Skid Row

Formed in New Jersey in 1986, heavy metal, nu metal and garage rock hair gurus Skid Row became the hard rock prototypes of the early 1990s metal scene, carving out a profitable niche until the Seattle grunge gods took over.

In 1988, Skid Row signed Atlantic Records until "18 And Life" was their first hit before Skid Row was brought to the national spotlight in 1989, when guitarist Snake Sabo's high school friend Jon Bon Jovi invited them to open for his band on their latest tour. The band was an instant hit and rocketed to fame. In fact, Skid Row was the first metal band to debut an album at #1 (Slave to the Grind).

However, the band is best known for the antics of their lead vocalist, Sebastian Bach (motto: "If you think, you stink"). Bach tended to have "incidents" brought on by his loud, in-your-face attitude.

In what is referred to as "The Bottle Incident" by fans of the band, Bach was arrested and tried on charges of assault and battery for throwing a bottle from the stage, then jumping into the crowd at a concert in Springfield, Massachusetts where Skid Row was opening for Aerosmith on December 27, 1989. Bach claimed he had been hit with the bottle, thrown onstage from the crowd, which is why he threw it back. After the fight, Bach returned to the stage to finish the show, antagonizing the crowd-goers all the while. [1 (http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1452918/03152002/bach_sebastian.jhtml)] The incident was captured on video and can be seen on a tour video released by Skid Row called Oh Say Can You Scream? in 1990.

Shorty thereafter, Bach wore a t-shirt proclaiming "AIDS Kills Fags Dead" in a magazine photo shoot. He first joked about it on MTV, then later apologized.

Eventually, Bach's brashness grew to be too much for his bandmates, and the remaining members went on to form a band called Ozone Monday with vocalist Johnny Solinger. Later, the band fired drummer Rob Affuso, and hired another drummer, Phil Varone.

Ozone Monday renamed itself Skid Row in the late 1990s, and opened for KISS on their farewell tour.

The band has currently been touring every summer and is working on releasing a new album in 2003. Bach is currently performing in Broadway musicals, hosting a show on VH1, and performing with his new band, Sebastian Bach & Friends.

Discography

• Skid Row, (1989)
• Slave to the Grind, (1991)
• B-Side Ourselves (1992, covers)
• Subhuman Race, (1995)
• Razor Sharp!, (1997)
• Thick Is The Skin, (2003)

Members, Past & Present

• Rob Affuso (percussion, ex-member)
• Sebastian Bach[?] (vocals, ex-member)
• Rachel Bolan (bass guitar, current, original member)
• Scotti Hill (guitar, current, original member)
• Dave "The Snake" Sabo (guitar, current, original member)
• Johnny Solinger (vocals, current, joined 1998)
• Phil Varone (percussion, current, joined 1999)

External Links

• SkidRow.Com: Official (http://www.skidrow.com)
• Skid Row Online (http://www.skidrowonline.com)
• SkidRow.Net (http://www.skidrow.net)

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The band was named after the American term skid row used for the rundown area of a city where alcoholics and vagrants congregate. The first skid row was Skid Road in Seattle, where logs were skidded into the water for delivery to lumber mills. There is a formally identified Skid Row in Seattle and Los Angeles and informally identified districts in almost every city.