At a recent solo performance at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sebastian Bach, former lead singer of Skid Row, took a moment to refute his ex-bandmate Rachel Bolan’s statements regarding who really wrote the band’s songs.
On February 24, right after performing ‘Makin’ A Mess’ from their debut album, Bach addressed the audience, as captured in a video by Melvin Zoopers. He contested his former bandmates’ claims about their role in the songwriting process. Bach pointed out:
“You might come across some comments online from my old bass and guitar players saying, ‘Oh, we were the brains behind 98 percent of that stuff.’ But just so you know, if you check the credits, you’ll see I had a hand in writing that last song. I contributed to those lyrics. Here’s a sample of what I wrote: ‘One, two, baby what you do / Three, four, let me show you the door…’ It’s practically poetic. Those lines are some of the rhyming couplets I came up with.”The controversy stems from a December 2023 conversation Bolan had on the Radio Forrest podcast. Asked whether the ‘Skid Row’ album was complete before Sebastian added his vocals, Bolan confirmed:
“Essentially, yes — aside from a few tweaks here and there, about 98 percent was already written. That’s just how things turned out. Snake [Dave Sabo, Skid Row guitarist] and I hit it off from the start, writing songs before we even thought of forming a band. We’d perform separately but collaborate on songwriting.”
“Once we realized the potential of our songs, we decided to form Skid Row and showcase them. It evolved over a couple of stages, but ultimately, it was Snake and I who primarily wrote the songs. That doesn’t mean we weren’t open to input from others.”
Regarding how songs were chosen for the band, Bolan emphasized the collective decision-making process:
“Every band member’s opinion mattered when it came to selecting songs, even if sometimes my next ‘Stairway To Heaven’ got a lukewarm reception. It’s a group effort; all five members have to be on board for a song to make it as a Skid Row track.”
Bach has previously voiced his frustration with claims from his former Skid Row bandmates that they were the sole songwriters. Speaking on the Snider Comments podcast, he stressed that his unique vocal style and melodies were pivotal to the band’s sound, suggesting that a comparison of the band’s work with and without him, along with his solo efforts, would highlight his significant contributions.
