Skid Row (heavy metal band)

Skid Row is an American heavy metal band which became the hard rock prototypes of the late 1980s metal scene and were reasonably successful until they were eclipsed by the Seattle grunge bands in 1991. While lumped in with hair bands, partly due to their appearance and sound in the early years, Skid Row were in fact far and away heavier than just about any other band considered "hair metal". In their later years their sound was nearly thrash, resembling Laaz Rockit in sound and image. The band was named after Gary Moore's first band Skid Row.

History

Early career and mainstream success (1986-1990)

Skid Row was formed in New Jersey in 1986 by bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave "the Snake" Sabo. The pair added guitarist Scotti Hill, drummer Rob Affuso, and vocalist Sebastian Bach, who replaced original singer Matt Fallon, to the lineup by early 1987. The band began playing shows in clubs throughout eastern United States.

With the assistance of friend Jon Bon Jovi, Sabo secured a record deal for Skid Row with Atlantic. In 1989, the band released their first album, Skid Row, which was an instant success. The record went multi-platinum and produced the hit singles "18 and Life", "I Remember You", and "Youth Gone Wild."

Ironically, Bach's flamboyance and wild behavior, which played a critical role in helping to give the band its profile, also led to its ultimate downfall. The band is best known for the antics of Bach (motto: "If you think, you stink"), who tended to have "incidents" brought on by his loud, in-your-face attitude.

In what is referred to as "The Bottle Incident" by fans of the band, Bach was arrested and tried on charges of assault and battery for jumping into the crowd at a concert in Springfield, Massachusetts where Skid Row was opening for Aerosmith on December 27, 1989. Bach had been hit with a bottle (which he later threw back, hitting a bystander girl in the face), thrown onstage from the crowd, which is why he pursued the person he saw throw it. After the fight, Bach returned to the stage to finish the show, antagonizing the crowd all the while. ^* The incident was captured on video and can be seen on a tour video released by Skid Row called Oh Say Can You Scream? in 1990.

Shortly thereafter, Bach wore a t-shirt proclaiming the anti-gay slogan "AIDS Kills Fags Dead" in a magazine photo shoot. He first joked about it on MTV, then later apologized, but in a sort of mocking way stating "My grandmother had recently died of cancer, I guess I would be pissed too if I saw someone wearing a "CANCER Kills Grandmothers Dead" shirt" . In later years Bach apologised seriously for wearing the shirt, and made a substantial donation to an AIDS charity.

In the 90s and hiatus (1991-1998)

Skid Row's sophomore effort, Slave to the Grind (1991), was the first metal album to debut at Number 1 in the American charts, despite the bad publicity generated by Bach. Slave to the Grind became a big success, and Skid Row once again went out on a worldwide tour with several other famous bands, including Pantera and Guns N' Roses. Slave to the Grind was a departure for the band; where Skid Row was an album that followed the typical hair band formula, Slave to the Grind had a heavier sound, even verging on thrash with the songs "Mudkicker" and the title track. It was released in two versions, with a "Clean" version replacing the track "Get The F**k Out" with another, "Beggars Day". The album received strong critical praise, but quickly disappeared from the charts. After the tour, the band took a three year hiatus, pondering breakups.

In 1995, Skid Row returned with the new album Subhuman Race, which surprisingly charted in the top 40. The album generated a few hits, but at that point, their videos were rarely played on MTV.

Eventually, Bach's brashness grew to be too much for his bandmates, and he was kicked out in 1997. Although Skid Row never officially finished, the remaining members went on to play briefly in a band called Ozone Monday.

The new Skid Row (1999-present)

Skid Row reformed in the late 1990s with new vocalist Johnny Solinger, formerly of Solinger, and new drummer Phil Varone, formerly of Saigon Kick. Original drummer Rob Affuso had other commitments that prevented him from staying in the band at the time, but he remains friends with Bolan, Sabo and Hill. After reforming, they opened for KISS on their farewell tour, and have also played with other 1980s metal bands such as Poison. However, they have been on tour every summer. In 2002 they were part of the Rock Never Stops Tour.

Skid Row finally released their fourth album Thickskin in 2003 which is their first album to feature Solinger (as Bach's replacement) and Varone (as Affuso's replacement). It marks their first album with original material since 1995's Subhuman Race. After the release of the album Varone left the band and has been replaced by current drummer Dave Gara.

According to Skid Row's Myspace page, the band has confirmed that they are now working on their fifth album due out sometime in 2006. The album will be produced by Michael Wagener, who produced two of their critically acclaimed albums Skid Row and Slave to the Grind.

Related artists

Influenced by

Similar artists

Discography

Studio albums

Videos / DVDs

Oh Say Can You Scream, (1990)
No Frills Video, (1991)
Road Kill, (1993)
Under The Skin, (2003)

Singles and Chart Positions (US Billboard Hot 100)

"Youth Gone Wild" #99 (1989)
"18 and Life" #4 (1989)
"I Remember You" #6 (1989)
"Wasted Time" #88 (1991)

Band members

Current Members

Rachel Bolan - bass guitar
Scotti Hill - guitar (1987 - present)
Dave "The Snake" Sabo - guitar
Johnny Solinger - vocals (1999 - present)
Dave Gara - drums, (2004 - present)

Former members

Matt Fallon - vocals
Rob Affuso - drums, percussion (1987 - 1996)
Phil Varone - drums (1999 - 2004)
Sebastian Bach - vocals (1987 - 1996)
Steve Brotherton - guitar
Kurtis Jackson - Guitar
Charlie Mills - drums
Tim DiDuro - drums
Keri Kelli - guitar

External links

American musical groups | Classic metal groups | Glam metal groups | New Jersey musical groups | Rock music groups

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