Sebastian Bach is probably best known as the lead singer of the band Skid Row a band that were catapulted to success during the age of videos on MTV with such classic songs/videos as “18 and Life”, “I Remember You” and “Monkey Business”. Bach left the group in 1996 and went on to appear on a number of television shows and enjoyed several successful stints on Broadway in plays like “Jekyll & Hyde”. Along with his other ventures Bach has continued to record and release solo albums with the latest being titled “Give’ Em Hell”. Media Mikes spoke with Sebastian recently about the album and if he plans to someday return to Broadway.
Adam Lawton: Can you give us a little info on the new album?
Sebastian Bach: I started working on the album about a year ago. I had quite a few of my friends help out and be a part of as well. I have Duff Mckagan on there along with John 5 and Steve Stephens. The album I think came out really cool. I also did videos for the songs “Temptation”, “All My Friends Are Dead” and “Taking Back Tomorrow” which I think all turned out great.
AL: Is the material on this album older material you have been holding on to or is it all brand new and how did you go about choosing the guests who appear?
SB: This is all brand new stuff that I put together. When it came to picking out musicians I just went and asked my friends if they would be interested in playing. John 5 actually did a song on “Kicking and Screaming” which was my previous solo release. He was an obvious choice to ask again.
AL: What are your tour plans for the release and who will you be bringing out with you as part of your band?
SB: This time around I’m going to have Jeff George and Johnny Chromatic on guitars, Bobby Jarzombek on drums and Jason Christopher on bass. We are always adding more shows so people can check out www.sebastianbach.com for a full list of those.
AL: Can you explain a little more about your recent statement regarding Facebook likes and how they relate to album sales?
SB: When you are doing interviews it can be similar to walking in a mine field. You never know what people are going to respond to or make a big deal out of. I was never talking about my album. I was talking about how the number of “Likes” you have on your Facebook is really a meaningless number. I’m not really sure what Facebook totally is as it’s not very meaningful to my career. (Laughs) I never complained about fans not buying my record but I was more wondering why they were on my page.
AL: What is it that keeps you writing and recording new music when a lot of bands from when you first broke on the scene have been content playing their back catalogs and not recording anymore?
SB: I am a big fan of music. Music is what I like so that is what I want to keep doing. It’s that simple.
AL: Do you think we will see you returning to musicals and television anytime soon?
SB: I have a new television shows premiering on ABC called “Sing Your Face Off”. That will debut on May 31st 9pm. As for Broadway that is definitely something I want to do more of. I have actually been talking to a number of people lately about getting back in to some productions but nothing has been totally locked in yet.
AL: When you first started appearing on Broadway did you notice a big difference in how you performed as compared to when you are on stage with as band?
SB: It quite a bit different. For one thing you don’t have the band up there with you which makes the stage quite a bit different. Each production is very different so you have to be very prepared for each performance.