By Andrew Bansal
Putting an end to the seven-year gap that followed the 2006 full-length release ‘Revolutions Per Minute’, Skid Row rediscovered their creative appetite in 2013 and started writing new music, which resulted in the release of ‘United World Rebellion: Chapter One’, the first in a series of EPs. They’ve completed work on Chapter Two, which is slated for release on August 5th this year via Megaforce Records. Just coming off a Japan/Australia/New Zealand run, the band is currently gearing up for a US West Coast headline tour, including select dates with Black Star Riders. On Tuesday April 29, I spoke to vocalist Johnny Solinger to discuss the new music and lots more. Enjoy the conversation below.
Firstly, I wanted to ask you about the new Skid Row EP which is coming out later this year. It’s the second part in a series of EPs, so musically is it pretty much a continuation of what you did on Chapter One?
It builds on the first one. When we dreamed up this idea of putting out a series of EPs rather quickly and then go out playing live, we knew that they were all going to be conceptually kind of the same. It’s hard rock, and this EP has five original songs with a couple of covers on it. It’s just like Chapter One, except that it builds upon that one and sets up for the third one!
Right, but I was wondering what was the reasoning behind this idea of putting out EPs as opposed to a full-length.
Well, the economy is such that we’re trying to keep the cost down and quality high. It’s not like we had all of this stuff written and recorded and are just putting it out on different dates. Chapter Two didn’t even exist when we were touring all of last year, through 22 countries. The concept is to keep the band fresh, keep the material fresh, come in after being on the road all that time and then hammer out a new record which we ended up doing with Chapter Two. That was the idea, to keep the band fresh, the cost down and quality high, instead of putting out a Long Play and then touring for two or three years on something that’s old. I think it works out in our advantage and keeps the fans happy because they get new material and don’t have to wait so long for it.
That’s interesting. So it’s not like you wrote all of this in one session and are putting it out step by step. It’s more like a ‘you release it as you write it’ kind of thing.
Exactly! It’s like old-school. I mean, in the 70s the guys would put out albums every 9-12 months, sometimes twice a year. So we just didn’t want to wait so long in between releases, and to go out and play these songs live they feel fresh.
How long was Chapter Two in the works?
It was all written and recorded in a very short amount of time. We were on the road so much last year, up until the last show which was right before Christmas. And then we immediately started demoing ideas in January, recorded it in February, turned it in early March and they came up with the release date. It’s finished and in the can, and we just can’t wait till it gets released. We wish it was sooner, but we have a lot of festival dates coming up so they came up with this release date in August and that’s what we’re going with. I sure wish everyone can hear it now but I’m just excited for everyone to hear the new stuff.
When Chapter One came out last year, that was the first Skid Row release in seven years. In that sense do you think this series of EPs stands on its own and would not be compared as much to the older stuff because there’s been such a long gap?
Right, there was a long gap. The way music is distributed these days, it just seemed like a good idea to do these EPs. We kind of dreamed it up and it’s worked out really well for us so far, mostly because it doesn’t keep the band pinned down to writing 15 songs all at once. An idea can come to you while touring and that’s what happened with this. Chapter Three is not even written and yet it will come out sometime next year (laughs).
In terms of your own vocals, how have you changed things on these EPs as opposed to what you did before?
Well, the first Skid Row record came out 25 years ago, and this is my 14th year with the band. The bulk of the material has always come from Rachel Bolan and Snake Sabo. They bring new ideas, bring everybody in and collaborate, demo extensively until we know what we’re doing, and then we go into the big studio. I think they’ve just gotten back to their old-school way of writing and are really excited about writing and playing some of the biggest shows of the band’s career this year. I mean, Rachel is 50, and to be 50 years old and still be cranking out quality rock ‘n roll and playing shows in front of hundreds of thousands of people, it’s just a blessing and a gift. Everybody is just really re-energized by these EPs. It’s quality rock ‘n roll!
Skid Row has always carried the ‘youth gone wild’ vibe, specially on stage. I guess that must be the biggest challenge for you guys to keep that going, even as the band gets older.
Yeah, at these live shows I’ve got to tell you, there’s teenagers that have no memory or recollection or acquaintance with songs that were on the radio 20 years ago. And then there’s also 20-somethings, 30-somethings and of course 40-somethings. To see the mix of age groups out there, it just goes to show that rock ‘n roll is alive and well. I think it’s important that bands like Skid Row continue to make new material that means something and is quality.
I’m glad you said that because I think 80s hard rock is something that came from that era and bands that came up recently haven’t really been able to replicate that. So it’s still up to you guys to keep it going, isn’t it?
It is, it is! And I think we’ve really accomplished that. That’s why on the strength of Chapter One we got invited to play Castle Donington and Download Festival, and the Polish Woodstock which will be half a million people, and Wacken and Hellfest, and even Rocklahoma which is coming up soon. I think it’s all on the strength of the band’s old material and the new EP which really connected with the audience. We’re just blessed and lucky to be able to do it, going out there and rock it in front of all these people with this new material. Yeah, we’ve got to keep it going, man. Because we still have something to say. We say it to rock and people are listening, which is great.
You just said that the band still draws its strength from old material, and obviously that stuff is just classic. But in terms of singing it live as somebody who was not part of the recordings, are there any songs in particular that you find more challenging or more enjoyable?
Another great thing about being in this band is, the catalog of material is high quality. Last year we added ‘In A Darkened Room’ to the set. It’s sort of a more obscure track from the old Skid Row and I really enjoy singing that one. And then of course the fans are there and they want to hear ‘Youth Gone Wild’, ‘Eighteen And Life, ‘Piece Of Me’ and ‘Slave To The Grind’ and we give them that as well. It’s a really healthy set list of the old, the new and the brand new. So if you’re a fan of the band, you will love the live shows because you’re going to hear all of it.
As you said, you’ve been in the band for almost 15 years which is a really long time and pretty much more than half of the band’s history. But I’m sure you are aware that a lot of fans out there still see you as a replacement. How do you honestly feel about that? This is one thing I’ve always been wanting to ask you and I hope you don’t mind me asking it.
Not at all! The band would have either ceased to exist or they had to rebuild. It was just lik a divorce. I’m the new wife and I knew what I was getting into when I took this on. You can be an old fan, of course, and then you can be a new fan, as long as you’re a Skid Row fan. The bulk and the heart of the band is still there, that’s Rachel Bolan, Snake Sabo and Scotti Hill. You hear those guitars and that songwriting, you know who it is. I was very lucky to become a part of this, and Chapter Two will be my fourth record with the band. For those who abandoned us, that’s fine! If you’re looking for pureness, you’re not going to find it in this world (laughs). If AC/DC can do it, so can we. So I don’t really have a problem, and I don’t see myself as a replacement. I see it as an evolution, just the way it turned out. I wear my own shoes and my own pants. I love singing the old songs but they’re mine now. People that give it a chance seem to really like it, and I think my fan base has grown as the years have gone on. It’s just been so long since the old lineup played live, it’s been a decade and a half. So if they can’t get over it, then we’ll just lose those fans and get new ones (laughs).
That’s very true. So you mentioned that you have a lot of festival shows coming up but you also have a short run of club shows in California and the West Coast, starting very soon?
Yeah, we’re teaming up with Black Star Riders which is great because we did a bit of touring with Ricky Warwick whenever we played with Def Leppard, and he’s in that band. Also, Damon Johnson is a dear friend of our band. So it’ll be fun to go out on the road with those guys and really kick some butt out there. It’s going to be a great bill to be on. We’re headlining the Whisky-A-Go-Go which we haven’t done in years and years. It’s just legendary to be able to go on those stages, at this stage of our career, sell these places out and rock it, as well as playing to 100,000 at Donington. It’s going to be really cool. It’s just two guitars, bass, drums and vocals, it’s just rock ‘n roll, and we’re just so blessed to be able to do it for this long.
Skid Row links:
SkidRow.com
facebook.com/OfficialSkidRow
twitter.com/OfficialSkidRow
Skid Row US tour dates:
05/08 – Tucson AZ – Rialto Theater *
05/09 – Phoenix AZ – Marquee Theatre *
05/10 – Corona CA – M15 *
05/12 – Sacramento CA – Harlow’s *
05/13 – San Francisco CA – DNA Lounge *
05/15 – Agoura Hills CA – Canyon Club *
05/16 – San Juan Capistrano CA – Coach House *
05/17 – Los Angeles CA – Whisky-A-Go-Go
05/18 – Hermosa Beach CA – Saint Rocke
05/20 – Houston TX – Scout Bar
05/21 – Abilene TX – Lucky Mule
05/23 – Pryor OK – Rocklahoma
05/24 – Dallas TX – Trees
05/25 – Lubbock TX – Big Purple Fest
07/09 – Rochester NY – Montage Music Hall
07/10 – Cleveland OH – Agora
07/11 – Newport KY – Thompson House
07/12 – Arlington Heights IL – Home Bar
07/13 – Watseka IL – Watseka Theater
07/17 – Peoria IL – Illinois State Fair
07/18 – Turtle Lake WI – St. Croix Casino
07/19 – Oshkosh WI – Rock USA
07/20 – Battle Creek MI – Planet Rock
07/25 – Duncannon PA – Tubby’s
* = w/ Black Star Riders