Skid Row bassist and founding member Rachel Bolan has offered a comprehensive update regarding the band’s ongoing, highly publicized search for a new lead vocalist. Earlier this year, the legendary hard rock act launched an unprecedented global audition process in partnership with the American online musical instrument retailer Sweetwater. The open-call initiative was designed to cast the widest net possible to find a permanent frontman capable of honoring the group’s legacy.
During a new interview with the “Neil Jones Rock Show” on TotalRock, the bassist detailed the massive influx of talent the band has reviewed since opening the submission portal. He explained that the selection process has now advanced past the initial screening phase, with the core members currently preparing to test their top prospects in a live rehearsal environment.
Providing a full update on the audition timeline and the importance of finding the right personal chemistry, Rachel Bolan shared the following (via Blabbermouth):
“Well, we got video submissions from over 300 people. And we’ve also had some outside submissions of people telling us, like friends in other bands, ‘Oh, I saw this band. You gotta go check this kid out,’ and stuff like that. So, we’re at the point… We keep doing it in phases. We watch the video, and there’s a lot of really, really good singers out there. A lot of them are great, but they’re not the right fit musically for Skid Row. But there are a few. So we’ll get the video submissions. Then we’ll go to, ‘Okay, let’s get in a room with a few people over the course of four days,’ bring in two or three people a day. And that’s where we’re at now. We’re moving to that phase with a few guys. We’re gonna bring them in and work for a couple days, see how a live feel to it works. ‘Cause you’re in the studio — you know how it is; you could do a million takes and make it perfect. But we wanna see what it feels like in a room. And then it’s also — it’s the hangout. It’s the hang. It’s, like, ‘Are you cool?’ And see how the hang is. So we’re at that phase with a few guys. And we have the luxury of time right now. We have no tours booked. We’re not in the middle of making a record, so we don’t have to make any rush decisions. But there’s a few guys that have really piqued our interest, for sure.”
The search for a permanent frontman follows the amicable departure of vocalist Erik Grönwall. The Swedish-born singer, previously known for his work in the hard rock band H.E.A.T., stepped away from Skid Row in March 2024. Having been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, the 38-year-old musician stated that the rigorous demands of touring had become too difficult to balance with his health and ongoing recovery.
Speaking earlier this year on the “Rockstrap” podcast, Bolan previously touched on the painstaking curation process involved in reviewing candidates alongside the band’s management and producer Nick Raskulinecz.
“We have a couple of guys on our radar. We’ve auditioned a few people, but we’re gonna do a big, gigantic… We were just waiting for the new year to start. Not so much an open call, but there’s a lot of people that wanna audition, so we’re just going — us and management and our producer, Nick Raskulinecz, we’re all going through each person saying, like, ‘Okay, let’s get in a room with this person. ‘This person [is a] little too young or a little too green,’ or ‘they can’t sing. Who told them they could sing?’ You get that too. So we have a couple of guys on our radar that we’re pretty excited about. So hopefully before the end of the year we’ll be back out on the road,” Bolan explained at the time.
When one of the hosts pointed out that Skid Row has struggled to find a lasting frontman, Rachel responded: “It’s just one of those things, man. We had a really good thing going with Erik. I think the road was just too much for him, [with] his past health issues and whatnot, and it just didn’t work out, which was a bummer… He fit right in, and the fans loved him.”
In a recent conversation with “Meltdown” of Detroit’s WRIF, Bolan said: “We’re still looking. We’re taking our time. But Snake [guitarist Dave Sabo] and I do get together and write [new Skid Row music]. We just wrote a little bit today, as a matter of fact. He just left [my house] about 10 minutes ago. So, yeah, we just keep the machine rolling, and when we find someone, we’ll find someone. But we’re not gonna rush it. We did this promotion through Sweetwater and probably have listened to about 300 submissions at this point. And there’s some really good stuff on there. And, we’ve auditioned people outside of that as well that were really good. So, it’s a long process, and were prepared for it.”
Speaking about the search, Bolan addressed the idea of bringing in an established name, following Meltdown’s suggestion that if someone like Lzzy Hale, who previously performed four shows with the band in 2024, were to join permanently, fans might expect Skid Row to incorporate material from that artist’s main band into their set.
“Yeah. I would think people would wanna hear, like, ‘Wow, what would it sound like for Skid Row to play a Halestorm song.’ And, yeah, that’s the one thing about bringing in someone well known. But I guarantee whoever we get will be well known, as soon as he’s in the band.”
Erik Grönwall served as the fourth official frontman for Skid Row following the highly publicized dismissal of classic-era vocalist Sebastian Bach in 1996. Following that split, the remaining instrumentalists briefly operated under the moniker Ozone Monday before officially reforming Skid Row in 1999.
As his former bandmates scour the globe for a new voice, original frontman Sebastian Bach has been vocal about his desire to see the classic lineup restored, a sentiment fueled by recent activity from other Canadian rock icons.
During a recent appearance on “The Metal Voice“, Bach expressed his enthusiasm for the return of Triumph, recalling how their concerts shaped him as a youth in Peterborough, Ontario.
“I’m happy for Triumph. I think it’s incredible. I’ve always loved Triumph,” Bach said at the time. “I bought a ticket when I was like 10 years old to the Peterborough Memorial Center. I saw the poster of Triumph on the wall at A&A Records and Tapes in the Peterborough Square and it was the poster of Gil Moore on the drum kit with his hand up in the air and then there was pyro going off and Rik Emmett was playing his double neck. I thought, I got to go to this show.”
He recounted the profound impression left by drummer Gil Moore‘s command of the crowd.
“I couldn’t believe it when Gil Moore came down off the drum throne and started talking to the crowd because I never saw a drummer do that. Moore said, ‘Hey, Peterborough, what’s going on?’ and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s the drummer. Like, how’s that happening right now?’ I thought Rik Emmett was going to be talking to the crowd. No, Gil’s in charge. So, I love the band. I’ve always loved a band. Well, I was happy to be part of the tribute album, Magic Power. I got to do ’24 Hours A Day’ and then ‘Rock And Roll Machine’.”
For Bach, witnessing these reunions inevitably lead to frustration regarding his own situation with Skid Row bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo.
“And when I see Triumph get together, I’m like, ‘Hey, Snake and Rachel, what do you think of the Triumph tour? What do you think? What are your opinions on this? Well, if Triumph is going back on tour and Rush is going back on tour, what is our problem? Like what the heck’s wrong with us?’ Like it’s just silly.”
Despite his confusion over the estrangement, Bach clarified that his career is not paused in anticipation of a reunion.
“I mean, but I’m not waiting around either at the same time. I got my own band. I got my own albums and I play tons of shows. I’m extremely busy.”
In a previous interview on “Get On The Bus“, Bach elaborated on the “business matter” that keeps the parties separated, admitting that the inability to play with his old bandmates is a lingering regret.
“Well, yeah, the fact that Skid Row is not together doesn’t make any sense,” Bach stated. “We’re five guys that are playing the same set, but we’re not together. Well, they don’t have a singer right now, but… I play with everybody. I’m in a band, Kings Of Chaos, with Matt Sorum, and I’m in a band called Royal Machines with Billy Morrison, and I play with all kinds of musicians all the time. So it doesn’t make sense that I can’t play with those guys.”
He added: “But as I said, it’s a business matter and maybe someday the business can get sorted out. That is a regret, that that band broke up. Yeah, that’s a regret.”
However, Bach also admitted that discussing the topic publicly often makes him uncomfortable, given the band’s steadfast refusal to engage with him.
“I do, but when I read myself talk about this, I kind of cringe ’cause it’s not up to me,” Bach said. “Those guys are currently on their eighth or ninth replacement for me. And there’s been a miscommunication from my camp to theirs that I will attempt to clear up, but I am way too focused on what I’m doing in my career to even really even think about that right now, to be honest with you. I’m just not thinking about the old days right now. I’m thinking about the fact that I’ve got a new song on the radio. ‘What Do I Got To Lose?’ is on FM radio across the country. That video is almost two million views in 2024. And in my day, two million views was double platinum. [Laughs] So, I’m not thinking about 1989; I’m not thinking about 1991.”
He concluded by emphasizing his satisfaction with his current creative output.
“I am overjoyed to hear my voice on the radio in 2024. That is more important to me than thinking about what happened in ’91. I just don’t think about that, really. Not to say that I wouldn’t get the band back together, but I’m just focused like a laser beam on what I’m doing right now. So that’s gonna have to take a back seat, like for real. This is more interesting to me. My album, the way it sounds and the reaction that people are giving it is more exciting and interesting, and creating new music instead of just playing the same old songs over and over. I love having new songs to play, even though I haven’t learned how to play them yet. [Laughs]”
The current veteran lineup, consisting of Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave “Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill, and drummer Rob Hammersmith, has cycled through several vocalists over the past two decades. Johnny Solinger held the position from 1999 until his dismissal in April 2015. He was briefly replaced by former TNT vocalist Tony Harnell, who exited eight months later. The band then recruited South African-born singer ZP Theart, known for his work with DragonForce, Tank, and I Am I. He remained with the group until February 2022, paving the way for Erik Grönwall‘s acclaimed but abbreviated tenure.
