April 24, 2026 • 22 mins
Skid Row's Rachel Bolan steps forward with his first-ever solo album, "Gargoyle of the Garden State," out June 12th. Rachel talks about the new record, his punk roots, status of Skid Row, memories of the St. Louis Riot with Guns N' Roses, and more!
More info:
https://www.skidrow.com/
https://www.instagram.com/officialrachelbolan/
Our website:
www.afdpod.com
More info:
https://www.skidrow.com/
https://www.instagram.com/officialrachelbolan/
Our website:
www.afdpod.com
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Their tour manager came in and he goes to me.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
He goes, get your guys, get on your bus, and
get the hell out of here. All right.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Welcome to the podcast Appetite four Distortion, Episode number five
hundred and sixty one. Welcome back to the podcast, mister
Rachel Bolin. It's been a while, about four years. How
are you, sir?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
It has been a while. I'm doing very well, man.
How about yourself.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
I don't know if you remember. I should have had
this cueued up on my Instagram, but it's the only
post on my Instagram that's pinned. It's what you said
off camera last time. I wish I had it on camera.
It's one of the nicest compliments I ever got.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Appetite for Distortion is probably the best name for a
podcast I've ever heard my life.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Did you hear that?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah, I still feel the same way when I saw it.
When I saw it on the schedule, I was like, oh, hell.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah, awesome, awesome. So last time we were talking about
the gangs all here, but right now the gang is
you and I and we kind of a solo gang
for you. A bit gargoyle of the Garden State coming
out to June twelfth. First of all, congratulations on this
new album.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Thanks man. It's a pretty exciting time for me to
be this deep into a career and put out my
first solo record. You know, it's it's been an amazing
experience just doing it, recording it with the people I
worked with, and having friends come in and join me.
(01:28):
Just making a monumental experience even that much better?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Was it always because you've said all this years into
your career, you know, like four decades of skid Row already?
Was there always a scene in the back of your
mind that you want to do a solo record or
was it just this time?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah? I always sort it would be a cool thing
to do, but never really pushed for it. You know,
I've done stuff outside of skid Row, but it was
a band. You know, this is like a full on
solo record where I wrote. I only co wrote two songs,
and that was with a couple of friends too. So
everyone that was involved, from producer to other musicians and
(02:09):
other writers were all my friends. So what better way
to do something, you know, to make something fun?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
And I always I mispronounced names a lot. You would
think I wasn't a gradio professional of twenty plus years.
But the producer Nick, who's worked with Food Fighters. His
last name, I always get Nick R. How do you
say his last name Rescue Linux, Rescue Linux, He would think,
being polish, I can get that off my time. You
would think, right, you would think, but I'm a disappointment
in a lot about other areas. But I mean he's
(02:38):
donevel Feel, Revolver and food food Fighters and that's so cool.
And you have some guest spots, of course, from your
sched Row bandmates, Scottie and and Snake. But what made you,
because you obviously have a lot of friends, make you
want to reach out to to Danko, to Nudo, Benincourt,
to the Damon Johnson, to Corey Taylor? What made them
the right guys for this rock record?
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yeah? And Rob Hammersmith played drums on the whole thing.
Oh yeah, I just it was just one of.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Those things where I was like, Wow, you know, what
would sound really good here? Anu, no solo, you know,
because I know everyone's style, and same with Snake and
Scottie and then Damon actually he played He did five
solos on the record, and he played on a lot
of the demos. The solos on the demos for those
(03:32):
particular songs. So yeah, like as far as vocalists go,
when I was doing at War with myself, I was like,
I could hear Danko's voice, like, you know, against mine.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I think would be a really cool texture to the song.
So I called him up.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
He was, of course on tour in Europe, and I'm like,
do you want to sing a song with me on
my record? He's like, yes, I'm on tour right now.
When do you need it? I said, when are you back?
And he goes, I got three or four days off
or whatever, and he went in the studio up in
Toronto and he crushed it, you know, and then sent
it to us and Nick dropped it in there, and
the same went for Nuno.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
He was I think he was.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Overseas doing the during the whole back to the beginning
Ozzie Show, and you know Corey. I flew out to Vegas,
got in the studio with Corey. He crushed it, and
Steve Kanty did his in New York, and Damon was
actually in the studio, but everyone else kind of did
(04:31):
it remotely, whether I was there or whatever.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
But I didn't. I didn't write with them in mind.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It just kind of came to me like, wow, you know,
Steve's voice would sound really good on this song. And
when I called Steve Conty he listened to it, He's like, yeah, man,
all good, let's do this works like a motherfucker, you
know what I mean. So yeah, that's it was all
very organic, and I just went to friends. There was
a couple of friends that I asked to do stuff
(04:59):
that wanted to but they had to go on the
road then, so they go it is eight months too
too far away.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
And I was like, yeah, a little bit.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
It's like having a kid. Yeah, any names you could
tell us they could be potentially on a second record,
you'd rather just leave those in the cutting room floor.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Yeah, I'll just wait just in case it doesn't happen.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Fair enough, fair enough, And I just want to mention
to do the Steve Conty track Bridges. That was for
me one of the standout tracks on thank You on
the album. Listening to and you have to have other
vocalists on there, but is there a lot of pressure
on you being a front man, being the vocalist. I
know it's a punk rock band. You're not expected to
hold the notes like you would if you were in
skid row. But how do you I guess.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I guess the only pressure is if we if we
go out on the road. I just really got to
be conscious of I don't just sing pieces of songs.
I sang all the song, now, you know what I mean.
And I just gotta learn to take care take care
of my pipes.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
And I never really had to worry about that. I
always knew when we go.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
If we were off the road for six months and
went back out, I was going to sing the wrong
way on all the backups and my throat was going
to be sore for two days.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
But I get through it. I can't.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
I can't do that anymore. I guess I don't know.
I haven't tried to get it. Yeah, it's not really pressure.
I just I just have to be smart about things.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
I guess. I talked to a bunch of vocalist buddies
of mine.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
They're like, man, you've just got to treat it nice,
you know, just don't. I don't smoke, you know, so
that that's I got that beat. But I mean, you know,
you think you think about guys like Robin Zander, who
smoked weed all day and smoked cigarettes and drink jack
and every night he sounds amazing. You know, it's like,
you know, that's that's just that's just a freaking nature
(06:46):
right there.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
The anomalies, like they say, exactly, don't smoke, but you
had George Burns. You live to be a hundred, you know,
just I know, right, the exception to the rule, except yeah,
exactly where do your punk rock boots? Go back? Go
back to who are some of your favorite bands that
you were in?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Man? Like, the first punk band I ever heard was Ramones.
You know, although I do, I do say this, and
I get a lot of flag for it.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I think to who at least they are live.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Shows back then, I think they were the first punk
rock band, but it wasn't called punk rock anyway. So
Ramones they were the first punk rock band I ever heard.
And I guess that's growing up in New Jersey, you know.
But then, you know, and then I started hearing about
the Clash and the sex Pistols, and you know, the
Dead Boys and Dead Kennedy's, and there was a band
I believe they were out of Philly called Pure Hell.
(07:38):
Those guys, and I just I just kept getting turned
on to all these different bands by friends that were
way into punk rock, you know, because I was a
kiss guy. I was like kiss, kiss, Kiss. I would
fight someone who doesn't like kiss, and then started getting
turned on by stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
When I heard the.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Ramones, I was like, ah, okay, all right, I get
it now, you know.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
And then it just kind of branched out from there.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
But if there was a if I had to pick
a genre that was my favorite genre, it's punk rock
for sure.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
And I live where the Ramones came from, Forest Hills, Queens,
so exactly. Yeah, there were moones for me me too,
of course, you know, being Jewish New Yorker and having
these guys being punk rock wall that's cool. Yeah, cool
like that. Oh yeah, not white, but I can try.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
No, I get it, man. It's like, you know it.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
The Ramones gave me this feeling like it's okay to
be different and it's okay to be a little weird.
It's like, you see, these guys are all dressed the
same in a band, and I'm like, that's pretty damn.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Cool, you know, that's that's really cool. And it's like.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
They were rock stars but the anti rock star at
the same time, you know, it's like the Ramones, Like
Ramones as a hole was the rock star, you know.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
I just love that band so much.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Sdbar, did you get a chance. I'm sure you've seen
rock and roll high school in your life, but oh
my god, I don't know. You're a little older than me. Like,
was that in theaters? Because I've only seen it online,
you know, a million times.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
But it was in theaters briefly, But I don't know
if it Like you know, I grew up in Tom's River,
New Jersey. I don't think it was in any of
the theaters here. I think it was at a drive
in which is no longer there. But the first time
I saw it was like on videotape, you know, and
then just watch it nine million times. I have it
(09:26):
on DVD I got. I got two copies of the
album in different color vinyl.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
And watching those classical Romans concerts or any punk rock
concert you know, you watch the Decline of Western Civilization
part one. You know, for me, before tattoos and piercings
became really mainstream, which they are now, was it was
left for rockers and want to be rockers like me. No,
everyone has it, and especially piercings you've brought back and
(09:54):
it's prominent in the video. The ear to know is piercing.
So I would love to know the first day you
got that, Like, do you remember the first day, how
old you were and your reaction did you show your
mom like my mom yelled at me forgetting ear rings?
You know if you remember I do.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I I mean, I got the idea from one of
the sex Pistol's biggest.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Fans, I believe, what was her name, Kat, I think
something like that.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
I could be wrong, but so I was like, wow,
that that would be really cool one day. I want
to do that when I'm out of the house obviously, yeah, right,
so my then, yeah, I think with my then girlfriend
at the time, I was like, pierce my nose and
(10:46):
I basically froze it with an ice cube as long
as I could, and then, you know, stuck my finger
up my nose and boom, and it hurt like hell.
So but I knew the you know, after that post
came out, and this was like nineteen eighty eight, eighty seven,
and I knew once that post came out, I was
(11:07):
sticking a ring in there and I was doing that.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
So that's when it started.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
I remember when I first pierced it and no one
really had it.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I kind of wanted.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
There was a couple of reasons I wanted my nose
piers One was her I wanted the chain, but the
initial idea was from Peter Burns from Dead or Alive,
because I thought that looked so cool. What a do
with long hair and his nose pierced. I was like,
that's pretty badass. But I'll never forget.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I went.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
To see John bon Jovi at his house and I
walked in the door.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
He's like, whoa because I had the chain on. He's like,
look at rache.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
He's like, oh my god, everyone's going to be doing this.
I go, I hope so. But we were just newly signed.
If we were signed, we were probably still in the clubs.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
And he was just like, that's that's so cool. Yeah. Me,
I only have my ears, and I was living at
at my parents' house at the time. I would take
them out because my mind, you know.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Oh, I went through the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Man, He's show me Jewish mother. I even had my
tongue for a couple of months and then she's like
take it out. Otherwise we're not paying for your school.
All right, I guess that's what she sounds pretty pretty
accurate impression I had the Catholic mom.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
It's like, you know, I'd had my ears pierced, and I'd.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Wear a hat around the house before I went to school,
and then they started getting infected, so I had to
take the hat off. And one day I'm at dinner.
My mother goes take the hat off, and I was like, wow,
I'm cold. She's like, it's July. Take the hat off.
My dad goes, listen to your mother, and I'm like,
and I take it off and there's no earring in it,
but it's like just bad.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
It's all red and puffed out. Yeah, I got busted.
She was mad. When you turn eighteen, you could do
whatever you want. That type of thing.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
I feared. Who's going to be three in like a
couple of weeks his first day of schools today as
we're recording, and kind of knows what he's going to be.
Everything is so in vogue today. Yeah, I mean you
that was ballsy then, but now base tattoos everyone and
everyone's doing it. But you were a trendsetter. You were
a trendsetter. You were doing it before everybody else. Uh,
random thought, And I'm glad you brought up Kiss because
(13:20):
that was it helped me bring up the thought that
I had when I was going to talk to you,
because kiss, obviously you are going to continue air quote
if you want Avatar style. Was there ever a thought
because I don't know if this album came kind of
during this lull point with with with skid Row and
you know, the publicized looking for a lead singer with
Sweetwater and everything. I know some people might get mad
(13:43):
and me asking for this, but what if you did
have like an AI singer, like it was a combination
like a gorilla's like with an Avatar. I know is
you might pooh pooh it.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
But it was just I couldn't good conscious go out
and do that, Like we don't even use these backup tracks.
Were still one of those bands that don't even use
backup tracks. So if we sing like shit, we sing
like shit. You know, It's it's just one of those things.
I couldn't. I am so anti AI music, you know,
(14:19):
it's just until they get a rein it in a
little bit. But I couldn't go out with a fake singer.
I need to have that real connection with who's ever there?
You know?
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Yeah, no, right on again. It was just a thought
because I know you're such a kiss man. You brought
them up and what they're doing and trying to change
it and what the gorillas are doing. It was just
a thought. But yeah, yeah, I mean I think hardcore
skidro fans I don't think would want that.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
So I don't think so either.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah, you gave the the response people people want. And
I know that if there was any sort of announcement
it would happen. You wouldn't be breaking news on this
podcast as far as like a I assume right now
that would be an official announcement.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
We're we're we got our eyes on a few guys,
but we're taking our time, you know.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And we've had a ton of submissions.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
We've had like three hundred submissions through sweet Water and
then a bunch outside we've met with or had them
send their submission outside of the whole Sweetwater thing.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And yeah, we got our eyes on a few people.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Cool. Cool?
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Was it?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Was it?
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Overthinking with like this solo album was always something that
you were going to do during this time parod you
think or just because you haven't been able to move
forward completely with skid Row yet that this was the
right time.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
It kind of started as a conversation with Nick because
we used to live right down the street from each
other and we were hanging out and he goes, man,
you should do a solo record, and I go, well,
I definitely have the time.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
I go, I have a bunch of songs, and I
played in some of the songs. He goes, this is
this is you? Like, this is you?
Speaker 2 (15:59):
This is what I the guy that I know, the
guy that I'm friends with, and so at that time,
I was like, maybe your music would like to do it.
So my manager called them and they were into it,
and they're a great label. It's like they put their
faith in me.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
And it blew my mind. So I was like, okay, cool,
and Nick's like, all right, well, you got to start
writing some more songs, and I was like, I got
a bunch more.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
And I kept writing and writing and I'd send him
some and he'd be like it's okay, and I was like, yeah,
I kind of thought the same thing. But I kept
writing until the last song I sent to Rob Hammersmith
to learn was the night before I left for Nashville
to start recording the record. So and Nick, you know,
(16:49):
I put my trust in him because sometimes you get
too close to him, you know, and it's like, yeah,
I know, I like it, what do you think? And
I trust his judgment a lot. So we ended up
with all the songs and then just got started. But
it's something that just I've always wanted to do, but
I never really you know, I don't think I found
the time to do it. I think the time found me,
(17:12):
you know, and said, Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
You're doing it now.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
So yeah, they kind of it kind of parallels in
a way, and here will be my pivot and I
only have you for a few more minutes. Like Dizzy
read from Guns and Roses has put out a couple
of solo albums in the last few years, and that
was he's been a musician for a long time and
this was the time found him.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Yeah, exactly him.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
So last time you were on, you told a great
story about how Isy Strathlin was chatting you up about
motorbikes and stuff, and that was more time to he
spent talking to any of the Guns of Roses guys.
He found out from Duff. People want to go back
and listen to that that episode you told us about, uh,
Saturday Night Live. Uh. Any other g n R stories
(17:54):
from that time period that you're you're able to share.
I know some stuff that you may not want to
share during the infamous period. I don't know if we
did speak, because I did speak to Scotty and I
just speak the snake about the riot and their perspective.
I don't know if I did with you.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
No, I don't think you did. That was crazy.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Because we, you know, we were watching and I had
we had a meet and greet, so we went into
our meet and greet area. It was like a patio
whatever at the Amphitheater and we were in there talking
and stuff, and we noticed the music stop. But that
(18:34):
wasn't really something that was rare, you know what I mean.
So we heard the music stop, it was like, wow,
it's been stopped for a long time. And we were
far enough away where we couldn't tell what was going on.
And then their tour manager came in and he goes
to me, He goes, get your guys, get on your
(18:55):
bus and get the hell out of here. And I'm like,
that's it. Thrown off the tour. That's the first thing
I thought, I was like, we're throwing off the tour?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Who did what?
Speaker 2 (19:04):
You know?
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And so we're all kind of He's like now, like now,
go now.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
And so we go out into the dressing room and
all of our stuff is already packed and we're like okay,
and the bus is running and turned around, and so
we get on the bus and we're heading out and
as we're getting out, it's just like one police cruiser
after another going in. I'm like, okay, we're not kicked
(19:33):
off the tour. Something happened, and you know, there's no
we didn't have cell phones and stuff. So we're just
driving and I look out the front window. I was
sitting in the jump seat next to our driver and
I look out the front window.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
And I go, hey, is that is he bus?
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Because is he didn't fly with everyone? I goes, that
is his bus, and he goes, yeah it is. He
goes something went down at the show. We're not sure
exactly what it was. It's like, okay, so we drove.
Where'd we drive to?
Speaker 1 (20:05):
I think that happened Saint Louis.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
I think we drove to Chicago and we got in
early in the morning and I clicked the TV on
and it was CNN and it just shows like a
map of Missouri and says Saint Louis with the thing
that looks like an explosion, like a cartoon explosion star.
You know what I'm saying. It's and Riot at rock
(20:30):
concert And I'm like, whoa, we just played, we just
played Saint Louis.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
But that's weird.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
It's like.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
And it's showing and I'm like, wait a minute, what what?
Speaker 2 (20:42):
What? What? And yeah, so that show got canceled because
we lost our monitor board. That was the only piece
of gear that got destroyed, but so much of their
stuff got just demolished, and I'm like, what caused this?
Speaker 1 (20:56):
And then they said what it was. I was like,
not surprised, Not surprised.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
The infamous Riverport Riot, the Saint Louis Riot. So that's cool.
I got your story, uh snake story and and uh
and your story and Rob I had Robber the podcast,
but he wasn't in skid Row at the time, so
you have a say Louis Riot story. I've had all
the the guys from skid Row. Hopefully when you find
a new one on, I'll have him or maybe her.
(21:24):
You never know on the podcast as well, Grenith Doyle
of the Garden State. That is so cool, man, uh
an underused word. If I can get my nerd out there,
because I love that TV show Gargoyles. I don't know
if anyone cares about that. Gargoyle of the Garden State
comes out June twelfth. Sure, and thank you, Rachel. I'm
(21:45):
always a pleasure and I hope we get to do
this again.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Absolutely man, Thank you man, you got it.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
So that does it for this episode of Appetite Forward Distortion.
When we see the next one. In the words of
Axl Roads concerning Chinese democracy, I don't know as soon
as the word, but you'll see it.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
My god.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Thanks to the land mass security, I'm going home.
Their tour manager came in and he goes to me.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
He goes, get your guys, get on your bus, and
get the hell out of here. All right.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Welcome to the podcast Appetite four Distortion, Episode number five
hundred and sixty one. Welcome back to the podcast, mister
Rachel Bolin. It's been a while, about four years. How
are you, sir?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
It has been a while. I'm doing very well, man.
How about yourself.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
I don't know if you remember. I should have had
this cueued up on my Instagram, but it's the only
post on my Instagram that's pinned. It's what you said
off camera last time. I wish I had it on camera.
It's one of the nicest compliments I ever got.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Appetite for Distortion is probably the best name for a
podcast I've ever heard my life.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Did you hear that?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah, I still feel the same way when I saw it.
When I saw it on the schedule, I was like, oh, hell.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah, awesome, awesome. So last time we were talking about
the gangs all here, but right now the gang is
you and I and we kind of a solo gang
for you. A bit gargoyle of the Garden State coming
out to June twelfth. First of all, congratulations on this
new album.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Thanks man. It's a pretty exciting time for me to
be this deep into a career and put out my
first solo record. You know, it's it's been an amazing
experience just doing it, recording it with the people I
worked with, and having friends come in and join me.
(01:28):
Just making a monumental experience even that much better?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Was it always because you've said all this years into
your career, you know, like four decades of skid Row already?
Was there always a scene in the back of your
mind that you want to do a solo record or
was it just this time?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah? I always sort it would be a cool thing
to do, but never really pushed for it. You know,
I've done stuff outside of skid Row, but it was
a band. You know, this is like a full on
solo record where I wrote. I only co wrote two songs,
and that was with a couple of friends too. So
everyone that was involved, from producer to other musicians and
(02:09):
other writers were all my friends. So what better way
to do something, you know, to make something fun?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
And I always I mispronounced names a lot. You would
think I wasn't a gradio professional of twenty plus years.
But the producer Nick, who's worked with Food Fighters. His
last name, I always get Nick R. How do you
say his last name Rescue Linux, Rescue Linux, He would think,
being polish, I can get that off my time. You
would think, right, you would think, but I'm a disappointment
in a lot about other areas. But I mean he's
(02:38):
donevel Feel, Revolver and food food Fighters and that's so cool.
And you have some guest spots, of course, from your
sched Row bandmates, Scottie and and Snake. But what made you,
because you obviously have a lot of friends, make you
want to reach out to to Danko, to Nudo, Benincourt,
to the Damon Johnson, to Corey Taylor? What made them
the right guys for this rock record?
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yeah? And Rob Hammersmith played drums on the whole thing.
Oh yeah, I just it was just one of.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Those things where I was like, Wow, you know, what
would sound really good here? Anu, no solo, you know,
because I know everyone's style, and same with Snake and
Scottie and then Damon actually he played He did five
solos on the record, and he played on a lot
of the demos. The solos on the demos for those
(03:32):
particular songs. So yeah, like as far as vocalists go,
when I was doing at War with myself, I was like,
I could hear Danko's voice, like, you know, against mine.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I think would be a really cool texture to the song.
So I called him up.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
He was, of course on tour in Europe, and I'm like,
do you want to sing a song with me on
my record? He's like, yes, I'm on tour right now.
When do you need it? I said, when are you back?
And he goes, I got three or four days off
or whatever, and he went in the studio up in
Toronto and he crushed it, you know, and then sent
it to us and Nick dropped it in there, and
the same went for Nuno.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
He was I think he was.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Overseas doing the during the whole back to the beginning
Ozzie Show, and you know Corey. I flew out to Vegas,
got in the studio with Corey. He crushed it, and
Steve Kanty did his in New York, and Damon was
actually in the studio, but everyone else kind of did
(04:31):
it remotely, whether I was there or whatever.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
But I didn't. I didn't write with them in mind.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It just kind of came to me like, wow, you know,
Steve's voice would sound really good on this song. And
when I called Steve Conty he listened to it, He's like, yeah, man,
all good, let's do this works like a motherfucker, you
know what I mean. So yeah, that's it was all
very organic, and I just went to friends. There was
a couple of friends that I asked to do stuff
(04:59):
that wanted to but they had to go on the
road then, so they go it is eight months too
too far away.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
And I was like, yeah, a little bit.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
It's like having a kid. Yeah, any names you could
tell us they could be potentially on a second record,
you'd rather just leave those in the cutting room floor.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Yeah, I'll just wait just in case it doesn't happen.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Fair enough, fair enough, And I just want to mention
to do the Steve Conty track Bridges. That was for
me one of the standout tracks on thank You on
the album. Listening to and you have to have other
vocalists on there, but is there a lot of pressure
on you being a front man, being the vocalist. I
know it's a punk rock band. You're not expected to
hold the notes like you would if you were in
skid row. But how do you I guess.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I guess the only pressure is if we if we
go out on the road. I just really got to
be conscious of I don't just sing pieces of songs.
I sang all the song, now, you know what I mean.
And I just gotta learn to take care take care
of my pipes.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
And I never really had to worry about that. I
always knew when we go.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
If we were off the road for six months and
went back out, I was going to sing the wrong
way on all the backups and my throat was going
to be sore for two days.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
But I get through it. I can't.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
I can't do that anymore. I guess I don't know.
I haven't tried to get it. Yeah, it's not really pressure.
I just I just have to be smart about things.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
I guess. I talked to a bunch of vocalist buddies
of mine.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
They're like, man, you've just got to treat it nice,
you know, just don't. I don't smoke, you know, so
that that's I got that beat. But I mean, you know,
you think you think about guys like Robin Zander, who
smoked weed all day and smoked cigarettes and drink jack
and every night he sounds amazing. You know, it's like,
you know, that's that's just that's just a freaking nature
(06:46):
right there.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
The anomalies, like they say, exactly, don't smoke, but you
had George Burns. You live to be a hundred, you know,
just I know, right, the exception to the rule, except yeah,
exactly where do your punk rock boots? Go back? Go
back to who are some of your favorite bands that
you were in?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Man? Like, the first punk band I ever heard was Ramones.
You know, although I do, I do say this, and
I get a lot of flag for it.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I think to who at least they are live.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Shows back then, I think they were the first punk
rock band, but it wasn't called punk rock anyway. So
Ramones they were the first punk rock band I ever heard.
And I guess that's growing up in New Jersey, you know.
But then, you know, and then I started hearing about
the Clash and the sex Pistols, and you know, the
Dead Boys and Dead Kennedy's, and there was a band
I believe they were out of Philly called Pure Hell.
(07:38):
Those guys, and I just I just kept getting turned
on to all these different bands by friends that were
way into punk rock, you know, because I was a
kiss guy. I was like kiss, kiss, Kiss. I would
fight someone who doesn't like kiss, and then started getting
turned on by stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
When I heard the.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Ramones, I was like, ah, okay, all right, I get
it now, you know.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
And then it just kind of branched out from there.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
But if there was a if I had to pick
a genre that was my favorite genre, it's punk rock
for sure.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
And I live where the Ramones came from, Forest Hills, Queens,
so exactly. Yeah, there were moones for me me too,
of course, you know, being Jewish New Yorker and having
these guys being punk rock wall that's cool. Yeah, cool
like that. Oh yeah, not white, but I can try.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
No, I get it, man. It's like, you know it.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
The Ramones gave me this feeling like it's okay to
be different and it's okay to be a little weird.
It's like, you see, these guys are all dressed the
same in a band, and I'm like, that's pretty damn.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Cool, you know, that's that's really cool. And it's like.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
They were rock stars but the anti rock star at
the same time, you know, it's like the Ramones, Like
Ramones as a hole was the rock star, you know.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
I just love that band so much.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Sdbar, did you get a chance. I'm sure you've seen
rock and roll high school in your life, but oh
my god, I don't know. You're a little older than me. Like,
was that in theaters? Because I've only seen it online,
you know, a million times.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
But it was in theaters briefly, But I don't know
if it Like you know, I grew up in Tom's River,
New Jersey. I don't think it was in any of
the theaters here. I think it was at a drive
in which is no longer there. But the first time
I saw it was like on videotape, you know, and
then just watch it nine million times. I have it
(09:26):
on DVD I got. I got two copies of the
album in different color vinyl.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
And watching those classical Romans concerts or any punk rock
concert you know, you watch the Decline of Western Civilization
part one. You know, for me, before tattoos and piercings
became really mainstream, which they are now, was it was
left for rockers and want to be rockers like me. No,
everyone has it, and especially piercings you've brought back and
(09:54):
it's prominent in the video. The ear to know is piercing.
So I would love to know the first day you
got that, Like, do you remember the first day, how
old you were and your reaction did you show your
mom like my mom yelled at me forgetting ear rings?
You know if you remember I do.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I I mean, I got the idea from one of
the sex Pistol's biggest.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Fans, I believe, what was her name, Kat, I think
something like that.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
I could be wrong, but so I was like, wow,
that that would be really cool one day. I want
to do that when I'm out of the house obviously, yeah, right,
so my then, yeah, I think with my then girlfriend
at the time, I was like, pierce my nose and
(10:46):
I basically froze it with an ice cube as long
as I could, and then, you know, stuck my finger
up my nose and boom, and it hurt like hell.
So but I knew the you know, after that post
came out, and this was like nineteen eighty eight, eighty seven,
and I knew once that post came out, I was
(11:07):
sticking a ring in there and I was doing that.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
So that's when it started.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
I remember when I first pierced it and no one
really had it.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I kind of wanted.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
There was a couple of reasons I wanted my nose
piers One was her I wanted the chain, but the
initial idea was from Peter Burns from Dead or Alive,
because I thought that looked so cool. What a do
with long hair and his nose pierced. I was like,
that's pretty badass. But I'll never forget.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I went.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
To see John bon Jovi at his house and I
walked in the door.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
He's like, whoa because I had the chain on. He's like,
look at rache.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
He's like, oh my god, everyone's going to be doing this.
I go, I hope so. But we were just newly signed.
If we were signed, we were probably still in the clubs.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
And he was just like, that's that's so cool. Yeah. Me,
I only have my ears, and I was living at
at my parents' house at the time. I would take
them out because my mind, you know.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Oh, I went through the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Man, He's show me Jewish mother. I even had my
tongue for a couple of months and then she's like
take it out. Otherwise we're not paying for your school.
All right, I guess that's what she sounds pretty pretty
accurate impression I had the Catholic mom.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
It's like, you know, I'd had my ears pierced, and I'd.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Wear a hat around the house before I went to school,
and then they started getting infected, so I had to
take the hat off. And one day I'm at dinner.
My mother goes take the hat off, and I was like, wow,
I'm cold. She's like, it's July. Take the hat off.
My dad goes, listen to your mother, and I'm like,
and I take it off and there's no earring in it,
but it's like just bad.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
It's all red and puffed out. Yeah, I got busted.
She was mad. When you turn eighteen, you could do
whatever you want. That type of thing.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
I feared. Who's going to be three in like a
couple of weeks his first day of schools today as
we're recording, and kind of knows what he's going to be.
Everything is so in vogue today. Yeah, I mean you
that was ballsy then, but now base tattoos everyone and
everyone's doing it. But you were a trendsetter. You were
a trendsetter. You were doing it before everybody else. Uh,
random thought, And I'm glad you brought up Kiss because
(13:20):
that was it helped me bring up the thought that
I had when I was going to talk to you,
because kiss, obviously you are going to continue air quote
if you want Avatar style. Was there ever a thought
because I don't know if this album came kind of
during this lull point with with with skid Row and
you know, the publicized looking for a lead singer with
Sweetwater and everything. I know some people might get mad
(13:43):
and me asking for this, but what if you did
have like an AI singer, like it was a combination
like a gorilla's like with an Avatar. I know is
you might pooh pooh it.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
But it was just I couldn't good conscious go out
and do that, Like we don't even use these backup tracks.
Were still one of those bands that don't even use
backup tracks. So if we sing like shit, we sing
like shit. You know, It's it's just one of those things.
I couldn't. I am so anti AI music, you know,
(14:19):
it's just until they get a rein it in a
little bit. But I couldn't go out with a fake singer.
I need to have that real connection with who's ever there?
You know?
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Yeah, no, right on again. It was just a thought
because I know you're such a kiss man. You brought
them up and what they're doing and trying to change
it and what the gorillas are doing. It was just
a thought. But yeah, yeah, I mean I think hardcore
skidro fans I don't think would want that.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
So I don't think so either.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah, you gave the the response people people want. And
I know that if there was any sort of announcement
it would happen. You wouldn't be breaking news on this
podcast as far as like a I assume right now
that would be an official announcement.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
We're we're we got our eyes on a few guys,
but we're taking our time, you know.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And we've had a ton of submissions.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
We've had like three hundred submissions through sweet Water and
then a bunch outside we've met with or had them
send their submission outside of the whole Sweetwater thing.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And yeah, we got our eyes on a few people.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Cool. Cool?
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Was it?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Was it?
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Overthinking with like this solo album was always something that
you were going to do during this time parod you
think or just because you haven't been able to move
forward completely with skid Row yet that this was the
right time.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
It kind of started as a conversation with Nick because
we used to live right down the street from each
other and we were hanging out and he goes, man,
you should do a solo record, and I go, well,
I definitely have the time.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
I go, I have a bunch of songs, and I
played in some of the songs. He goes, this is
this is you? Like, this is you?
Speaker 2 (15:59):
This is what I the guy that I know, the
guy that I'm friends with, and so at that time,
I was like, maybe your music would like to do it.
So my manager called them and they were into it,
and they're a great label. It's like they put their
faith in me.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
And it blew my mind. So I was like, okay, cool,
and Nick's like, all right, well, you got to start
writing some more songs, and I was like, I got
a bunch more.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
And I kept writing and writing and I'd send him
some and he'd be like it's okay, and I was like, yeah,
I kind of thought the same thing. But I kept
writing until the last song I sent to Rob Hammersmith
to learn was the night before I left for Nashville
to start recording the record. So and Nick, you know,
(16:49):
I put my trust in him because sometimes you get
too close to him, you know, and it's like, yeah,
I know, I like it, what do you think? And
I trust his judgment a lot. So we ended up
with all the songs and then just got started. But
it's something that just I've always wanted to do, but
I never really you know, I don't think I found
the time to do it. I think the time found me,
(17:12):
you know, and said, Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
You're doing it now.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
So yeah, they kind of it kind of parallels in
a way, and here will be my pivot and I
only have you for a few more minutes. Like Dizzy
read from Guns and Roses has put out a couple
of solo albums in the last few years, and that
was he's been a musician for a long time and
this was the time found him.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Yeah, exactly him.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
So last time you were on, you told a great
story about how Isy Strathlin was chatting you up about
motorbikes and stuff, and that was more time to he
spent talking to any of the Guns of Roses guys.
He found out from Duff. People want to go back
and listen to that that episode you told us about, uh,
Saturday Night Live. Uh. Any other g n R stories
(17:54):
from that time period that you're you're able to share.
I know some stuff that you may not want to
share during the infamous period. I don't know if we
did speak, because I did speak to Scotty and I
just speak the snake about the riot and their perspective.
I don't know if I did with you.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
No, I don't think you did. That was crazy.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Because we, you know, we were watching and I had
we had a meet and greet, so we went into
our meet and greet area. It was like a patio
whatever at the Amphitheater and we were in there talking
and stuff, and we noticed the music stop. But that
(18:34):
wasn't really something that was rare, you know what I mean.
So we heard the music stop, it was like, wow,
it's been stopped for a long time. And we were
far enough away where we couldn't tell what was going on.
And then their tour manager came in and he goes
to me, He goes, get your guys, get on your
(18:55):
bus and get the hell out of here. And I'm like,
that's it. Thrown off the tour. That's the first thing
I thought, I was like, we're throwing off the tour?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Who did what?
Speaker 2 (19:04):
You know?
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And so we're all kind of He's like now, like now,
go now.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
And so we go out into the dressing room and
all of our stuff is already packed and we're like okay,
and the bus is running and turned around, and so
we get on the bus and we're heading out and
as we're getting out, it's just like one police cruiser
after another going in. I'm like, okay, we're not kicked
(19:33):
off the tour. Something happened, and you know, there's no
we didn't have cell phones and stuff. So we're just
driving and I look out the front window. I was
sitting in the jump seat next to our driver and
I look out the front window.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
And I go, hey, is that is he bus?
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Because is he didn't fly with everyone? I goes, that
is his bus, and he goes, yeah it is. He
goes something went down at the show. We're not sure
exactly what it was. It's like, okay, so we drove.
Where'd we drive to?
Speaker 1 (20:05):
I think that happened Saint Louis.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
I think we drove to Chicago and we got in
early in the morning and I clicked the TV on
and it was CNN and it just shows like a
map of Missouri and says Saint Louis with the thing
that looks like an explosion, like a cartoon explosion star.
You know what I'm saying. It's and Riot at rock
(20:30):
concert And I'm like, whoa, we just played, we just
played Saint Louis.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
But that's weird.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
It's like.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
And it's showing and I'm like, wait a minute, what what?
Speaker 2 (20:42):
What? What? And yeah, so that show got canceled because
we lost our monitor board. That was the only piece
of gear that got destroyed, but so much of their
stuff got just demolished, and I'm like, what caused this?
Speaker 1 (20:56):
And then they said what it was. I was like,
not surprised, Not surprised.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
The infamous Riverport Riot, the Saint Louis Riot. So that's cool.
I got your story, uh snake story and and uh
and your story and Rob I had Robber the podcast,
but he wasn't in skid Row at the time, so
you have a say Louis Riot story. I've had all
the the guys from skid Row. Hopefully when you find
a new one on, I'll have him or maybe her.
(21:24):
You never know on the podcast as well, Grenith Doyle
of the Garden State. That is so cool, man, uh
an underused word. If I can get my nerd out there,
because I love that TV show Gargoyles. I don't know
if anyone cares about that. Gargoyle of the Garden State
comes out June twelfth. Sure, and thank you, Rachel. I'm
(21:45):
always a pleasure and I hope we get to do
this again.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Absolutely man, Thank you man, you got it.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
So that does it for this episode of Appetite Forward Distortion.
When we see the next one. In the words of
Axl Roads concerning Chinese democracy, I don't know as soon
as the word, but you'll see it.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
My god.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Thanks to the land mass security, I'm going home.
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