SKID ROW To Release 'Thickskin' In July

SKID ROW have set a July 22 release date through Skid Row Records for their new album, "Thickskin".

" 'Thickskin' has been two years in the making. We're very excited about this, especially since it's the first SKID ROW record for [singer] Johnny [Solinger] and [drummer] Phil [Varone]," said bassist Rachel Bolan. "It took a long time to record due to the fact that we had to do it in short bursts because we were touring a lot the past several years. We were on the road with KISS and then we did the Rock Never Stops tour last summer.

"We were writing while we were on the road, and then when there was a tour break we'd write some more and then record. It required a lot of hard work. It was kind of like learning to drive in the middle of a demolition derby!"

SKID ROW kept working on the new songs that the songwriting core of Bolan and guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo composed, and even debuted some of them live.

The complete track listing for "Thickskin" is as follows:

01. New Generation
02. Ghost
03. Swallow Me (The Real You)
04. Born A Beggar
05. Thick Is The Skin (MP3)
06. See You Around
07. Mouth Of Voodoo
08. One Light
09. I Remember You Two
10. Lamb
11. Down From Underground
12. Hittin' A Wall

'Thickskin' is a vicious, aggressive album with a contemporary vibe, yet it maintains the killer melodic hooks that made earlier albums like "Skid Row" and "Slave to the Grind" and their songs "Youth Gone Wild", "I Remember You", "18 and Life" and "Monkey Business" all monster hits.

"We didn't consciously strive for a modern sound, nor did we intentionally try to copy what we've done in the past," Bolan explained. " 'Thickskin' turned out naturally. We still listen to everything just like we always have — whatever's new out there and the old albums by our favorite bands that influenced us in the first place."

Two years in the life of SKID ROW are chronicled in the DVD "Under the Skin — The Making of Thickskin". It's scheduled for release in June and it will give fans a tantalizing taste of "Thickskin".

"A friend of ours named Fabio Jafet worked for CBS News and won a lot of Emmys and he had the idea about making a documentary," said Bolan. "He covered everything from when Johnny joined the band, to the KISS tour, to the making of 'Thickskin'. He shot 40 hours of tape over two years and condensed it for a one-hour DVD. He was around quite a bit, but after awhile you forgot he was there.

"On this DVD you get interviews and some previews of the 'Thickskin' CD as well as footage of us in the studio. In a way, it ends up kind of like a music video. There is a lot of great bonus footage too. It shows us out of our musical environment."

Upcoming SKID ROW tour dates with POISON and VINCE NEIL:

Jun. 03 - Toronto, ON, CAN @ Molson Amphitheatre
Jun. 04 - Darien Lake, NY @ Darien Lake PAC
Jun. 06 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
Jun. 07 - Maryland Heights, MO @ UMB Bank Pavilion
Jun. 08 - Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
Jun. 10 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
Jun. 11 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Theatre
Jun. 12 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance (SKID ROW only)
Jun. 13 - Wantagh, NY @ Tommy Hilfiger/Jones Beach
Jun. 14 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Jun. 15 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center
Jun. 17 - Toledo, OH @ Promenade Stage Park
Jun. 20 - Columbus, NE @ Twister Bar (SKID ROW only)
Jun. 21 - Sioux City, IA @ Sioux City Auditorium
Jun. 24 - Casper, WY @ Casper Events Center Arena
Jun. 26 - Boise, ID @ Big Easy Concert House
Jun. 27 - Idaho Falls, ID @ Sandy Downs
Jun. 28 - Missoula, MT @ Western Montana Fair
Jul. 03 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
Jul. 05 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel - The Joint
Jul. 06 - Santa Clara, CA @ Redwood Amphitheatre
Jul. 11 - Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
Jul. 12 - Englewood, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
Jul. 16 - Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete St. Amphitheatre
Jul. 18 - Beaumont, TX @ SETEC Amphitheatre
Jul. 19 - Spring, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
Jul. 20 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center
Jul. 24 - LaCrosse, WI @ Rockin' The Ridge
Jul. 25 - Dubuque, IA @ Dubuque County Fair
Jul. 26 - Goddard, KS @ Wheatland Jam