Skid Row: Solinger Out, Harnell In
Tuesday, April 7, 2015 at 12:01AM Last night got pretty interesting when Johnny Solinger suddenly announced via Facebook his departure from Skid Row. Here's what he wrote:
"I have decided to leave Skid Row to pursue my solo career. The past 15 years has been a great experience and I have appreciated the opportunity to be the lead singer in one of the most prominent bands of the 1990's and share stages with the likes of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and KISS performing in front of millions throughout the world. I wish Skid Row the best of luck in their future pursuits."
Literally it wasn't more than two hours after Solinger's post that the remaining guys in Skid Row went on Eddie Trunk's radio show and announced that former TNT singer Tony Harnell was Solinger's replacement. I guess the Skids wanted to move fast to avoid any of those Sebastian Bach renunion rumors. I have to say I didn't see either one of these changes happening, but the Harnell selection really thew me.
I love Glam bands - obviously - but my goodness, when is enough... enough? How much more will we tolerate? Maybe if the guys in Skid Row and Sebastian Bach weren't so darn stubborn, we'd get a proper reunion we all deserve - and that includes the original band. At this point, I'd say it's never going to happen. When I started this site, I was certain the reunion would have happened within a decade. I've been updating BBG! daily for more than 8 years now... and we're further away from a reunion than ever before I guess.
Reader Comments (20)
p.s. Like the tweak you did to the header... Very clean!
Dallas City Limits
The Basement
Bronco Bowl
My guess is that Johnny got wind of the announcement and beat the band to the punch. He basically quit before he was officially fired. Which, ya know, good for Johnny. It's always better to leave on your own terms than be fired, even if its just an illusion.
The problem for the band is that every rock fan in America got their hopes up for a Sebastian Bach reunion in that two hour gap. Tony Harnell is a GREAT singer, don't get me wrong. Far better than Johnny Solinger. But the one big question about the move is will he be a good fit? I guess time will tell. But the biggest drawback to Tony is that, simply, he's NOT Sebastian Bach.
Us Skid Row fans have waited nearly 20 long years for a reunion. Hell, they won't even remaster and re-release the old albums and videos because it would promote and put money in Sebastians pocket. It's just sad and pathetic that Skid Row, as a band, can't get beyond some probable petty crap, and give the fans what they really want.
Snake Sabo, Scottie Hill, and Rachel Bolan need to get their heads out of their asses and bury the hatchet, before its too late. Life is too short.
Bring back Baz!
Bottom line, Kenny O, and those also feeling like the existing original members don't know their arses from a hole in the head are ABSOLUTELY correct.
The Skidz are nuts to not bury the hatchet with Bach, I don't care how insane he is. As I've said before and I'll say again, if the Van Halen Bros. can forgive Roth, these clowns can forgive Bach. Everyone could make millions, we get a tour and remastered classic albums.
As great as Harnell, or Mills, hahaha!!!, is no one can hold a candle to Bach. Who cares if it turns into another fiasco, as I doubt it would, it will have been worth a shot. Instead these bozos are shooting themselves in the a*s by not even considering it.
No matter who the h*ll they get, it's just not Skid Row without the legendary voice of Bach.
p.s. Great fact (obviously, I've gotta get mine straight, though probably never will, right Ripper?), Kenny O about these jerks not allowing the original albums to be remastered just to screw Bach out of some chump change! What a crime against Rock & Roll!
That being said, I already had tickets to see Skid Row w/ Twisted Sister next month, now the Sollinger's gone, I may actually bother to pay attention to their set.
But are you sure you want to see them together again? Really? Bach, for as great as he was and still can be, is a shell of his former singing self. The rest of the guys (Bolan and Sabo mainly and originally too) chug along making--since they were the ones who really were the drivers behind the music--approximate versions of the Skid Row sound. The Skid Row sound with Bach back, I hate to say, would probably sound worse than it did with Bollinger and--in that cruel twist of time's fate--much worse than it did with Bach way back when. Before anyone calls me to account for that statement, let me offer you Exhibit A: VH with DLR, at least live.
Bollinger stepped in and did the best one could do facing that sort of backdraft (and constant ribbing from Bach, who almost makes Hagar look discrete and reflective). So they played clubs and went about their business, at least acting like that was what they wanted and enjoyed. What if they are right? If they are, then best wishes with the new singer. It will be the same venues and roughly the same sound. Just no Bach. As for those precious two hours where the world waited in anxious anticipation? Again, really?!!? Sure, some people might have waited a bit, and wondered a bit. But if the sad news really got you down, you were already having a bad day or week. Or perhaps my CNN, FOX, and MSNBC (not to mention my Al Jazeera America and BBC) news feeds were on the blink.
Some fans will clamor for any version that seems original, even if it really isn't (I don't hear anyone yelling, "Matt Fallon! Matt Fallon!" at the top of their lungs). Translation: the version of the band that makes me feel young and, often, had the most impact musically. They'd pray for Bill Ward to return to Sabbath, even if he had a heart attack behind the kit. They'd even scream for Tate, his vest buttons pushing hard against his stomach in the ever-shrinking (lime) light, to take hold of the flame one last starry Ryche.
Here's the thing though. Those fans would also likely be disappointed at the results or at least unconcerned with owning up to the dream being a lot less rosy in reality (see my VH comments above). So I take VH/DLR over no VH (and DLR solo over what seems to be happening). But I don't really care to take in--at least live--Sabbath without Ward , or Ryche without Tate, live or otherwise.
Skid Row? I still take them when I can. But I stick to _Slave to the Grind_ and let them stick to what makes them happy. Same for Bach. That way we all win even if we occasionally feel like something is lost.
Sure, I may be a little biased as I've gotten to know some of the Skid Row guys over the years, and have even done work for them. A lot of people talk shit about Sabo and even more so Bolan, which I don't think is justified. In my limited dealing with Bach, I'm pretty sure I couldn't stand to be in a band with him. He's childish at times, slightly delusional at others, hotheaded and not very smart to boot. Try living with that guy for extended periods of time on the road. I don't care how much money there is to be made, it's just not worth it to everyone. And I think it's pretty safe to say that very few people out there know what really went on behind the scenes that split the band, besides my aforementioned critique of Bas' personality traits.
I find it funny when fans of a band say they "deserve" a reunion or it's the "right" thing to do. Just because you have bought albums and concert tickets and have been a fan for 25 years doesn't mean a band "owes" you anything. You got what you paid for...a CD or a live performance. Your emotional connection to a band doesn't equate to them doing what you want. It would be like me coming to your work and telling you how to do your job and who you need to work with, whether you like them or not. Sure, you're entitled to your opinion of what you'd LIKE to see, but it doesn't mean they should do it just to make your or 50,000 other people happy. Sure, some bands do it and are praised for it. That doesn't mean all of them should (or have to) do it.
Bottom line, there's not "millions" to be made for "everyone" from a Skid Row reunion. If timed right, they'd get decent billing on some European and Japanese festivals. But they'd still be playing clubs in the US on their own. I could possibly see a support slot for Poison, Def Leppard, etc, in sheds. As far as the re-releases, I can't see why these wouldn't happen because of Bach. Is that something he claims? The first two albums (the ones that are multi-platinum) are still in print, and he's likely still getting whatever limited royalties he sees from those. He only has writing credits on 10 songs on the 3 albums he sang on, and none of those are the hits that are still issued on compilations or might be used in movies, TV, etc. Even if he does still own his publishing, he's not getting rich off the songs he helped write. If Atlantic thought there was money to be made on the back catalog, they would've already remastered and issued deluxe versions, with or without the band's input. But instead, one of the greatest rock albums of all time, 'Slave To The Grind,' has been reduced to bargain bin status on Rhino's Flashback label.
Skid Row still makes good money doing fly-in weekends and the occasional bus run in the States, plus they've been playing a lot more internationally in the past couple of years. Just like their stance on Bach, I don't see this situation changing anytime soon.
P.S. Remastered versions of the first 2 Skid Row CD's would be amazing.
I was just listening to a bunch of unreleased songs/demos from that era yesterday & was blown away by how killer the songs were!