Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach will return to the stage this fall for a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s double-platinum, acclaimed album “Slave To The Grind”.
Performing the celebrated 1991 record in its entirety along with other hits from his catalog, Bach is back to rock the masses with support from Detroit band KALEIDO. The tour will kick off September 25 in Waterloo, New York and will wrap in San Diego, Californua on December 17. Tickets go on sale on Friday at SebastianBach.com.
Bach recently commented on the upcoming tour and anniversary: “30 years ago in the year 1991 we released our second record entitled ‘Slave To The Grind’. This album was a collaborative effort between the band members written in our basements and rehearsal rooms in New Jersey shortly after we got off the road for the first record. We had an incredible time coming up with the songs in New Jersey and then bringing in our producer Michael Wagener to help out before we took the whole band and crew down to Gloria Estefan‘s New River studios in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We all lived there recording the record and the stories I could tell……!!
“After recording in Florida, we headed to Burbank, California to finish the album and how proud we were of the results. I remember driving down Ventura Boulevard. We had a cassette of the song ‘Monkey Business’ mix that we cranked over and over again in the car at about 4 in the morning heading back to our hotel. The music was crushing when we made it then and 30 years later it still stands the test of time.
“Solidifying the family vibe making this album was the choice to have my father the late David Bierk RIP (1944-2002) create and paint the album cover. Commissioned by Atlantic Records‘ Bob Defrin, the cover art is based on the songs themselves and inspired by Caravaggio. The artwork is a story in and of itself. In association with the artist estate, we will incorporate never-before-seen photos during the show detailing the creation of the album cover, which used actual live models playing out the scene in my Dad’s studio back in 1990 – 1991.
“None of us could believe the day ‘Slave To The Grind’ came out and became the first heavy rock album to debut at Number One on the Billboard album chart. The band were naturally ecstatic as were the record company and all involved…. As well as my father and my family.
“I look forward to playing ‘Slave To The Grind’ in its entirety in the USA this fall for the 30th anniversary and for the first time offer a look behind the scenes into the creation of the album cover artwork. Looking forward to seeing you all on the road in 2021 with very special guests from Detroit Michigan, KALEIDO! See you at the show!”
Tour dates:
Sep. 25 – Waterloo, NY – The Vine at Del Lago Casino*
Oct. 01 – Grapevine, TX – Glass Cactus
Oct. 03 – Cedar Park, TX – Haute Spot
Oct. 05 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
Oct. 07 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
Oct. 09 – San Antonio, TX – Tierra Sagrada Rockfest*
Oct. 12 – Hopewell, VA – Beacon
Oct. 13 – Bristol, TN – Paramount Center
Oct. 15 – New York, NY – Sony Hall
Oct. 16 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
Oct. 17 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony
Oct. 19 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
Oct. 20 – Middletown, NY – Orange County Fair Speedway Arena
Oct. 22 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live
Oct. 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Oct. 25 – Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27
Oct. 26 – Greensburg, PA – Palace Theatre
Oct. 29-Nov. 3 – Miami, FL – Kiss Kruise*
Nov. 06 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
Nov. 07 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live
Nov. 09 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Nov. 10 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
Nov. 12 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
Nov. 13 – Cleveland, OH – MGM Northfield
Nov. 14 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
Nov. 17 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
Nov. 18 – Ft. Wayne, IN – The Clyde
Nov. 19 – Detroit, MI – Harpos
Nov. 21 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theatre
Nov. 27 – Denver, CO – Gothic
Nov. 29 – Billings, MT – Pub Station-Ballroom
Nov. 30 – Great Falls, MT – The Newberry
Dec. 02 – Suquamish, WA – Clearwater Casino
Dec. 03 – Portland, OR – Aladdin
Dec. 06 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall
Dec. 11 – Blue Lake, CA – Blue Lake Casino
Dec. 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Fonda
Dec. 17 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
* No support
Bach previously performed “Slave To The Grind” in its entirety in October 2019 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Earlier that fall, he completed a U.S. tour during which he celebrated the 30th anniversary of SKID ROW‘s self-titled debut album.
Last summer, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan told SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that he and his bandmates would embark on a “Slave To The Grind” 30th-anniversary tour in 2021. “We’ll do the album in its entirety, and then we’re gonna do a bunch of stuff to coincide with it,” he said. “We’re pretty psyched, and the shows are booked. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that everything is gonna come to pass… It’ll be cool, to go out there and do ‘Slave To The Grind’ top to the bottom. That’ll be fun.”
According to Bolan, SKID ROW didn’t celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band’s self-titled debut album in 2019 because “the timing didn’t really work out. We had so much other stuff planned, and then all of a sudden, boom, it was here,” he explained. “Maybe down the road [we’ll celebrate it]. Maybe [for the] 40th [anniversary]. [Laughs]”
In June 2019, Bach issued an “open invitation” to the other members of SKID ROW‘s classic lineup to “get onstage and jam” during the vocalist’s last tour. A few days later, during an interview with Finland’s Kaaos TV, guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo confirmed that he would not accept Bach‘s latest overture. “I’m working with my band,” he said. “This is SKID ROW, and this is what I do.”
Drummer Rob Affuso — who left SKID ROW in 1998 and claims to be “the only former member that keeps in contact with all former SKID ROW bandmates and is still good friends with them all” — subsequently joined Bach in September 2019 at Sony Hall in New York City to play the band’s classic song “Makin’ A Mess”.
Asked by Rolling Stone if he thinks his former bandmates are offended that he put his invitation out there publicly, Bach said: “No. I think it’s an ego thing. They don’t like when I get attention, and they don’t get attention. It’s always been like that. I can already see them getting mad, because I’m selling out shows, and they’re not part of the show, and blah, blah, blah.”
Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.
In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of Bolan and guitarists Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger.
SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.
In February 2019, Sabo told “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that SKID ROW came “pretty close” to reuniting with Bach after Harnell‘s exit from the band. But then he clarified: “I said ‘pretty close,’ and that’s actually not true. Because we didn’t get beyond text messaging each other, to be quite honest. The same old stuff just seemed to exist where there was this confrontational sort of demeanor going back and forth between myself and Sebastian.
“I’m so proud of what we were able to create throughout the entire history of this band, and that will never change,” he continued. “But some things just don’t work anymore and people go their separate ways and you can’t get that back together. And I’m fine with that.
“I play music to be happy,” Sabo added. “I don’t play music for a paycheck. It’s great to get paid to do what you love. But I’ve never done it for the money. It’s always been about my love of music, and that’s what it still is. At my old crusty age, it’s still because I love the guitar and I love creating. And I love the response. I love being able to connect in some way with an audience. That’s why I started playing music — because I didn’t know how to communicate, so it came out through music, through songs.
“Playing with [ZP] in the band has brought a real joyousness back to our lives. You can see it — it’s not faked or phony. You can see it when we play. And that’s what I live for — I live for those moments of just absolute joy.
“A reunion [with Sebastian] would have been great for a lot of other people who have wanted to see that happen,” Snake said. “But for us, it would not have been pleasurable, to be quite honest.”
