SEBASTIAN BACH: “it's my mission to bring back the fun of rock and roll”
13-05-2024
In a new interview with Kyle Meredith, ex-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach was asked if he wanted to give the fans what they want on his new solo album, “Child Within The Man“, by incorporating sounds that harken back to his former band. He responded: “Well, the sound of my voice harkens back. I was gonna be the singer of VELVET REVOLVER before Scott Weiland. You can Google interviews with Duff (McKagan, VELVET REVOLVER bassist) and he’ll tell you, ‘We wanted Sebastian, but the problem with Sebastian is that you just think of SKID ROW when you hear his voice.’ And I didn’t take that as an insult, ’cause it’s true. That’s the way it is.
“But do you give them what they want? I don’t think the audience knows what they want,” he continued. “I give the audience what I want (laughs), and I’m a son of a bitch, getting stuff the way I want to get it. And for ‘What Do I Got To Lose?’, the first song and video, I wanted fun. I wanted F-U-N. I wanted a video like WHITESNAKE or VAN HALEN or RATT where Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee play the cops and Bobby Blotzer arrests them and throws them in jail. That’s, to me, fun. I wanna put a smile on people’s face when everything is so fucking miserable. I want people to laugh and have fun, and that’s what I want. Even the second video, which is a tough subject, because I wrote it about losing my home in a hurricane, and then the record company (said), ‘But we want a video.’ And I was, like, ‘That’s not very fun.’ (Laughs) But I turned it around and I made it about the Maxell tape commercial, which is fun. And in the end, I’m watching all the footage of my house being destroyed and climate change, and I turn off the news and I put on my new record and start rocking out. And so that’s still fun.”
Bach added: “It’s my mission to bring back the fun of rock and roll, which I find sorely lacking. I can’t find fun on the Internet. No matter how hard I try, I can’t find it. It’s all negative fighting. This guy said this about this guy. That’s not rock. Rock is supposed to be coming together, and that’s what it always was before it all went to the Internet and now it’s all clickbait and fighting and bickering. So I’m trying to just bring back the fun. That’s it. That’s all I’m trying to do.”
“Child Within The Man” was released on May 10 via Reigning Phoenix Music. The LP was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael “Elvis” Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album’s 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals. Sebastian Bach has recently released a new song called “(Hold On) To The Dream”.
Stream “(Hold On) To The Dream” below.
Watch the previously released “Everybody Bleeds” below.
“Child Within The Man” features guest appearances from John 5 (MÖTLEY CRÜE, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON), Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, MICHAEL JACKSON) — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with ALTER BRIDGE‘s Myles Kennedy (“What Do I Got to Lose?” and “To Live Again”). Devin Bronson (guitars), Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Colson (drums) round out the players on the album. The album will be available on jewelcase CD, cassette, and double LP in a variety of colour options.
Bach released a new solo single, “What Do I Got To Lose?” in December last year. The song’s official music video, was directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera. For the video, SEBASTIAN is joined by his former SKID ROW bandmate, drummer Rob Affuso.
Watch “What Do I Got To Lose?” below.
“I have been putting out records since the year 1989,” Sebastian says. “Thank YOU for 35 years of Bach N’ Roll…all leading up to ‘Child Within The Man’! If you like the records I have put out in the past, I can GUARANTEE that you will enjoy the new album. THIS is the kind of Rock N’ Roll that keeps you young ! Can’t wait for you all to crank up ‘Child Within The Man’ — a magical elixir to the Fountain of Youth! Gone Wild! Forever! It’s all one big song! TURN IT UP!”
The album artwork holds special meaning since it was designed by Bach‘s father, noted visual artist David Bierk.
“This album artwork was started in 1978 and finished in 2024!” Sebastian quips.
Bach adds: “RPM Records has provided me with the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll fantasy dream come true…to make my ultimate rock ‘n’ roll record! With the team of players & production on this album, I can honestly say we have made the best record that we could possibly make! The packaging is of the highest standard in every way. The vinyl, CD, & cassette formats all have been made to exact specifications! The 45 RPM double gatefold sleeve vinyl editions come in three eco-formats which are the highest standard of vinyl sound. Plus multicoloured variations including a Glow In The Dark special for all you rock collectors out there!”
“Child Within The Man” track listing is as follows:
01. Everybody Bleeds
02. Freedom(featuring John 5)
03. (Hold On) To The Dream
04. What Do I Got To Lose?
05. Hard Darkness
06. Future Of Youth (featuring Orianthi)
07. Vendetta
08. F.U. (featuring Steve Stevens)
09. Crucify Me
10. About To Break
11. To Live Again
The album’s first single, “What Do I Got To Lose?”, continues to build momentum at rock radio. It was co-written by Sebastian, Kennedy and Baskette, the latter of whom also served as the track’s producer.
In advance of the album’s release, Bach will hit the road in 2024 for an international tour with dates in Latin and North America. The “What Do I Got To Lose?” tour is a mix of solo gigs and festival appearances that kicks off with an international run of performances in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile before North American shows in the U.S. and Mexico. The stateside tour gets underway May 10 in Jefferson, Louisiana before wrapping June 29 in San Diego, California.
Bach performed “What Do I Got To Lose?” live for the first time during his February 24 concert at Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Bach released the official music video for “What Do I Got To Lose?” in December. The clip was directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera. For the video, which shows Bach cruising through the desert in a convertible and performing with a full band, Sebastian was joined by his former SKID ROW bandmate, drummer Rob Affuso. The clip also features an appearance by actor and comedian Craig Gass and Sebastian‘s wife Suzanne, who plays a scantily clad car wash attendant.
“To me, ‘What Do I Got To Lose?’ is the perfect sentiment for me right now,” Sebastian said about the track. “It’s an anthem for coming back and crushing it. It’s time to lay down the law and put the hammer down old school-style.”
Four years ago, Sebastian told The Aquarian Weekly that his new album would be “heavy. In many ways it is my follow-up to (2007’s) ‘Angel Down’,” he said. “I am trying to make the best record I have ever made. There will be a lot of heavy (music) coming your way.”
Bach hasn’t released a full-length disc since “Give ‘Em Hell”, which came out in March 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011’s “Kicking & Screaming”, the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what’s commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format (“album-oriented rock”) but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.
Although Bach had said in some of his interviews a few years ago that his next record would be less musically aggressive and it would be “more uplifting and fun,” he told WRIF in 2018 that he has since had a change of heart.
“Well, before (the new record deal) happened, I was thinking of doing more of an acoustic-based record because I’ve done a lot of solo records,” he said. “I’ve done ‘Angel Down’, which I’m very proud of that album,. Then ‘Kicking & Screaming’, which is a great album. ‘Give ‘Em Hell’… Not to mention ‘ABachalypse Now’, which is a three-record set. ‘Forever Wild’ DVD, ‘Bring ‘Em Bach Alive!’… I’ve put out a lot of records. And putting out the last one, when I put so much time and effort into it and it doesn’t get the attention that it deserves, for me as an artist, I’m, like, ‘Fuck!’ So I was, like, you know what? If I’m gonna put out another heavy metal, hard rock album, I need help. I need a company around me that’s gonna put the same kind of attention and time and effort into it as I am. So now that looks like it’s happening. So now I’m changing the way I’m looking at things.”
On the US front, SEBASTIAN last year was revealed to the world as “Tiki” on Fox‘s »The Masked Singer« group B finals. “When I first agreed to be on the show, I thought it was mostly about comedy and costumes, which it definitely is!” SEBASTIAN says about his time on »The Masked Singer.« “But when I actually did the show, I realized that »The Masked Singer« is about SINGING! I had an incredible time doing the show. My favorite song that I got to do was ‘Magic’ by PILOT. Thank you to Nick Cannon and all at »The Masked Singer«! Would love to do it again sometime!”
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