Sebastian Bach recently spoke with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation. During their conversation, he reveals that he’d love to rejoin Skid Row. He also talks about making his record Child Within The Man, and changing labels.
SiriusXM's Trunk Nation, hosted by Eddie Trunk, airs daily at 3 PM, ET on SiriusXM’s Faction Talk. Audio clips and transcriptions below, courtesy of SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation.
On making Child Within The Man: "The way I make records is I’m always collecting ideas for lyrics and pretty much titles all the time. I love a good title and that gives me a concept for the rest of the lyrics. And then, you know, I have a lot of guitar playing friends, and I did a record called Give Him Hell like 10 years ago. I can't believe it's 10 years ago. But that was made with a guy named Devin Bronson, who I hooked up with through Duff McKagan. He said, 'Dude, this guy has these killer riffs, man.' And so it's that simple. It really is that simple. And Devin started giving me riffs and then Steve Stevens gave me some riffs. And this is my second record in a row with Steve Stevens.
"And then John 5 came in, and this is my third record in a row with John 5. This isn't a brand new thing. This is 15 years of me and him putting out music together. And he's the guy that I co-wrote the new song for Freedom with, that you're in the video with. And then my wife Suzanne is friends with Orianthi and she said, 'Hey, Sebastian's doing some record, putting together some demos.' And she sent me a killer riff and we made a song together and then, there's so much to tell. It's just ridiculous. It's ridiculous. So then Elvis Baskette comes in the picture and I had been talking to Elvis Baskette since the Angel Down record. We were on the phone for that album, talking about working together. I was also on the phone with Zeus for that album. And then I picked Roy Z because of Halford’s Resurrection, like that was a pretty good album. So I went with Roy Z, but I've been talking to Elvis since back then about due a record."
On rejoining Skid Row: "I would love to do it. I have dreams about doing it. I have a recurring nightmare where Skid Row reunites, and I go to the gig and I forget my in-ears, and I'm backstage and the whole arena is packed. And Rachel and Snake, I go, 'You guys. I gotta go back to the hotel. I forgot my in-ears.' And I'm in the Uber and I'm racing and the whole reunion's happening. I gotta get my in-ears and I can't get the hotel game. So let's analyze that. Let's analyze that right there. That goes on in my head. And then I have these other dreams where we do a reunion show and nothing happens. We just play and then we walk off and we're like, 'Right on.' And there's no fighting. There's no drama. We just do a show and there's no fighting or drama. And I told this to Rob, he's laughing. He's like, 'Imagine that. I imagine that.' Just do a show. Like it's funny these dreams I have.
On changing record labels: "I mean, I guess I was signed to one label, a big label, and they were gonna put it out. And then the guy that signed me started a new label, and it took a year or more for that to all happen, and it was like pure torture for me. I would go out with my wife to dinner and she'd go, 'Why are you in a bad mood?' Because people go, 'Hey, dude, what's going on?' I go, 'Oh, I'm playing the 80s cruise.' Meanwhile, I got this masterpiece and I can't even talk about it. But when I listened to your interviews with Bruce Dickinson and Lars Ulrich about their albums, it's the same story. I mean, it's a very obvious thing that when you're locked at home like a musician, if you have any music, that's a good time to start working on it, you know, obviously.
"And then Elvis Baskette said, 'You're coming to Florida.' So sure enough, we all fly down there and I think, 'Oh man, this is gonna be killer. I'm gonna go to the beach, I'm gonna go to Disneyland. This is gonna be great.' And we went out one night because Elvis's studio is so killer, he has a 1974 Neve console that Queen recorded on. If you're trying to get those tones, there's a good place to start. The song 'Freedom' starts with this phase shifter on John 5's guitar. I can't really mimic the phase shifter, but you'll hear it. And I go to Elvis, I go, 'Man that sounds like Fair Warning. That sounds like something off Fair Warning.' He starts laughing, he goes, 'Oh, does it?' I go, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'Oh, that's funny, because this MXR phase shifter is Eddie Van Halen's phase shifter that he used on Fair Warning.'”
Sebastian Bach's Child Within The Man album is available now via Reigning Phoenix Music.
Child Within The Man was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate; and mastered by Robert Ludwig/Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album’s 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals. Child Within The Man features guest appearances from John 5, Steve Stevens, and Orianthi - who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach - and two tracks co-written with Myles Kennedy (“What Do I Got to Lose?” and “To Live Again’); Devin Bronson on guitars, Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Coulson (drums) round out the players on the album.
The album is available on CD (Jewelcase), cassette and double LP in a variety of color options. 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 says.
Order/save the album here.
Child Within The Man tracklisting:
"Everybody Bleeds"
"Freedom" (featuring John 5)
"(Hold On) To The Dream"
"What Do I Got to Lose?"
"Hard Darkness"
"Future of Youth" (featuring Orianthi)
"Vendetta"
"F.U." (featuring Steve Stevens)
"Crucify Me"
"About To Break"
"To Live Again"
“Freedom”:
“(Hold On) To The Dream” video:
"Everybody Bleeds" video:
"What Do I Got to Lose?" video:
Bach has kicked off the What Do I Got To Lose? US tour. The tour - a mix of solo gigs and festival appearances - wraps June 29 in San Diego, CA. Click here for all ticketing info and to purchase tickets.
Sebastian Bach’s 2024 tour dates are as follows:
May
14 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans
16 - Patchogue, NY - Patchogue Theatre for The Performing Arts
17 - Warren, OH - Packard Music Hall
18 - Bensalem, PA - Parx Casino
19 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
21 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
22 - Albany, NY - Empire Live
24 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Beanfield
28 - Warrendale, PA - Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
29 - Grand Rapids, MI - Elevation
31 - Indianapolis, IN - Hendricks Live!
June
1 - Morgantown, WV - Ruby Amphitheatre
2 - Columbus, OH - King Of Clubs
4 - Detroit, MI - St Andrews Hall
5 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
7 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
8 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre
9 - Moline, IL - The Rust Belt
11 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly's
12 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre
14 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios
15 - Denver, CO - Summit
16 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
18 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
19 - Little Rock, AR - The Hall
21 - Dallas, TX - The Lexus Box Garden at Legacy Hall
22 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
23 - San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box
25 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto
27 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Theater
28 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
29 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
