Since Eric Grönwall joined Skid Row early this past spring, the band hasn’t stopped making new efforts. In a conversation with the Rock Experience with Mike Brunn, bassist Rachel Bolan discussed their incredible chemistry with Eric and how they left behind the period with Sebastian Bach.
“We totally felt that,” Bolan said when asked whether he felt that the band felt a new energy after Eric joined. “When he joined the band, it seemed like everything kind of… the circle was complete.”
He continued, “His voice seemed to work with Skid Row really well, and I guess just kind of the keys we write in and stuff like that. His voice just; it was perfect for it. And growing up a fan, he understood the band well, and he took it from a different perspective than we did.”
Grönwall’s familiarity with Skid Row music as a listener benefited them. Bolan noted, “He wanted to make the best Skid Row songs that he would want to hear as a fan. And that was the same with our producer, Nick. So it really helped us in the sense that when you’re this close to everything, you can’t see past it.”
The musician also added, “We just did the natural progression and the slow-growing progression on the inside. And so it’s kind of hard to see stuff from the outside. And that’s where Eric came in and brought that outside perspective as well as Nick.”
When he was asked about the possibility of a reunion with Bach, he was quite clear. Rachel said, “You know, we moved on so long ago. Now it’s just like, I really think that our fans that wanted to move with us have moved with us, especially now. So there’s plenty of rock and roll to go around for everyone. If they don’t want to come to our show, then they don’t have to come to our show.”
He continued, “We’d love to see them there, but we’re not going to force them. We’re in such a great place with Eric and our record charted in the States, and it charted in England, and it charted in so many countries, and it’s killing. And this is just the beginning, man.”
They are also planning to release a live album. Bolan shared, “We’re looking at next year at some point to release that. We’re getting the footage and getting all the edits soon. It’s a holiday, so I don’t expect it here. I mean, I’ve heard a couple of rough mixes of it, and it just sounds awesome.”
Since Sebastian Bach departed the band in 1996, the popular lineup of Skid Row has not performed together. Since then, there have been numerous efforts, but they have failed to solve their problems. Bach was fired from the band when he made a move without consulting his bandmates, while they were already been arguing about creative matters.
One day, he booked their band as an opening act of KISS, although the other members opposed it because they felt they were too large to open for another act. But Bach didn’t care and secretly booked Skid Row as the opening act for KISS.
Besides, Bach had also allegedly insulted his bandmates. After that day, they were never very keen on a reunion. When Skid Row members are asked about Sebastian Bach, they often say that they have already moved on. So a reunion seems unlikely. Anyway, Eric has brought quite a good energy to Skid Row, and many fans seem happy too.
