it. We simply do not wanna do it. And we want everyone all the perfect.”
Snake added: “We have been simply ripped aside by ex-members of the band and stuff — ripped aside. Some actually shitty stuff [has been] mentioned about all of us. And we simply select to not [respond]. It is not who I’m. It is not who we’re. We can’t go down that street. We simply wanna play music and be pleased. This has actually by no means been a couple of financial side of issues as a result of it is recognized that we have been supplied a very good sum of money to do exhibits collectively and to reunite [with Sebastian] and no matter, nevertheless it’s simply by no means been in regards to the cash, man. I select my happiness, my willingness to proceed to be a extremely good pal to my finest associates and a extremely good husband and a extremely good dad and bandmate and particular person. And I do not wanna endanger that in any means. So the those who we select to play with, these selections are made to be able to maintain these explicit issues in line for all of us.”
Bach fronted SKID ROW till 1996, when he was fired. As a substitute of chucking up the sponge, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band referred to as OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a little bit of shuffling over time, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave “Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the cellphone in April 2015, a number of hours earlier than saying ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his substitute. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was changed by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who beforehand fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February 2022 and was changed by Grönwall, who was beforehand a member of the Swedish laborious rock band H.E.A.T.
5 years in the past, Bolan additionally confirmed that he and his bandmates “have been entertaining the thought” of reuniting with Bach following Harnell‘s departure. However Rachel shot down the potential of a rekindling of his friendship with Sebastian, explaining: “Nicely… This is the soundbite for Blabbermouth. I would not say we have been associates [when we were in a band together]. We have been bandmates. what I imply? We’re two very completely different folks.” Bolan added that he hadn’t seen Bach “in years.”
Six years in the past, Bach was requested by Rolling Stone what it might take for SKID ROW to be reunited. He responded: “It might take these guys to appreciate that I’ve a lifetime supervisor. His title is Rick Gross sales. I have been with him since 2006. They do not wish to take care of a man like that. They wish to give some singer who would not have a supervisor $700 to $800 bucks per week. I’ve received a group that is labored with me and do not enable me to get fucked round. I did not have that group after I was 19 years previous.”
In response to Bach‘s statements in regards to the earnings of SKID ROW‘s singer, Sabo instructed Rolling Stone in an e-mail: “I assume fact-checking is not in his ability set… The 5 of us go on that stage as a band and all of us receives a commission equally. We’re on this collectively. There isn’t any egos.”
Sebastian went on to say that SKID ROW was “near reuniting, however then it did not occur. The truth that it did not occur clearly makes me considerably bitter, as a result of life is simply getting shorter, because the music says,” he added.
“I would not say ‘got here shut,'” Bolan instructed Rolling Stone in an e-mail response to Bach‘s account of the reunion talks. “We entertained the thought. Snake and I went so far as speaking with brokers and promoters about cash. However we rapidly realized after a number of textual content conversations, why we fired him within the first place. Nothing is value your happiness and peace of thoughts.”
