SKID ROW's RACHEL BOLAN Once Again Rules Out Reunion With SEBASTIAN BACH: 'It's Not Gonna Happen'

During a June 17 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan spoke about the band's recently launched first-of-its-kind partnership with USA company Sweetwater, the world's leading online retailer of musical instruments and pro-audio equipment, to search worldwide for SKID ROW's next lead vocalist. The collaboration invites singers from around the world to audition for the opportunity to front one of rock's most enduring and respected acts. Asked where the SKID ROW vocalist search stands at the moment, Bolan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the campaign we did with Sweetwater Music was overwhelming, to say the least, and we've gone through the video submissions, about close to 400. And there's a lot of really talented people out there, a lot of great singers. We've also been outside of that — friends from bands may have seen someone while they were on the road or whatnot, and we check everybody out. So what we do is once we see or hear — we get a batch together, like four or five people, and we'll bring them into New Jersey, and we'll get in a rehearsal room and check 'em out live. 'Cause it's cool when you hear them in a studio situation, but it's a studio situation, so everything is nice and got a lot of takes and stuff. So, that's the point we're at again. We've done that three or four times so far, so we're at that point right now again where we're gonna bring a few guys into Jersey, get into a room and see what they got."

Asked what his response is to the people who continue to call for SKID ROW to reunite with the band's former singer Sebastian Bach, Rachel said: "It is what it is. People could like us or they could not like us. I really don't give a shit. I want people to be at our shows. We've been doing fine. We've been doing great. And the last singer we had, Erik [Grönwall], we got thrown a curveball, because of his health. So, we're forging forward, and we want to do things our way, and that's what we're doing."

Bolan continued: "I don't really get it, the reunion thing [with Sebastian] much more, unless we have to look for a singer, and then some people, like the keyboard warriors, tell me exactly what I should be doing. And then, 'One tour and then call it a day and quit because you suck.' [Laughs] It's just, like, yeah, but I wake up and I'm still in SKID ROW. What do you do? [Laughs] You know what I mean? So it's just like a non-issue for us anymore."

Circling back to the prospect of a SKID ROW reunion with Bach, Bolan said simply: "It's not gonna happen."

As for when he hopes SKID ROW will return to touring and recording activity, Rachel said: "We have the luxury of time. Last time [we were looking for a new singer] we were in the middle of doing a record and had a decent amount of tour booked. The time before that, I think we had a tour booked. The four of us promised each other, okay, we're going to take our time. Now, for SKID ROW, two years for me personally — two years is a long time for anybody, but for SKID ROW, we put out albums every eight years. We're just taking our time, and we're going through every single person that submits something, and we're listening to it. And like I said, soon we're gonna get into a room, a rehearsal situation, and try a few more people out and see what happens… We have time, and we're not in any rush, and that's what afforded me the time to put out a solo record. And it is what it is."

Grönwall, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, announced his departure from SKID ROW in March 2024, saying that it had become increasingly "difficult to prioritize" his health and full recovery as the lead singer of the group.

HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale played four shows as the guest frontwoman of SKID ROW in the spring of 2024.

Erik was SKID ROW's fourth frontman since Sebastian Bach's departure.

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February 2022 and was replaced by Grönwall, who was previously a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T.

Six years ago, Bolan confirmed that he and his bandmates "were entertaining the idea" of reuniting with Bach following Harnell's departure. But Rachel shot down the possibility of a rekindling of his friendship with Sebastian, explaining: "Well… Here's the soundbite for Blabbermouth. I wouldn't say we were friends [when we were in a band together]. We were bandmates. You know what I mean? We're two very different people." Bolan added that he hadn't seen Bach "in years."

Seven years ago, Bach was asked by Rolling Stone what it would take for SKID ROW to be reunited. He responded: "It would take those guys to realize that I have a lifetime manager. His name is Rick Sales. I've been with him since 2006. They don't want to deal with a guy like that. They want to give some singer who doesn't have a manager $700 to $800 bucks a week. I've got a team that's worked with me and don't allow me to get fucked around. I didn't have that team when I was 19 years old."

In response to Bach's statements about the earnings of SKID ROW's singer, Sabo told Rolling Stone in an e-mail: "I guess fact-checking isn't in his skill set… The five of us go on that stage as a band and we all get paid equally. We're in this together. There's no egos."

Sebastian went on to say that SKID ROW was "close to reuniting, but then it didn't happen. The fact that it didn't happen obviously makes me somewhat bitter, because life is only getting shorter, as the song says," he added.

"I wouldn't say 'came close,'" Bolan told Rolling Stone in an e-mail response to Bach's account of the reunion talks. "We entertained the idea. Snake and I went as far as talking with agents and promoters about money. But we quickly learned after a few text conversations, why we fired him in the first place. Nothing is worth your happiness and peace of mind."