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Skid Row is currently on the road touring in support of their new CD entitled “Revolutions Per Minute.” Our own Jim Hackett caught up with the Skid’s bassist Rachel Bolan for this exclusive pre-show interview. Here’s what Rachel had to say.
GM: What made you want to play in a band?
RB: You can’t explain it. You don’t get into music, music gets into you, at a young age, there was music around my house. I’m the fourth out of four kids, everyone listened to different shit, it just got me at a young age, when I used to play a tennis racket in front of a mirror. By the time I turned 11, Gene Simmons, I just wanted to do what he did I brought the picture to my parents and their like “you wanna spit blood and breathe fire? All right what’s he play?” I was like he plays a bass (pronounced bass as the fish.) They were like “what’s a bass, oh o.k. it’s a bass o.k. cool”.
GM: That’s kinda funny, when I was a kid I thought John Lennon played lead (as in lead pencil) guitar.
RB: I was born on the day the Beatles played on the Ed Sullivan Show, so maybe it was something in the stars.
GM: What was your first song you learned to play?
RB: “Space Truckin’” from Deep Purple, it’s the best album for a bass player because the bass is loud. Rodger Glover just rules. If you wanna learn to play bass, learn to that record.
GM: What made you wanna play bass?
RB: It was Gene Simmons pretty much. Then I started to learn what bass did and how important it was, and ever since I started playing it, I always had a gig. I was never in between bands.
GM: Do you play any other instruments?
RB: Rhythm guitar. I can hack through a lead here and there, but I just make it up as I go along.
GM: Do you have a favorite song off ‘Revolutions Per Minute’?
RB: I think it’s “When God Can’t Wait” because it’s so different for us and it was a style I wasn’t used to playing. Scott and I wrote the song it was something pretty special. So I think if I had to pick one, if you held a gun to my head, it would probably be that one.
GM: What’s your favorite song to play live?
RB: I like a lot of them. I love playing New Generation, Youth gone wild because of the energy and the crowds’ reaction to it, so those are my two favorite.
GM: The song “Disease” what’s that song about?
RB: It’s sort of a relationship song. It’s not literally a disease, it’s kind of a metaphor just dealing with some ones bullshit and getting sick of it, and having to get away from it.
GM: This album is so diverse from songs like,” When God can’t wait” to “Disease” to “You Lie” was this your intention?
RB: We just went into it, the only thing we kept in mind was that we weren’t gonna do any ballads, just went into it not thinking of any boundaries or anything. I think that we pretty much accomplished it. Whether people understood it or not, have no Idea, but that’s what we wanted to do we just kinda wanted to get away from what we usually do.
GM: It’s a great album, I really like it a lot, it’s a lot different from anything you’ve ever done.
RB: That was our intention, like lets not put any parameter or boundaries on anything. Let’s just go and write and if we like it we’ll put it on the record.
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GM: You have a side project with Dave Gara, right?
RB: Yeah it’s called the “The Quazimotors”
GM: Can you tell me a little about it?
RB: It’s a three piece psycho Billy punk rock type thing, that when we get the urge we go and play in Atlanta somewhere. It’s nothing that we are looking to get signed or anything. We just go for it, ya know go out and have fun. Our friends come and see us, it’s just kind of an outlet, we go out and do something we don’t do.
GM: You are producing a new band called the “ Luchagors” featuring “Lita” formally of the WWE. How did this come about?
RB: Amy Dumas “Lita” is a good friend of mine and Shane Morton who is a guitar player. Those two write the songs. We’ve been friends for a couple of years down in Atlanta, when they formed the band, they asked me to produce it. My whole thing is I work with the band; I have to believe in them and the songs. Their whole pop, punk, hardcore feel is right up my alley. The songs are strong and you can tell they are hungry and they mean what their doing, so I couldn’t turn it down. I really like them as people and I like the songs a lot.
GM: You’re a very busy man.
RB: I stay pretty busy.
GM: What do you like to do when your off the road, not touring?
RB: I race cars and go-carts, adrenaline junkie.
GM: What about Skydiving?
RB: I have not skydived, I hang-glided in Rio when we played in Brazil years ago, but I skydived, but that is on my list of things to do for sure.
GM: Do you have any advice for any new bands trying to make it in the music business?
RB: Just play every gig you can play at when you’re coming out. Every gig even if it’s the bartenders in the club or whatever it is or if you don’t really fit with the band just play, it builds character. One gig is worth ten rehearsals, I always say. It keeps you hungry and like I said builds character. It really brings you up the ropes and makes you learn what its like to struggle, which I think you really need. The complete opposite of American Idol.
GM: Do you ever think you’ll ever do “You Lie” live?
RB: I’m not gonna say no, I mean it would have to be the right place. I would like to do it somewhere like London or New York.I’m sure we’ll do it at some point.
GM: What’s the best thing about being in Skid Row?
RB: The best thing about being in Skid Row is being in “Skid Row”, every night; it’s the best job in the world. You’re out, if you can call it a job, you go out and play in front of people every night and travel the world and meet a bunch of new people . It’s pretty amazing and being lucky enough to have the success we’ve had and still be able to do that for 20 years, that’s pretty great.
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GM: Do you have anything to say to your fans?
RB: Thank you, I mean our fans have been great, that have stuck with us through member changes and through the down time, and the four years the band was out of site and out of mind. You know we come back and do shows, we see all our old fans that have been there since day one they may bring their brothers and sisters that are younger, that are probably 21 or whatever and their kids. It’s a cool thing, it’s a pretty cool turn around to be able to do it for 20 years .It’s pretty rare especially for a band that came out of our era and still put out records and still have a record deal and still be able to tour the world, it’s pretty cool.
GM: Thank you for doing this interview.
RB: Right on brother
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