Scotti Hill addressed ongoing calls for a reunion with former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach after the band announced their new vocalist, Broadway veteran Justin Sargent, speaking on TotalRock.
Hill acknowledged that fans have long wanted to see the classic lineup reunite. He explained his stance on the band’s past lineup changes and offered his first impressions of working with their new singer in the studio.
“Well, (calls for a reunion with Sebastian Bach) always been there,” Hill said. “I think it’s always going to be there at some point because of going back to the early days. So people are always gonna bring that up.”
“But as far as who’s come and who’s gone, there’s been a reason for people’s departures in every circumstance,” he continued.
“And none of them have really been that bitter — maybe except for one of them… Yeah, I am looking forward to moving past that. But people will always have questions about reunions and things like that, which is just out of the question, so we’ll just fix that right now. So that’s not even up for discussion. But, yeah, onward, man. Onward.”
Hill then turned to his experience recording with Sargent. “The first thing I noticed, spending time with Justin, was we got to the studio to record ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, and it immediately felt like he had always been there,” he said. “He just fit right in with us — his sense of humor. I mean, we’re always — everything’s a joke. We laugh a lot. And he just fit right in.”
“I said to one of the guys, I was, like, ‘It’s like he’s always been here.’ It’s so weird… It always feels like there’s a new guy in the room. There’s nothing wrong with that. But when somebody comes through, whether it’s a band member or a crew member, it feels like somebody new is there. But I never got that feeling. It was really cool. It was good — very natural, and fun.”
Hill’s comments came as Skid Row moved forward with Sargent as their new frontman and began their next chapter together.
The band’s history with its singers has been marked by significant changes. In 1996, Sebastian Bach departed from Skid Row following months of mounting tension that ultimately led to his dismissal. After a three-year hiatus, the band reformed in 1999 without Bach. Johnny Solinger became the longest-tenured singer in Skid Row history before the band parted ways with him in April 2015.
Over the following years, Skid Row continued to cycle through vocalists, including Tony Harnell, ZP Theart, and Erik Grönwall. Grönwall stepped away from the band in 2024 due to health reasons, leaving the position vacant. After more than two years away from the stage, the band launched an extensive global search for a new frontman, including an open audition submission in partnership with instrument retailer Sweetwater.
Justin Sargent’s background in theatre made him a distinctive choice for the role. Sargent debuted on Broadway in 2011 in Rock of Ages and went on to perform in Bonnie & Clyde and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, where he played the title character. To mark his arrival, Skid Row released a new recording of The Who anthem Won’t Get Fooled Again, accompanied by a music video that introduced their new frontman and signaled the band’s move forward as they marked their 40th anniversary.
