Skid Row with Rachel Bolan in the center.

 

Skid Row have are on the verge of issuing their new album entitled Revolutions Per Minute, their best album since Slave to the Grind. It’s a ballad free effort with no filler, Skid Row mix it up quite a bit on this record offering the fans, everything from straight out punk rock to hard rock to what Rachel Bolan calls “Cow-Punk.â€�  Revolutions Per Minute is an unbelievable listening experience watch for it on SPV USA October 24^th, 2006. I recently had a chance to speak with bassist, founding member and mastermind Rachel Bolan; we talked about singer Johnny Solinger, Sebastian Bach, which wasn’t mentioned by name, their upcoming tour with Nashville Pussy and King’s X and more. Enjoy.

 

 

Ruben Mosqueda for Pivotal Rage: Rachel how are you? It’s great to get a chance to talk to you. Listen, I got a copy of the album from Tara @ SPV and I have to say that it’s a great record, you really mix it up on this one.

 

Rachel Bolan: Thanks we really tried to make a great album.

 

Why the delay in between albums? Thickskin came out in 2003 that’s a long stretch, at least it seemed like it to the fans.

 

There were two things, we started recording about a year and a half ago Snake’s mother passed away and we need to take time with that. Then Snake developed carpel tunnel in his left arm so he went through a lot rehab before he got well. That’s like a guitarist’s worst nightmare. That’s really what the main reason was. We wanted to make sure Snake’s head was in the game so we could put out the best possible record. Everything happens for a reason and you know we’re real proud of what we have here.

 

Johnny Solinger joined when, I know you guys toured with KISS on the never ending farewell tour in 2000 right? While I didn’t see that KISS tour, I know people that did and they were blown away by Johnny’s stage presence.

 

Yeah, he came on board in 1999, so he’s been here for seven years at this point. Which means he’s been in the band longer than our old singer (Note: Sebastian Bach, stay tuned there will be more on him shortly). So he’s been here a while (laughs).

 

I was gonna say, it seems like he’s been in the band just as long if not longer.

 

Well we did three full length albums with our old singer and this is our second with Johnny.

 

As you mentioned you’ll be touring with Nashville Pussy, King’s X this fall, which is an eclectic bunch, from a southern-core rock band to progressive funk rock to Skid Row which is a rock, punk influenced band. When will the tour kicking off and how did you get them on board?

 

Right the tour kicks off on Halloween night. That’s the whole idea of came about when we went to see King’s X while recording R.P.M., we have knows those guys forever and we’ve always been friends with them. And it just by chance we were hangin’ out on their tour bus and we mentioned “You guys should come out on the road with us,â€� it was kind of jokingly at first, then they said “yeah! We’ll go out on the road with your guys.â€�  When we started to put the tour together they came on board and we started thinking, let get bands that are different from each other, so it’s not like you’re hearing the same band three times you. Get some of the fans to open their minds, you described the bill perfectly, there’s punk rock, hard rock, progressive rock and hard core. We were set on if we’re gonna tour we might as well expand people’s minds and make it entertaining.

 

Did you take a different approach with Revolutions Per Minute than on Thickskin? I wasn’t a big fan of the last album, maybe you needed to cut ties with Michael Wagener? I like the refreshing vibe of R.P.M it’s Skid Row but it’s a “fun� Skid Row, kind of like the B-Sides Ourselves E.P. You following me?

 

Without a doubt we wanted to do something different, we love Michael Wagener, we needed to make a change. We needed not to worry about anything. This time we didn’t worry about radio playing us and we just started writing. And you’re right we wanted this album to be fun and I think you can hear it on here.

 

I know you covered “I Remember You� on the last record, which I think was one of the better moments on that record.

 

We modernized it and gave it an edge which it didn’t have before.

 

I love the R.P.M. record as I said before there are so many great songs on there “Another Dick in the System,â€� “When God Can’t Wait,â€� “Shut Baby, I Love You,â€�  “Nothingâ€� and “You Lie.â€� Just in the tracks mentioned we go from hard rock, to punk, to metal to country punk-a-billy. Were you guys afraid of taking so many risks?

 

Absolutely, we had an idea behind the record. It was to write what we liked, there are no ballads on here and let’s just write what we like.

 

How much of an influence did you have on this album, you’re like the punk rock guy of the band? How much was that you putting your stamp on certain tracks?

 

You know I wrote the bulk of the songs, Snake and I wrote two songs, Scotti and I wrote a song, we covered a song (The Alarm’s “Strength�) and I wrote the rest of the songs myself. So that was where my influence some in, but I have to say that it’s truly not a Skid Row song until everyone puts their feel to it. Like with the country song, we like to call it “cow-punk.� When I wrote that I was sitting around listening to a friend telling me how he caught his wife in bed with another guy, I say “okay� the next day I picked up an acoustic guitar and began to write a song around the story. I expanded on it of course but that’s how that happened.

 

And I think “You Lie� by no means comes off as a trend country cash grab, I mean after all you do have a native Texan singing?!

 

When I brought that song to the band, I was a little nervous, I was afraid they would think I completely lost my fucking minds (laughs)!

I played it and Johnny, Snake and Scotti looked at each other and I thought “oh, oh here we go.� They looked at me and they said “we fucking love it!� We have been together for 20 years, Johnny’s been here for close to that and there’s times when I still get a little nervous about some ideas, but they were all behind it. It got everyone off, it was really cool.

 

I can hear “Nothing� being played on the radio right now, it’s catchy, current, enough hook without sounding overly commercial.

 

Right that might get some air play who knows? We’ll have to talk to the label about that one. Like our drummer says, when he hears “Nothing� he just wants to get in his car and cruise down the highway, smoking a cigarette driving with one hand.

 

Yeah, all the elements of a hit song on featured on “Nothing� great chorus, great riffs, melodic vocal, it’s in there. What’s your favorite track on Revolutions Per Minute?

 

Man, “If God Can’t Wait,� is a great one, “Nothing,� and “Another Dick in the System,� is a great one, but If I had a gun to my head I would have to say “If God Can’t Wait.�

 

Were there any songs that took a while to get right in the studio?

 

We messed around with key changes on the song “Nothing� we thought it sounded maybe too poppy and that was really it. I said let’s fuck around with it. We dropped it a couple key and that was it. It kind of reminds me a little bit of old Van Halen, like what they did with some of their songs that sounded sugar coated, they’d drop it a few keys. That’s really the only song we had to play around with a little bit.

 

What’s behind the title of the album?

 

Well the obvious, Revolutions Per Minute, the more revolutions there are the faster you’re going. I think really it sums up the fact that there are no ballads on this record. And the fact that a revolution is an abrupt change, that each song is a complete change from the song before it. So it kind of had a second meaning without really knowing it.

 

No ballads not a bad thing, but previously you have been known for the ballads and they were hits on other records. How hard was it for you guys to get away from that?

 

No at all. We were dead set on making a heavier, more aggressive record that we never even thought about it. It didn’t even occur to us.

We just wanted to make a record that you’d want to listen to while hanging out with your friends and have fun.

 

You’re kicking off the tour on Halloween, any thoughts on what will be in the setlist?

 

That’s become quite the topic of discussion lately, with R.P.M. it’s like what songs aren’t we gonna do, because we’d love to do the entire thing but we know people need to hear some of our standards. We’re gonna change it around a lot, I’m thinking three to four different sets, just to keep it fresh. We have started to build quite a catalog, and we don’t want to leave out something you know. At the saem time I’d like to have a decent number of new stuff on there, “If God Can’t Wait� will make it I’m sure, we’ve run that live a number of times and it’s gone well.

 

So your favorite track is gonna make it?

 

Yeah! (laughing)

 

You mentioned you didn’t know exactly what the label would be pushing in the way of songs. Is there a chance you guys will be shooting a video? There are more opportunities for music video spins these days

 

 Sure, well shoot one, but we’re kinda waiting to see what the label will be releasing as a single. Like you said, there are some outlets that will play us. VH-1 Classic is sponsoring the tour as is Gibson Guitars so there is some interest. Then there’s MTV2 and Fuse, there will likely be one, we just don’t know right now.

 

What does Johnny bring to the table that the other singer didn’t?

 

Musically Johnny has better range, he’s more powerful and it’s just…

Well, everything just gels a lot better, let’s put it that way. There’s no conflict, everyone now, is very open minded. Those are the biggest differences, musically Johnny approaches songs differently, he’s not worried about impressing people, and he’s got a soulful, natural voice.

 

Is it at all like the Hagar vs. Roth thing? I mean like Roth was more of the show man and Hagar was the blue collar no frills guy.

 

Right, right, like I always say there’s plenty of rock ‘n’ roll for everyone. Unfortunately our old singer tries to take shots at us every chance he gets, it’s like having mosquito in the room, and it eventually goes away. He should do what he does, because we just do what we do.

 

Did you get a chance to catch VH-1’s “Supergroup?� What did you think of the show(reality show that featured former singer Sebastian Bach)?

 

(laughs) Yeah, I saw some of it. (laughs)

 

Not to put you on the spot but what did you think?

 

Well, I felt bad for the other guys (Jason Bonham, Ted Nugent, Scott Ian and Even Seinfeld), I was like I’ve never seen four guys so miserable in my life. Then I said “oh, yes I have!� (laughs)

 

Is Johnny Solinger Bach minus the rock star ego?

 

Not excatly, he’s a team player and unselfish for one. He’s just a great addition to the band.

 

What’s some new artists that you’ve been listing to? And what’s some classic material that you grooving on lately?

 

I have listening to a lot of My Chemical Romance their last record Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and also Damone’s record, which I absolutely love. And oldie that I always pick up in The Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bullocks record. That’s a classic.

 

Do you think Skid Row has another Slave to the Grind in them?

 

I'm sure we do, there’s no telling what we are gonna do. I don’t want to have it planned out, if comes out of us then it comes out of us. We still have it in us for sure.

 

Anything you’d like to say to your fans or new fans that are reading this on Pivotal Rage?

 

Well to the old fans; thanks you for sticking around this long and thanks you to the new fans that have been coming out to the shows. Thanks for making us cool again.

 

With that I thank you Rachel for taking time to answer a few questions, see you on tour.

 

Thanks man, take care.

 

A Pivotal Thanks to Tara Buzzell @ SPV USA for coordinating this interview, you rule.