SEBASTIAN BACH Wants People At His Shows To Smile, Laugh And Have Fun

By David E. Gehlke

Sebastian Bach recently announced a North American tour that will find the former SKID ROW frontman on the road from February through April with STITCHED UP HEART in support. Dubbed "The Party Never Ends", it's an apropos title considering the 57-year-old Bach's trademark bottomless pit of energy and enthusiasm for his craft and rock music in general. The trek is also a necessity for him in a climate where live music has long outstripped the value of writing and recording new music, particularly for artists from Bach's generation. In spite of those odds, Bach continues to plug his 2024 "Child Within The Man" studio album, which, by most accounts, is the best out of the four he's released under his own name.

There are, of course, dozens of topics in which to lob at Bach. It is now nearly 30 years since he departed SKID ROW and a good decade since the calls for his return reached a fever pitch. Keeping in the here and now, his recent art show appearance in Florida, the aforementioned "The Party Never Ends" tour and the surprising TRIUMPH reunion were on the docket. True to form, Bach had plenty to say to BLABBERMOUTH.NET when we caught up via Zoom.

Blabbermouth: You did an art show this past December in Florida. Your dad was an artist. Is this another way of carrying his legacy? What did you get out of the event?

Sebastian: "I'm very fortunate that I have hooked up with Wentworth Galleries, which is a gallery that represents Ronnie Wood [ROLLING STONES], Paul Stanley [KISS], Joe Satriani, Brian Wheat [TESLA] and Elvis Costello. They have an amazing thing where they allow a guy like me, my dad was a very famous, successful artist from Canada. He died at the age of 57. Way too young and he left all of us kids with much of his catalog. He didn't get to finish a lot of his paintings. Right behind me, my new album cover, 'Child Within The Man', that's me when I was ten. [Points to cover behind him.] That's a painting of me in a field, running in Canada. [Laughs] And, this one here, he did. That's me on the stage in Giants Stadium in 1989 opening for BON JOVI. That was the first centerfold I ever had in Circus magazine. My dad couldn't believe it. I used to collect Circus magazine and all of those rock magazines. We, as a family, read all of these magazines, and then all of a sudden, I'm on the cover and centerfold. His brain couldn't believe it. He painted a 12-foot-high, giant piece and put it on my wall without asking me when I was on the road. I was like, 'Dad. Couldn't you have done a 12-foot painting of KISS?' [Laughs] Anyway, he was very proud of me.

"We were going to call this record self-titled because we thought it was a real statement — my ultimate solo album. That's kind of like when you can't think of a title. The first song on the album is called 'Everybody Bleeds'. There's a line in the song where I go, 'The child within the man.' It kept haunting me. This painting here, the one with the car, was in storage in New Jersey. I hadn't seen that since the late '70s. That's when that was done. I was only a little kid. I had forgotten that it existed. Of course, in Vegas, it's so hot. I go, 'Dude. You shouldn't have your dad's art in storage in Vegas because it's a billion degrees.' I said, 'I need to get my valuables out of storage.' In my storage, there was a big roll of paintings that said, 'Sebastian: 'Subhuman Race 1994'. I unrolled it, and it was the original 'Subhuman Race' painting. Underneath it was this painting of me when I was ten. I was like, 'Oh my god.' Because my whole purpose of the 'Child Within The Man' was to make a record that could have conceivably come out in the '70s. That's what I collect: I collect vinyl from the '70s, mainly. That's my favorite 'sound' of the way albums were made, like KISS, RUSH, AEROSMITH and ROSE TATTOO. It goes on and on. I just love the sound of those albums. I was lucky enough to have my producer, Elvis Baskette, who feels the exact same way. We recorded on a Neve board that QUEEN used to record albums. We were heading in the right direction. Then, Robert Ludwig mastered the album. Robert Ludwig mastered 'Led Zeppelin II', 'Kiss Alive!'STEELY DAN and THE EAGLES. I got the sound right, but then that painting of me in Circus magazine was on my wall, then we unfolded this one, and I look down, and that line in the song shows up, and I go, 'Child Within The Man'. I go, 'Okay. We're going to combine these images digitally.' It was incredible. As I said, my dad didn't get the time to finish these, the one of me in the car. The colors were all faded, and there was water damage. It was in rough shape, but my friend, Michael Godard, one of the biggest artists in the world, has these scanners; there's only one or two of them in the world that can scan nine-foot paintings. He has this huge facility in Vegas. I go, 'Can you come over here and scan it?' He laughed and went, 'No. I can't.' I had to rent a truck, get the paintings off the wall, and put them in the back. He's got this giant scanner, and he scanned them. Then he digitally combined them and cranked up the colors. I'm not into bands using tapes live and stuff, but technology can be good when used correctly. For me, to bring back artwork from the late '70s that was in storage and then digitally enhance it and make it vivid, the colors and everything, that's really astonishing to me. It's literally artwork from heaven. What the heck? What else is it? It's not from anybody who did it here now."

Blabbermouth: Are you getting more into doing your own art? I saw you gave away a piece titled after a new song of yours, "Hard Darkness". Is this a talent you acquired from your dad?

Sebastian: "I love making things. To take his stuff that's not finished and then put stuff like lyrics, like what you said, 'It's the open road is where I find my home.' We're spending the whole year on the road, like we did last year. To be able to put lyrics from the songs with the images is really exciting to me. I love making things. I love designing T-shirts. I love designing backdrops. Album covers. I just get off on that. I have another art show on January 25 at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It's a show also with Brian Wheat of TESLA, both of us at the same time. The night before that, we're playing together at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City. People can check out our art and music at the same time."

Blabbermouth: While on the subject of touring, your son, Paris, plays drums in your band now. Max Cavalera of SOULFLY has his kids playing with him, and he loves it. What's it been like having your son play drums for you?

Sebastian: "That's a great question. The thing that sticks in my head is the John Lennon song, 'Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.' I've been fortunate enough to play with some of the best drummers in rock, like Bobby Jarzombek. You can't get a better drummer than him. Then that young whipper snapper George Strait came along and stole him. George Strait! Like, holy moly. That's not a cover band on the weekend. [Laughs] I love Bobby. I'll always love Bobby. But, you know, he's a Texan. If you're a man who lives in Texas and you're George Strait's drummer, that's like being in THE BEATLES. [Laughs] Right?"

Blabbermouth: It fits the description.

Sebastian: "Bobby still wants to play with me. He goes, 'Take me to Australia.' I said, 'I already bought my kid's ticket. Sorry, Bobby.' I love playing with Bobby. Someday, maybe I will again. But life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. The other thing I will say is that you cannot teach someone to rehearse. You either have that within you to lock yourself in a room and get better at your craft, or you don't. Like, Henry Rollins had a great saying. He goes, 'Maybe you don't need to rehearse, but I do.' [Laughs] Like, 'I don't need to rehearse.' Get the fuck out of here. I sing every day. When I have a gig, I sing. I go 'Bye. I got to go to my room.' I usually take about an hour and a half. I sing to keep my voice going because I know how to do it. During the pandemic, we were trapped in our house in Thousand Oaks, California. I had built a drum shed, which I think you can still see on YouTube. I was so bored making videos and shit. Drums are loud. I don't care how much you like rock. To hear a guy in your house just pounding the drums, it's unpleasant. I built a shed out on my property where somebody could play drums whenever they wanted. My son, during the pandemic, played the drums all day, every day. I didn't tell him to do that; nobody did. He did it on his own. After month after month after month of me sitting on my porch, hearing him pound the kit. This was also when Wolfgang Van Halen put out his record with the song, 'Distance'. 'No matter what the distance is, you'll always be with me,' he said to his dad. I was listening to that song, and I go, 'Dude. If Wolfgang is doing so well, give your son a chance.' That's really what I said to myself. I didn't know if my son could handle the road. The road is mentally and physically demanding for any human being. I didn't know if he would crack on the road, but he didn't. I gave him a shot. He came out, and he's great. He wants nothing more than to play rock and roll. He is a total professional. He's never late. He's never fucked up. He gets the job done. He's never late for the lobby call at seven a.m. I've had musicians who can't do that. I've had musicians who can't make a plane. I've had guys who are so talented, but they can't get on the plane at the right time. I'm like, 'You got the wrong business, bro. I didn't invent airports. If you can't handle the fucking airport, you're in the wrong business.' But some people can't handle that stuff. Luckily, my son can handle it."

Blabbermouth: Where do you draw the line for your son between Sebastian Bach the dad versus Sebastian Bach the lead singer, especially if your son makes a mistake?

Sebastian: "I'll tell you what will happen if he messes up during the show: I'll make him mow the lawn. [Laughs] That's what dads do. I'm joking. Here's the thing with him: We have the same DNA. I have a certain way of walking around on the stage, and really, if the drummer just lets me be myself and I can be me for the fans, then the drummer's doing a great job. I don't know, I have this, what's the word, 'gait?' If the drummer, like Bobby Jarzombek, he'd go, 'I just watch you and play.' Paris is doing the same thing. I'm not trying to lead the tempo or anything. I remember on the 'Supergroup' show, Jason Bonham's like, 'I'm not used to the singer conducting me.' I'm like, 'I'm not conducting you because I go like this with my arms.' [Throws fist in the air] He thought I was showing him the tempo. I'm not doing that. I watched James Brown videos, and he walks up there, and he rules the stage. He's not telling people what to do, but he's James Brown, and people play along with him. I'm not trying to conduct Jason Bonham. That's a long time ago. But my son understands that there's a whole vibe and energy. I bring to the stage a vibe I don't see many other frontmen bring. It's a fun vibe. It's very much, and you have to give him credit, early VAN HALEN, David Lee Roth, the fun aspect of what I do, I think, is lacking in rock: The humor, the fun side of it. When I get up there on the stage, and I look out in the crowd, everybody is smiling and laughing and having fun. That's why I'm there. That's why the crowd is there."

Blabbermouth: Where are you with the setlist? You have a new album that's popped out a bunch of singles, as well as "Give 'Em Hell" and "Kicking And Screaming", then the SKID ROW songs.

Sebastian: "I'm very lucky that my new songs fit in perfectly with the old songs. Most bands will tell you that when they do a new song, half the crowd goes to the bar and gets a beer or goes to the bathroom. That's the cliché. I can guarantee you that when you do the song, 'What Do I Got To Lose?', nobody is going to the bathroom or getting beer. They're into it just as much as the other songs. I'm not plugging the new record. I'm playing the set, and it just so happens that four or five of the songs from the new album fit great live, especially 'What Do I Got To Lose?' Everybody is into it. You mentioned 'Hard Darkness', I just told the band, 'Let's learn the song.' It's stuck in my head, and I think it would be really heavy. I want to see if I'm right or not. Doing a song on record is not the same as doing it live. Some of them really work, some of them are better on the album, but we're going to try 'Hard Darkness'."

Blabbermouth: What's your take on your countrymen, TRIUMPH, coming back?

Sebastian: "I can't believe how rock and roll has such a life of its own. It's unbelievable how passionate people are about music. Nobody could have predicted that TRIUMPH would be going on tour in arenas. In America! I mean, I read all the reports, and I guess they're selling a shitload of tickets. They're adding second nights in Boston and moving up their venue in Chicago. It's incredible. What an inspiration. I've always been a huge TRIUMPH fanatic since I was a little kid. I love TRIUMPH, and I was fortunate enough to be on the TRIUMPH tribute record [2025's 'Magic Power: All-Star Tribute To Triumph']. I always hear interviews saying, 'Nobody can sing Rik Emmett's material.' 'Well, I did. I opened the record singing the first TRIUMPH song on the first TRIUMPH album, '24 Hours A Day'. But I should say that it came out different on the record than I had planned because the song '24 Hours A Day', if you listen to it, starts with that angelic intro, then it goes into a hard section. They wanted me to do 'Rock & Roll Machine', which I love, but it was my idea to start with the intro to '24 Hours A Day' and go right into 'Rock & Roll Machine', like one song, but they made it two different songs. I don't know why that happened, but maybe it was a publishing thing or something. I don't know. I love both of those songs. And the fact that we made that tribute album and there was all this hype, and then the very next thing they do is announce a reunion tour. I mean, that's amazing. Like, right on, TRIUMPH. As a Canadian, the 'Trailer Park Boys' have a hilarious episode where they put forth the premise that TRIUMPH is really just RUSH on weekends, having a party. 'It's RUSH getting fucked up on a Saturday night.'"

Blabbermouth: If schedules align, would you hop on stage with them?

Sebastian: "Absolutely. I would. I've always been a real fan of rock, and I don't care what's hip or popular that day or whatever. I remember in the early '90s, Dee Snider [TWISTED SISTER] was pretty much out of the music business. He was very depressed, and he was very down. I mean, you can read his book. He had a DoorDash delivery kind of thing going on his bicycle. That's how low he got. I love TWISTED SISTER. I would say in Hit Parader magazine how much I love Dee Snider and TWISTED SISTER. He got hold of me and said that meant a lot to me. I remember seeing him at a party thrown by the manager, Mark Puma, out in Long Island, and Dee was so down. I went up to him and said, 'Fuck this.' He was in WIDOWMAKER at the time, and I said, 'Give me that tape.' He gave me the WIDOWMAKER tape, and I, myself, called up people at Atlantic Records. Andy Secher from Hit Parader, other people in the industry, and I shopped the WIDOWMAKER project around because I love Dee. Now, Dee is doing incredible again. Like, KISS did that for me. KISS knows how much I love KISS. They made me direct support on the KISS Vegas thing, going on right in front of them, which was really nice. I hung out with Gene [Simmons] before the show and talked. The ultimate example of that is PANTERA. SKID ROW, we took PANTERA on their first arena tour of America back in '92. And then in '97, I'm out of SKID ROW, trying to have a solo band [THE LAST HARD MEN], and I was playing some little dump in Pittsburgh, some little club [Graffiti]. Somebody goes, 'Hey, dude. Vinnie Paul is here.' I go, 'Get out of here. He is not.' They go, 'Yes, he is. He's ready to party.' Vinnie comes back and goes, 'Hey.' He's here drinking and everything. At the end of the show, he jumps on the stage during 'Cold Gin' [KISS] and Vinnie grabs my mic and goes, 'Hey, man. We're going to take this motherfucker on the road with us across America.' I go, 'No, you're not.' I thought it was drunk talk. Vinnie's being Vinnie. That was the last night of our run. That night, after Pittsburgh, we got in the bus, or, I think, we had an RV. We drove back to Jersey, and when I got home, I heard my fax machine go off. My fax machine was spitting out tour dates: 'PANTERA with special guest Sebastian Bach'. I go, 'Get the fuck out of here. There's no way.' They did not have to do that at all. Like, take me? Into arenas in the year 1997? Just me? Not even SKID ROW? Just me? Then we did a three-week tour of arenas. You can't beat that. How did we end up talking about this?"

Blabbermouth: We were talking about TRIUMPH, but perhaps there's a theme here of paying it forward.

Sebastian: "It's about seniority. It is. It's about paying respect to the rockers that came before you and made you who you are. TRIUMPH, a hundred percent, made me who I am, along with other bands. I would lock myself in my room and sing 'Fight The Good Fight' and 'Lay It On The Line'. Those vocals are outstanding. Gil Moore, too. Both of them. The songs are outstanding. I'm a lifelong TRIUMPH fan."

Blabbermouth: Do you have another studio album in you? Would you do it again?

Sebastian: "A hundred percent. You've got to remember: We made 'Child Within The Man' during the pandemic. I don't know what to tell everyone. I can't do that if I'm doing 91 cities per year. In 2024, we played in 91 cities. Not four cities. Ninety-one. So, the people have to understand that 'Child Within The Man' was made when I was doing no shows at all. We lived at Elvis's house. Like, we lived there. I was there for at least a month. Maybe more. That's a lot of introspection and a lot of time. [Sighs] Rock and roll always reinvents itself, and right now, it's about the live concert experience. I'm positive this is because we, as human beings, spend all our time staring at our phones and computer screens. A live show is like a primal human being. A need for all of us to come together and put our fists in the air and singalong with our friends and family. That's a primal thing. To me, computers have become such a big part of our lives that concerts are now the yin and yang of that. I'm just telling you: This planet Earth has claimed me to play shows. That's what I'm doing. I want to make another record. That's not something I take lightly. That's something that's very heavy to me, and I also really want to do a Christmas album sometime. I've always wanted to record a traditional Christmas choir album where I handle all the harmonies. That's something I have to do at some point."