|
by rick grant
rickgrant01@comcast.net
Sebastian Bach’s band Skid Row has been associated with Guns N’Roses since the early 1990s when Skid Row opened shows for GN’R’s international tours. Today, Sebastian Bach tours his own band with Mike Chiasciak on guitar, Bobby Jarzombek on drums, and Johnny Chromatic on guitar. In 1999, Bach released his first solo project Bring ‘Em Back Alive. Bach recently split from Artemis Rigors and is currently considering offers from other labels.
Last summer, Bach opened a number of GN’R shows on selected dates in the U.S. and Europe. Now, Bach is going out with GN’R again on their “Chinese Democracy” tour, beginning October 24 in Miami. The show will roll into the Jacksonville Arena on October 31.
|
Through a quirk of fate, Bach acted in a Broadway show Jekyll & Hyde, which set him on an acting path, opening doors for him to audition for television roles. He landed a reoccurring role on the Gilmore Girls. The adventure into acting was totally unexpected and gave Bach a new outlet for his talents. However, as I found out when I called him at his manager’s office in New Jersey, he still loves rock’n’roll and that’s what keeps his motor running. He’s cordial, enthusiastic, and uses musician-speak, addressing me as “dude.” Hey, that’s cool.
“I’m really excited about going out with GN’R for this tour. It’s the perfect opportunity to expose my band to large audiences opening for Axl and the gang. We sometimes sing duets on My Michelle.. We went out on a several legs of the tour last summer, but this time we’ll be on the entire tour. This tour will be playing places in which I’ve dreamed of playing like Madison Square Garden, Air Canada Center, The Palace of Auburn Hills and many arenas in Europe that I’ve never seen.”
“Although I’ve been doing some acting in television and on Broadway, I’m a hard-core rocker and that is where my heart is centered. There is nothing like the thrill of walking out on stage in a big arena and performing in front of 10,000 people. It’s a major rush. Lately I’ve been writing songs for my band and trying to get them recorded. In September, I returned to Australia for two concerts–the first since 1993-- and I was only the second rock-metal band to perform in China, playing at the Beijing Pop Festival. Deep Purple was the first to break the Chinese barrier. They are very strict about entertainment, especially American rock’n’roll. But we got them moving and grooving.”
“Recently, I’ve been working on a new solo album called Angel Down, which is due out next year. And I’ve been busy acting on the Gilmore Girls in its fourth season as guitarist in Lane Kim’s band. Funny, these acting roles just dropped in my lap from my role in Jekyll & Hyde. I also played roles in Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Jesus Christ Superstar. You know dude, I really hadn’t planned on acting, but the opportunity came up and I decided it would be fun, which it is, but not as much fun as being a rocker. I also shot three episodes of the Canadian mockumentary TV series Trailer Park Boys, guesting as a model railroad enthusiast. So, these new and exciting offers come up and I have to decide which ones I will do. But deep down, I’d rather be on stage rocking.”
From there our conversations digressed into talking about the death of the CD album as a work unto itself and the demise of Tower Record Stores. I said that you have to adapt to changing situations and get involved with the new technology like the legal download services such as Rhapsody, to which I belong. Bach said he’s misses the record stores where people used to line up for the latest hit record and an album was recorded as a complete work, with careful consideration as to the sequence of songs, like chapters of a book. Yes, the age of the concept album is fading, but not extinct.
|
