FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
1. THE PONY INTERVIEW WITH SEBASTIAN BACH
2. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This Week at The Stone Pony: The 11th Annual Asbury Music Awards 2003 (Wednesday), Bret Michaels (Friday), Sebastian Bach (Saturday and Sunday)
New on the Pony Calendar: Pony Karaoke (October 22), Stanley Clarke (October 25), Halloween Havoc '04 with the Bouncing Souls (October 31), The Fourth Annual Light of Day Concert (November 1 & 2), Static X (November 7), Johnny Winter (November 8), Splintered Sunlight (November 14), Third Eye Blind (November 15), Oteil & The Peacemakers (November 18), A Tribute to Frank Zappa (November 23).
Sebastian Bach played his first show at the Stone Pony in 1987. Two years later, the entire whole knew Bach and his band Skid Row, as their self-titled debut hit the music world and the singles "Youth Gone Wild," "18 And Life," and "I Remember You" became ubiquitous on rock radio and all over Mtv. The later song, especially, showed off Bach's astonishing vocals and almost-operatic range. The Skids release a couple more successful albums with their charismatic frontman before Bach left the group. Bach has managed to do two things most of his metal contemporaries haven't been able to: continue making new music while not running away from his past, and branching out into new areas and becoming well-known outside of metal fandom. In addition to his solo career, Bach has gone dual routes on the small screen and, most surprisingly, Broadway. Fans of the Great White Way might have not been familiar with Bach's resume when he first appeared in ads for "Jekyll & Hyde," but he not only succeeded in the starring role, he also parlayed that acclaim into two follow-up roles in two years. On TV, Bach has a long working relationship with VH1, participating in a number of their popular series, and performing a stint with his own show, "Forever Wild." Now, temporarily freed of stage obligations, Bach has put all of his considerable energies into writing new music, putting a new band -- the Bach Tight 5 -- together and hitting the road and rock out and kick ass as only he can. Bach took some time out from filming "The Gilmore Girls," from his trailer on the Warner Bros. lot in Hollywood, California, to answer these questions for The Stone Pony about all of these aspects of his diverse and fascinating career, as well as prime everyone for his two upcoming shows at the club on Saturday and Sunday, October 18/19. A similar weekend last year was a sold out hit, and there's no doubt that this year's shows will be just as killer must-be-there events.
The Stone Pony: There’s a lot of new stuff going on in your career these days, most notably a new band, the Bach Tight 5. What made you want to put a band together again and tour, and how did you happen to get together with these four guys who are from different parts of the country?
Sebastian Bach: Well, I am always working on new music and looking to go on tour, but my career definitely took something of a sidetrack in the year 2000. That is when I played the lead role in Broadway's "Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical". Then, in October 2001, I played "Riff Raff" in Broadway's "The Rocky Horror Show Live". Then, I had my own television show called "Forever Wild" on VH1 for five months in early 2002. After that, in October 2002, I began my third Broadway musical, where I played "Jesus Christ" in "Jesus Christ Superstar." That Broadway show started in California and went across the USA. I did eight shows a week for six months and never missed a show! So, with all of that going on, I did not have proper time to concentrate on new songs. But, all of the summer of 2003 I have been doing nothing but writing material for my second solo CD. I posted an "ad" on my website looking for potential musicians for my band and I ended up auditioning many talented players. I ended up choosing Randal X Rawlings and Adam Albright on guitars, Cheeze on bass and Mark "BamBam" McConnell on drums for the live band. I am also writing songs with an incredible songwriter named Mike Dover. Randall, Cheeze and Mike are from a Memphis, Tennessee, band called Dead Tight 5; Adam Albright is from the bands Dopesick and Skinlab, and BamBam is known to my fans as the drummer for Sebastian Bach & Friends.
The Stone Pony: You’re touring now with the band; how much new material do you have worked into your live set?
SB: The fans will decide how much brand new stuff will be in the set according to their reaction to the material. All I can say is that there will definitely be some new fresh tones blasting out of the PA, but I am a fan of rock myself and sometimes I don't want to go to see a band to go learn new material, but I want to hear my favorites by that particular artist and stick my fist in the air and scream out all the words to the songs, so this set will be a kick-ass mixture of both the old and new.
The Stone Pony: On some of the shows on your current tour, you'll be sharing the stage with Twister Sister. What do you make of the trend over the past few years of all of these metal bands from the 80s getting together and putting on tours, and those musicians whose bands are no longer together, trying to form new units and hitting the road? Does it seem strange to you that these bands clearly have an audience out there who want to hear their music, yet there don’t seem to be new acts (or record labels) making music to grab that audience?
SB: What other bands do with their careers really has no influence on what I do with mine. I look at music as a form of self-expression and everyone is different in their own way, so I myself have turned down many of those kind of "'80s package" tours because they seem focused on nostalgia and I myself have absolutely no interest in nostalgia. Of course, people who don't know any better might label Twisted Sister and BT5 an "80s tour," but those people have no idea of the power, majesty, musical proficiency and absolute rock 'n' roll experience that is TWISTED F*CKING SISTER. Together, we will annihilate the stage and completely crush anyone who has the balls to buy a ticket to this Metal extravaganza! As far as record labels go, I am totally fortunate and excited to be signed to Spitfire Records, who released my first solo CD Bring 'em Bach Alive! and who will be releasing my second solo CD as soon as it is done.
The Stone Pony: You’ve been working for a little while on the planned release of a new DVD, “Forever Wild”. It is fair to say that it’s going to be a retrospective of your career, including concert footage, clips from “Jekyll & Hyde” and footage from your show on VH1? Want to give readers your best sales pitch for the DVD, and let us know when you think it’ll be available and fans can get their hands on it?
SB: The first ever Sebastian Bach DVD "Forever Wild" will be in stores soon! It will consist of clips from my TV show "Forever Wild" along with a SB&F concert from ninety-eight recorded at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Hollywood, CA. I have been trying to get clearance to put some Jekyll & Hyde footage on the DVD as well, but due to all the unions involved with Broadway productions, that has turned out to be a little more difficult to do than I thought it would be. But the DVD will be in stores in early 2004 and I can't wait for you to check it out!
The Stone Pony: Speaking of VH1, you’ve had a good working relationship with that network, most recently doing some interviews for their “I Love the 70s” series. Can you give us an idea of how those shows are put together? Do they just sit you down for a while and talk, and pick out good material? Do they give you a selection of topics to be discussed beforehand and let you know what they’re looking for, or it is more freewheeling?
SB: You can see me on their brand-new show "I Love the Eighties Strikes Back" which premieres October 20, '03. Other shows I have recently filmed for them but have not yet aired are "When Metal Ruled The World" and "50 Most Shocking Moments In Rock". They basically sit me down for an hour or four and pick my brain about whatever they feel like! I love the channel and think they have a lot to do with keeping rock alive and well in the USA!
The Stone Pony: A few years ago, you joined the theatre world with a very successful run on Broadway in “Jekyll & Hyde”, which you’ve followed-up with a few other roles. Was theatre something you had always wanted to do, or was that just an opportunity that presented itself and you went for? Would you be interested in returning to the stage, and how actively do you pursue roles?
SB: I never in a million years envisioned myself as a Broadway leading man, let alone starring in three Broadway musicals. The chance to star in J&H was given to me by Jason Flom at Atlantic Records, who also put out J&H cast CDs . The success of J&H lead to Rocky Horror and Jesus Christ Superstar. I have been offered another Broadway show called The Exonerated, but I really just want to put out another CD right now and ROCK!
The Stone Pony: Screaming in front of a metal band, and working a Broadway schedule are probably two of the more difficult vocal tasks a singer can undertake, and you’ve been doing both for years. Do you have any tricks or rituals for keeping your voice in shape, and do you do any regular training or exercises to maintain your pipes? Have you found that your voice has changed over the years, and certain things becomes easier or more difficult?
SB: I warm up vocally more than any other singer I have ever met in my life. I am very fortunate to have a voice which gets stronger the more I use it, not the other way around. That is the only way I could have done eight shows a week for six months in JCS and never missed a show. The one thing I use that has made singing a lot easier for me are inner-ear monitors, which when they came out in 1995 improved my pitch immeasurably. Also doing the three Broadway shows have made me realize that it is possible to push the voice and body to more extremes than I had previously thought.
The Stone Pony: Is it easier performing in front of a rock crowd, where the audience is moving and screaming along with you or on stage where the audience is silent and concentrating on the performance? While every good musician spends time doing sound checks preparing for a gig, it is a different experience when you’re singing in a room designed for superior acoustics and a few hundred people are hanging on your every note?
SB: It is absolutely more challenging to sing on a Broadway stage than a rock stage, due obviously to the lack of amplification. Broadway only uses supplemental microphones used only to enhance the projection of the voice, not alter or change it in any way. Also, the lack of a rock band playing at the volume of the Concorde jet means that the voice is a lot more naked on the Broadway stage.
The Stone Pony: Your last two back-to-back shows at the Pony last year were sold-out smashes, and a lot of people are looking forward to your return for two more gigs this month. What stands out in your mind about those shows, and what can fans expect when they come by for the evenings this time around? Will you be performing your new material, stuff from your solo albums, old Skid Row tunes?
SB: YES to all the questions in the last sentence! I have been playing the Stone Pony since eighty-seven and it is a very special place to me and my fans and friends and family alike! I am looking forward to kicking ass for two nights at the Pony like I have been for 16 years now! (Wow!)
The Stone Pony: You’ve got about a month of live shows booked at this point. What’s going to be next in your career? Do you plan to work on developing the band into a full-time recording and performing endeavor, or will it be one of other things you’ll be doing. Has this group replaced your doing any new “solo” material?
SB: I am working hard on my second solo CD with these guys and hope to put it out in spring '04! Then I will be hitting the road and "Sebastian Bach and The Bach Tight 5" will be LIVE across the planet and we will never come home! Looking forward to seeing you at the Pony this month and introducing you to BT5!
Sebastian Bach's official website can be found at www.sebastianbbach.com.
Now at AsburyPark.net:
Boardwalk demolition underway
The multi-million reconstruction of the city's boardwalk
has begun. This week heavy machinery began demolishing the decayed and
rotting boards at the south end of the walkway near the Casino. Demolition
and reconstruction will proceed north.
Thursday Nights: Ladies Night
The best mix of house, trance,
progressive and vocal. 18 to enter, 21 to drink (ID mandatory). Drink
specials. Doors open at 9:30 pm. DJ Prime and B.G. are on the wheels of
steel ... Dress to impress - our promoters are tough on the door ... Come
see for yourself what all the hype is about. It's on every Thursday
only at The Stone Pony!
