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SKID ROW |
biography
Skid Row is made of up five talented young men from New Jersey
all the way to Canada. Vocalist Sebastian Bach, guitarists Scotti Hill and Dave
"Snake" Sabo, bassist Rachel Bolan, and drummer Rob Affuso created incredible
music that could never be surpassed. "We stand and we won't fall, we're one and
one for all, the writing's on the wall, we are the youth gone wild" sums up what
Skid Row is about. Just being yourself, having fun, and saying "f*** you" to
anyone who thinks otherwise. Skid Row made their mark on the music business in
the late '80s and early '90s, and they all lived to talk about it. This is the
story of Skid Row...
Skid Row was first formed in New Jersey in 1986 when guitarist Dave Sabo was
working at a local guitar store and met bassist Rachel Bolan.They started
talking and combining their ideas for songs and clicked like THAT. Bolan had
known guitarist Scotti Hill from a previous band they were in. And Sabo had done
the same with drummer Rob Affuso. So, all four of them got together, but, there
was only a slight problem, they didn't have a lead singer...
After auditioning hundreds of singers and having no luck what-so-ever, ( except
for Matt Fallon, Skid Row's first lead singer who "sounded too much like Jon Bon
Jovi" and was later fired ) they had heard about a Canadian named Sebastian Bach
who had recently sung at a music producer's wedding. So, the four guys sent
Sebastian a demo tape. Sebastian remembers saying, " I hoped it wouldn't be good
( the demo tape.) And then when I played it, I said, 'Dammit to hell, this is
good!'" So, they flew Sebastian all the way from Canada to NJ, and the guys knew
right away it was meant to be. Sebastian was just perfect for this band in every
way. The 6-foot 3 wildman demostrated everything Skid Row was about.
In 1989, Skid Row released their self-titled debut album. It was a HUGE success,
and they were one of the biggest heavy rock bands of the time. Their biggest
hit, "18 and Life," was the most requested song on MTV for many weeks on end.
Teenagers just loved them for their bad attitude, rebellion, and especially for
their hit "Youth Gone Wild," which was pretty much the national anthem of that
year.
Now, before Skid Row ever made a second album, they were already off to Japan,
Russia, and the U.S. on a worldwide tour. In late 1991, they released their
second album, "Slave To The Grind," which amazingly debuted at #1.It was
released in two different versions: The original one had a "rowdy song with the
title containing a four lettered word," and on the other version, the song was
removed and replaced with another song. Slave to the Grind was a major success
and sent Skid Row on another worldwide tour with bands like Guns N' Roses and
Pantera.
So, by 1992, Skid Row had already been to the Pacific Rim, Brazil, Japan again,
and all over the U.S. They didn't really have any ideas for songs, so they
released "B-Side Ourselves," a compilation of cover songs by Kiss, The Ramones,
Judas Priest, Jimi Hendrix, and Rush. "B-Side Ourselves" was mainly released
because the fans were having a very hard time trying to get a hold of these
b-sides, so Skid Row released it as an album.
Skid Row seemed to fade away after that, with the new introduction to
alternative and rap music. It wasn't until three years later in 1995 that Skid
Row released their 4th and final album, "Subhuman Race." There were some hit
songs on "Subhuman," but Skid Row's videos were rarely seen on MTV anymore.
After doing another worldwide tour, Skid Row broke up in early 1997 after
turning down a show with Kiss, their biggest role models when they were young.
Skid Row never did break up COMPLETELY, they just kicked out Sebastian. The
other 4 guys hired a new lead singer, Shawn McCabe, and formed Ozone Monday.
Ozone Monday never saw an album release, and since then Shawn McCabe is out of
the band ( as well as Rob Affuso ). The supposed new "Skid Row" is back, with
John Solinger from the Texas band Solinger as front-man and Charlie Mills on the
drums. Nothing is known about a new album yet...
Sebastian formed a band with Kelley Deal of The Breeders back in 1996. Baz is
currently in a solo band called Sebastian Bach And Friends. Baz is actually
doing a lot better than the other 4 guys COMBINED. He has a solo album out
called BRING 'EM BACH ALIVE! and it kicks ass! Baz has been on tour since late
'97, and is back on tour. Click on "Bach on Tour" for tour dates!
No one is certain about the future of the most awesome band in the world, Skid
Row. Chances are, Skid Row will never be again, and that is a tradgedy. But,
Sebastian is keeping the Youth Gone Wild spirit alive and kickin'...and that
will never die.
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Full Name:Robert James Affuso
Specialty: Drums
Birthday: March 1st, 1963
Hometown: Newburgh, New York
Influences: Neil Peart, Phil Collins, Phill Rudd, Carl Palmer, John Bonham, AC/DC,
and Aerosmith
Family: Rob is the son of Shari Wells and Robert Affuso and has a brother Alan.
Previoud Bands: A Rush copy band called Minstrel, and just prior to Skid Row,
Rob played in an original band called Sutton Thomas. However, they never
recorded, because "no one would sign us."
Fact: Rob is the only Skid who had orthodontia ( teeth irregularities ) "but I
got my teeth knocked out in a fight and I had to get caps," he adds.
Click here for the transcripts of a questionnaire that was given to Rob.
Sebastian Bach
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Real Name: Sebastian Phillip Bierk
Specialty: Lead Vocals
Birthday: April 3rd, 1968
Hometown: Freeport, Bahamas
Influences: Rob Halford, Michael Monroe, James Brown, Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix,
Motorhead, and Motley Crue
Previous Bands: Herrenvolk, Madame X, V05, and Kid Wikkid
Siblings: A sister Dylan and a brother Zakk
Ancestry: Norwegian-American on his dad's side and Canadian-American ( with some
N. American Indian blood ) on his mom's side
Self-Description: "Obsessed, volatile, young, insatiable, and extremist."
Advice to Future Musicians: "Quit school, quit your job, move to a big city,
meet other musicians, practice your instrument, and you will make it."
Click here for the transcripts of a questionnaire that was given to Sebastian.
Rachel Bolan
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Real Name: James Southworth
Specialty: Bass
Birthday: February 9th, 1966
Hometown: Tom's River, New Jersey
Influences: Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Beatles, Plasmatics, and KISS
Self-Description: "Laid-back, volatile, and sometimes serious."
Ancestry: Portuguese and English
Family: Rachel is the youngest of four kids-he has a brother Richie, and two
sisters, Lorraine and Joanne. His parents are Aida and Hubert.
Childhood Memories: "I was pretty rambunctious, a bit of a pyromaniac. I hated
school with a passion."
Personal Idol: Gene Simmons
Click here for the transcripts of a questionnaire that was given to Rachel.
Scotti Hill
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Real Name: Scotti Mulvehill
Specialty: Guitar
Birthday: May 31st, 1964
Hometown: Manhasset, L.I.
Influences: Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimi Hendrix
Siblings: Scotti has three older sisters
Favorite Band: King's X
Favorite Song: AC/DC's "Beating Around the Bush" and Kiss' "Black Diamond"
Quote: ( on Skid Row's success as of 1990 ) "No way can I believe it, man.
'Cause when I come home, I walk down the street in my neighborhood, you know?
And people don't know who I am. I mean, I don't advertise it, either. I mean, I
don't go around wearing Skid Row this and Skid Row that. If I go to the mall, I
put my hair in a pony-tail or something. Sometimes when I'm home, I just get so
wrapped up in being home, I forget that there's people around that know who I am,
and I'll just go walking around, not thinking about it and somebody will look at
me and just freak out, ya know? It's just really weird. But as far as everything
that's happened in the past couple years, it's amazing. I sit back and look at
all the stuff I've done and all the different places I've lived, and borrowed
money for food and stuff like that, it's like it's not even happening. It's like
a dream"
Click here for the transcripts of a questionnaire that was given to Scotti.
Dave "Snake" Sabo
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Full Name: David Michael Sabo
Specialty: Guitar
Birthday: September 16th, 1964
Hometown: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Influences: KISS, Judas Priest, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Iron Maiden and Randy
Rhoads
Parents: Snake's father resides in Florida, where he has lived since Snake's
birth. Snake was raised by his mother "Mama Snake"
Siblings: Snake has four older brothers
Self-Description: "I'm the worrier. It is tough to be objective when you are
talking about yourself, but I am definitely the most level-headed. I can say
that honestly, when it comes to people going in opposite directions, I am the
guy who can maybe bring it together. Who finds the common ground. That is maybe
my strong point. The bad point is that I'm the worrier. That's where the
give-and-take comes in. I worry about what is going to happen tomorrow and
Sebastian does not give a shit."