Project Description

Interview with

RACHEL BOLAN

of

SKID ROW

Interviewer – Paul Tadday

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Skid Row

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New Jersey hard rockers Skid Row are once again heading Down Under.  With a national tour that is slated to commence on October 18 in Brisbane, the band will visit all major cities before jetting across the ditch to play a show in Auckland.

This week I caught up with Rachel Bolan (bass) and got the lowdown on everything that’s been happening in the SKID ROW camp.

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I asked Rachel if there is anything special that fans can expect to see this time around.

“Well the biggest difference is our singer, ZP Theart (ex Dragonforce), who joined the band about three years ago.  All five of us are looking very forward to coming down to Australia because it’s just been such a great place for us for almost 30 years now. The first couple of times were pretty crazy!”

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Casting his thoughts back to the tour with Guns ‘n’ Roses in 1993, Rachel recalls the thrill of a Supercar ride around the Calder Park circuit during their Melbourne stay.

“I was lucky enough to get driven around in a race car as a passenger. I’ve always loved racing. I’ve done amateur racing myself. But going that fast, the opposite way, on the opposite side of the car… It was a lot of fun! And the shows with Guns ‘n’ Roses were huge, as they always were.”

“I know there’s a lot of really cool go kart tracks down there. I know we don’t have that many days off but if I have the chance to, I’m definitely gonna jump in a kart if I can.”

“I haven’t raced for a while. One, because of our touring schedule and two, because of a herniated disc, but stuff happens. When you have thirty pounds of guitar around your neck since you were like twelve years old, you’re bound to have back problems (laughs)!”

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Most would expect that a serious back issue would force a change in the level of movement whilst on stage, but not for Rachel.

“Well no, it should… If I were smart it would. I would tone it down. But, once the adrenalin gets going and you hit that first note it’s just all about whatever pain or ailments you’ve got going on you just deal with after the show when the adrenaline runs out (laughs).”

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Although the band is yet to record with ZP Theart, Rachel was full of praise for the band’s new vocal powerhouse.

“We’ve written stuff together. He’s brought a great sense of melody and a cool feel to some of the songs. But mainly he’s just brought a voice that’s consistent and strong and just this positive aura around him that is infectious; and we all feed off it.”

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Skid Row’s most recent releases have consisted of the first two parts (EPs) of a trilogy titled United World Rebellion. The third and final installment is set to be unleashed in 2019.

“We’re recording with Michael Wagner (producer – Metallica,Queen, Ozzy, Motley Crue), who we recorded three records with. He’s a great friend of ours and we’re very excited about it. Z’s very excited about it; he’s never worked with Michael before. It’s gonna be a full length record instead of an EP and we’ll be announcing the label very soon.”

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Fans who loved the band’s second album Slave To The Grind would definitely love the trilogy, given that the band’s sound has clearly returned to that familiar direction. The edgy punk grooves, blistering guitar tones and the attitude that Skid Row became known for.

“That’s kind of what we were setting out for. We kind of ventured off course for a while, but that happens to bands. You know, ‘life’ gets in there between you and the creative process and it just happens.” 

“We made a concerted effort when writing, to say ‘Hey, let’s clear our heads, let’s forget everything that’s out there now and everything that’s influenced us since 1978 and let’s just go back and think like… It sounds a lot easier than it is. When you’re down the road twenty-some years from when you put out records it’s not as easy to re-trace your steps as you would think. But, we somehow figured out a way. And we felt the same way, we were like, ‘Okay, this sounds like us. This sounds like Skid Row’.”

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Now into his 50’s, I was curious to find out whether Rachel’s influences for writing have changed as he’s become older.

“Well, no… The same stuff still inspires… It’s funny; Snake (Dave Sabo– guitar) and I were having a laugh about it after the second EP came out and we were like, ‘Okay, we’re in our 50’s and we’re still writing with this teenage angst’ (laughs). So, what does that say for us? Is it that our brains have shut off as we’ve been maturing at some point? But yeah you know, we still get mad about the same things. We still get happy about the same stuff. We just got a little more poetic about it I guess (laughs).”

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Rachel was also involved with the recording of Stone Sour’s House Of Gold And Bones double concept release from 2012, when the band was in need of a bass player.

“It’s funny, I met Corey (Taylor) really briefly at a festival when I was living in Atlanta. There was a festival called ‘Carolina Rebellion’ in Northern Carolina. Stone Sour was playing, Halestorm was playing, a bunch of bands that I wanted to see. So, Rob (Hammersmith), our drummer and I went up there and met Corey really quick and exchanged numbers and what not. We didn’t really keep in touch and then one morning my phone’s ringing and I see a number on there that I didn’t recognize so I just shot it to voicemail (laughs). And when I went back I was like, someone calling from Iowa? And I listened to it and he’s like ‘Hey dude, it’s Corey… blah blah blah’. And they had just parted ways with their bass player and I called him right back and he’s like, ‘Would you be interested in playing bass on the records?’ And I go, ‘Where and when, how many songs?’ And he goes, ‘Twenty-three songs, in Iowa, in two weeks!’ And I was like, ‘WHAT? Did you say twenty-three songs (laughs)’. But I tell you what; it was such a great experience working with those guys. It was so laid back and every single one of those guys is so damned talented and really fun to be around.”

“And since then Snake and I have written with Corey and he’s just such a great guy. And looking back and playing on that record it was a great experience. And to be this far into my career and have an opportunity like that… One, I was truly flattered that they thought of me. And two, just to get out of my comfort zone. Yes, it’s rock and yes, it’s a band that I really like but it wasn’t the style of music I’m used to playing. So, it was a really good learning experience from all points. From songs, to producing, to playing bass, everything. And, it’s definitely something that is in the ‘top 5’ best experiences in my life.”

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Skid Row has also been writing with other musicians in the lead up to the next album.

“Yeah, we’ve written with Joe (Hottinger) and Lzzy (Hale) from Halestorm, we’ve written with Corey. Whether the songs make the record or not, we don’t know. But, you never know until you demo them I guess. But, writing with other people, we don’t usually do that. We just wanted to write with friends and it made the most sense because you know you’re not gonna hurt anyone’s feelings if you say you don’t like an idea, because you’re friends!”

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So what younger bands have caught Rachel’s attention in recent times?

“There’s a band that just opened for us called Double Crush Syndrome. They toured with us in Europe and they’re fans of us and we quickly became fans of them. And I was just listening to their CD in my truck today. They’re a really good three-piece band that just put everything out there on stage. They don’t have anything left by the end of their show. It’s a band that you’re gonna want to pay attention to and look out for, for sure.”

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If you could give the younger you some valuable advice what would it be?

“I would tell myself to trust my gut more, without a doubt.”

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We finished our conversation with a quick ‘word association’ quiz.

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Tattoos

“Pain in the ass.”

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New Jersey

“Home.”

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Japan

“I miss it.”

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Tripzilla (Rachel’s previous pet iguana)

“I miss him too!”

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Dimebag (Darrell Abbott– deceased Pantera guitar legend)

“One of the most creative humans I’ve met, if not the most creative.”

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Thunder Roadster

“Ninth place.”

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Jagermeister

“Mother’s milk!”

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Ozone Monday (previous band project)

“A fun project.”

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Ace Frehley (former KISS guitarist)

“A laugh a minute… even if he doesn’t remember me, he’s still funny!”

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Donald Trump

“Kill me now!”

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Sebastian Bach (ex Skid Row vocalist)

“Next question (laughs)!”

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Skid Row

Australian and NZ

Tour Dates:

Thursday 18th October BRISBANE Eatons Hill Hotel

Friday 19th October MELBOURNE Prince Bandroom

Saturday 20th October SYDNEY Manning Bar

Sunday 21st October PERTH Astor Theatre

Tuesday 23rd October ADELAIDE The Gov

Wednesday 24th October AUCKLAND The Studio

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Tickets on sale NOW

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AMNPLIFY – DB