SKID ROW's RACHEL BOLAN On COVID-19 Pandemic: 'This Is A Real Thing And It's Freakin' Scary And Needs To Be Taken Seriously'

During an appearance Monday (July 13) on "Coffee Talk With Adika Live", SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan, who lives in Nashville, was asked if the residents of Tennessee are taking the coronavirus seriously. He responded (see video below): "Finally, yeah. They weren't. There was no mandated safety anywhere. I still think things are a little too lax here, but you finally have to wear masks when you go into stores. And the restaurants have paper menus, limited seating.

"We went to a restaurant for the first time since this all happened about two and a half weeks ago," he continued. "And it was really bizarre. We had to wait outside because there was 10 people already in there, and we went in with our masks. The menus were paper that got thrown out after we used them. The waiter had a mask and gloves on. And it felt safe. It was weird, but it felt safe. And so far, so good.

"My girlfriend's a nurse; she's a hospice nurse," Bolan added. "She has to go into facilities that have COVID wings and stuff like that. So for anybody who thinks that this isn't real, it's real. And we get the real numbers just about a few times a day through the American Nurses Association. And it's a real thing. And it's real scary."

Bolan also talked about how the touring industry might be changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said: "It's not gonna be a quick fix by any means. Because that's our business — you play in front of a bunch of people that are yelling and exhaling with force and whatever. And you meet people and you hang out with people and you come in contact with a lot of people — not just the band; all the people there. And there's no quick fix to it.

"All of our shows this year got pushed to 2021," he revealed. "And now our China shows, which were supposed to be in March of this year, and got pushed to March 2021, have been pushed to March of 2022. So I don't know which direction that's gonna go.

"We all need to really take it serious and take part of it," Rachel said. "I'm probably gonna hear so much shit for this, but this is not a political move — this is a real thing — and it's freakin' scary and needs to be taken seriously.

"I posted a picture of my mask, my N95, and some guy just put an emoji of a sheep up there. And I was just, like, 'Nah.' I'm not sheep. I'm not doing it for any other reason than to protect myself and to protect the people around me. 'Cause it's scary, man — it's a scary thing — and it can be dealt with, from everything I've read. And I don't mean just Googling someone — not the Internet School Of Medicine. I mean the real numbers that we get here.

"We've just gotta follow the rules for a little while. I remember people freaking out when they had to wear seatbelts. But everyone got over it. And it probably saved their lives more than once.

"To go into a Shoprite or a Kroger with a mask on for 25 minutes isn't gonna kill you, but not doing it might."

Last December, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo confirmed to Paul Anthony of Planet Rock that the band is putting the finishing touches on the final chapter of the "United World Rebellion" trilogy, which will tentatively be released in 2020. The disc was tracked at a Nashville, Tennessee studio with producer Michael Wagener, who also helmed the group's 1989 self-titled debut and 1991's "Slave To The Grind".

SKID ROW's new disc will mark its first release with South African-born, British-based vocalist ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I),who joined the band in 2016 following the departure of Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER).

SKID ROW's new album, which will be made available through Australia's Golden Robot Records, will feature collaborations with several outside songwriters, including Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) and Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of HALESTORM, a group that covered the title track of "Slave To The Grind" on its "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP" in 2011. SKID ROW also worked with songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow.

Unlike 2014's "Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion: Chapter Two" and 2013's "United World Rebellion: Chapter One", SKID ROW's forthcoming release will be a full-length record.