Interview with Skid Row co-founder and guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo

INTERVIEW WITH SKID ROW CO-FOUNDER AND GUITARIST DAVE “SNAKE” SABO
Date: April 5, 2023
Interviewer: Olivier
Photos: Joe Schaeffer Photography (first, third and fourth photographs), Christopher Carroll ROCK Photography (second photograph)

BACK IN 1989, ONE OF MY MOST PLAYED ALBUMS WAS SKID ROW’S DEBUT SELF-TITLED RECORD. BY THE TIME THAT SEBASTIAN BACH LEFT THE GROUP IN 1996, MY INTEREST IN THE GROUP DISSIPATED AND REALLY ONLY GOT RENEWED WHEN THE BAND MEMBERS CONSISTING OF GUITARISTS DAVE “SNAKE” SABO AND SCOTTI HILL, BASSIST RACHEL BOLAN AND DRUMMER ROB HAMMERSMITH SWITCHED LEAD VOCALISTS FROM ZP THEART TO FORMER H.E.A.T FRONTMAN ERIK GRÖNWALL. NOT ONLY DID GRÖNWALL SEEM TO REALLY REVITALIZE THE BAND BUT SKID ROW WENT ON TO RELEASE THEIR BEST ALBUM SINCE 1991’S ‘SLAVE TO THE GRIND‘ WITH 2022’S ‘THE GANG’S ALL HERE.’ HOW GOOD IS SKID ROW’S NEW ALBUM? SLEAZE ROXX READERS VOTED IT AS THE #1 ALBUM OF 2022 AND IT FIGURED ON A RATHER IMPRESSIVE 48% OF THE VOTES THAT WERE CASTED.

I RECENTLY HAD THE PLEASURE OF INTERVIEWING ONE OF SKID ROW’S FOUNDING MEMBERS — GUITARIST DAVE “SNAKE” SABO. WHAT I WASN’T EXPECTING WHEN SPEAKING WITH “SNAKE” WAS HOW DOWN TO EARTH AND HUMBLE THAT HE CAME ACROSS. IT LITERALLY FELT LIKE HE WOULD BE A GREAT GUY TO HANG OUT WITH AND HAVE A BEER. YET AT THE SAME TIME, IT ALSO FELT LIKE HE WAS A TOTAL PRO WHEN DOING THE INTERVIEW. ITS FUNNY, I WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT WANTED SKID ROW TO REUNITE WITH BACH BUT AFTER SPEAKING WITH “SNAKE”, I NOW FINALLY GET WHY THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA AND FRANKLY WHY IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

Sleaze Roxx: Thank you for doing the interview. Let’s get began since I do know time is proscribed. I’m going to attempt to ask you some questions that you simply haven’t been requested earlier than as a result of I do know that you’ve got performed a ton of interviews since Erik has been within the band. Let’s begin off with a straightforward one. How was the co-headlining tour with Buckcherry?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Man, it’s been an excellent higher tour than I had anticipated. Not so far as touring with Buckcherry [because] we’ve toured with them earlier than. They’re nice folks. They’re a terrific band. They convey it each evening. They have nice vitality. And it’s a type of issues the place we’re acquainted. We’re touring with people who we all know and persons are coming to the reveals! People are popping out. We’re promoting out a bunch of the dates and if not, close to sellouts, so it’s been a very, actually wonderful expertise thus far. So we’re going to exit and do two or three extra legs of it collectively all through the remainder of the yr and into subsequent yr. And once more, I didn’t anticipate this nice of a response and I’m actually, actually grateful for everyone that’s popping out and I’m humbled any that reveals of assist that they’ve been giving this tour.

Sleaze Roxx: Cool! Since you’re going to be doing different legs, is all of it going to be within the US or are you doing different nations as effectively?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: We’re going to do Canada as effectively. We’re going to do an in depth tour of Canada.

Sleaze Roxx: Fantastic! And are you shocked by the response to ‘The Gang’s All Here’, the album, as a result of each evaluate that I’ve seen has been incredible. The Sleaze Roxx readers named it the primary album of 2022. So are you shocked by how good the response has been?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: I imply, look — sure, I’m shocked by it. Obviously, pleasantly shocked. To have the Sleaze Roxx readers voting us to primary is fairly unbelievable. It’s a type of issues the place we go into making a report the identical method each time. We have to be actually egocentric about it. I do know it sounds bizarre however what I imply by that’s that we’ve to consider pleasing ourselves first so we’re not disingenuous after we put it out to the general public. We want to love the songs to the most effective of our skill and those which have 100% of our consideration, our coronary heart and our soul. As lengthy as we do this, then it’s out of our palms. It’s as much as the general public to determine how they really feel about it and so the truth that this report has linked so effectively with the general public, it’s simply, it’s actually humbling. And to search out out that it has debuted within the Top 20 in 10 or 11 nations, I can’t even begin to let you know what meaning. Just from a standpoint that we haven’t been capable of accomplish that in 27 years!

It’s simply unbelievable that in any case this time, we by no means stopped touring, we by no means stopped making music [but] it’s simply that on this specific time and place, the way in which Skid Row is now and the people who we encompass ourselves with — our report label as effectively — it simply clicked and simply labored. Like I stated slightly bit in the past, you all the time hope — the large hope — is you can join with folks. That what you might be writing about and the music that you simply’re making can someway make its approach to join with folks as a result of that’s what it’s all about. That’s the one motive that we’re nonetheless round — as a result of we’ve been capable of join with folks for the final 36 years. And I by no means ever thought that we might nonetheless be making music 36 years down the road. But that was all the time the aim. When we made our first report, everyone had their delusions of grandeur — you understand, promote thousands and thousands of data and all that.

Sleaze Roxx: Which you probably did! Which you probably did although [laughs].

Dave “Snake” Sabo: We did and all of us wished that in fact however the reality of the matter and the guts of the place we’re at, and nonetheless are, is that we simply wished to make data that have been adequate to permit us to make one other report. And that’s the way in which it has all the time been as a result of we’ve all the time on the coronary heart of it wished to make music for a residing and we’ve been ready to take action, and once more, that’s due to the followers and people who have supported Skid Row. That actually is what the premise is as a result of we don’t know tips on how to do anything. We wished to be afforded the chance to make music for a residing, and thank God that’s what has occurred in our careers.

Sleaze Roxx: Did you lose religion that you’d get again to that degree, like you understand stepping into the Billboard charts or stepping into the Top 20?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: No!

Sleaze Roxx: Or did you all the time suppose that it could occur after what you possibly can name a 27 yr drought?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: I didn’t suppose… I’ll be sincere with you, I form of wasn’t listening to that till the report firm introduced it to our consideration.

Sleaze Roxx: OK.

Dave “Snake” Sabo: I used to be simply glad — I knew when it was performed that it was a fairly cool report. And all of us felt it after we have been within the course of of constructing it. There’s so many issues that occurred after we made the report. There was a lot serendipity concerned all through the course of this course of that it wasn’t presupposed to occur the way in which it did. It was utterly unlikely and the way in which we went about it, you actually can’t even write these things. It’s loopy ’trigger nobody would consider you the way in which all of it got here to be. So to have the ability to look again at the previous couple of years, the touring that we did, the choice to get Erik within the band, the report that we made with — the pandemic was thrown it there too — and the report that we have been capable of make with Nick Raskulinecz, it was simply…. Yeah, with out Nick, this report simply doesn’t exist. That’s only a reality. I imply, he was the captain of this ship and we put all our belief in him. We adopted and he led us down the trail to the place we’re at now. And I can’t overstate sufficient how vital and necessary he’s to Skid Row and can proceed to be.

Sleaze Roxx: Cool! Now one factor that struck me concerning the band getting Erik within the band is that you simply guys actually did a leap of religion to have him be a part of the band. You have a historical past the place issues didn’t work out with Sebastian [Bach]…

Dave “Snake” Sabo: [Laughs]

Sleaze Roxx: So personalities conflict form of factor after which hastily, you’re taking this man that you’ve got by no means met earlier than and bang! He’s within the band! So how did that course of work out?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: If you’re taking a look at it from the skin from the place you’re sitting, I’m positive it appears to be like loopy!

Sleaze Roxx: [Laughs]

Dave “Snake” Sabo: If you had been within the room with us when all of this was taking place, you’ll completely suppose it’s loopy. Now, clearly it [turned out to be] was the suitable factor to do however we had no thought. We have been occurring intestine intuition alone as a result of so far as being degree headed about it [laughs] and practical or no matter, it was utterly out of line with that. You know, we had reveals that we had dedicated to with the Scorpions residency. We needed to end this report. At one level, we didn’t know the way we have been going to do. We knew that we wanted to make a change with ZP [Theart]. Things have been simply going in several instructions. There was no animosity in any respect. I feel that he’s a very gifted man and I had a number of enjoyable with him however we, the band, and him have been transferring in several instructions. We had hoped that we might bridge that hole and it simply didn’t work out that method. The hole widened.

So after we made that call, ‘OK, we have to part ways with Z’, we had the entire report recorded with out the vocals. There have been possibly two to a few information vocals on there but it surely was apparent that we wanted to make a change. We didn’t know what we have been going to do and Rachel had instructed Erik. We had been conscious of Erik for fairly a while. In 2019, his band H.E.A.T toured with us in Europe. We by no means actually acquired to know him however we acquired to listen to him each evening and we all the time commented on how nice of a singer that he was. And we have been conscious — or a minimum of, I used to be conscious — concerning the Swedish idol factor that he did with “18 And Life.” I used to be conscious of that.

Erik Grönwall performing “18 And Life” on Swedish Idol again in 2009:

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Oddly sufficient, round 2015-2016, it was talked about to us a few occasions, ‘We know that you guys are doing good.’ These are different folks speaking. ‘We know you guys are cool and everything like that but should everything fall apart, there’s this man in Sweden.’ We have been like, ‘Yeah, we know. He’s nice. He’s nice.’ And then, Erik was posting a number of YouTube stuff and Rachel stated, ‘Why don’t we see if this man is ?’ And so, we didn’t wish to come out proper off the bat and say, ‘Hey, do you want to audition for Skid Row?’ We simply known as him up or Rachel ‘pm-ed’ him [sent him a personal message] and we stated, ‘We have some songs that we’re playing around with. We would love to listen to what your voice seems like on them.’ And instantly, his spouse advised him, ‘They’re stuffed with crap. They’re auditioning you.’

Erik Grönwall‘s “18 And Life” video (launched in 2021):

Sleaze Roxx: [Laughs]

Dave “Snake” Sabo: She was proper. We despatched him “The Gang’s All Here” and it was nice. It was actually nice. I bear in mind I used to be in an airport lounge and Rachel was in one other airport, and we have been all form of scattered. We have been all in the course of touring home after some reveals. Rachel requested me, ‘Did you listen to it yet?’ And I stated, ‘No.’ [Rachel responded] ‘You’ve acquired to hearken to it.’ I stated, ‘OK but I’ve acquired no privateness.’ So I went into the lavatory, went within the stall and put it as much as my ear and listened to it and I texted again, ‘You’ve acquired to be kidding me.’ Everybody was like ‘Holy shit!’ It was a ‘holy shit’ second for positive. And Nick included! And so, we have been like ‘This is great’ however we’re very guarded and cynical and skeptical so we’re like, ‘Let’s ship him a pair extra songs. Make positive that this isn’t an anomaly. He’s actually nailing these songs.’ We despatched him two songs and he despatched them again and we have been blown away. Like ‘You’ve acquired to be kidding me? This is what we have been listening to for these songs.’ He was bringing what our imaginative and prescient was for these songs. He was bringing what our imaginative and prescient was to convey these songs to life.

It was completely the right lacking piece of the puzzle. And after we acquired these two songs again, even Nick was like, ‘This is next level shit man! This is the real deal!’ And so we couldn’t fly him over to the States at that specific time as a result of he nonetheless had well being points he was coping with as I’m positive that you’re conscious of his restoration and his battle with most cancers. So he was nonetheless in restoration from that. He sang eight of the ten songs on the report remotely. Now that is all occurring whereas we’ve by no means sat in a room with this man and have a beer or performed one observe of music. So it’s unbelievable. It’s surreal. Like asking him to hitch the band occurs on a Zoom name. You know, we had by no means been in a room with this man and we’re asking him to hitch the band. It’s loopy! Life doesn’t work like that. We weren’t questioning it to some extent the place it could be debilitating. We have been simply questioning truly how is that this occurring this manner? It doesn’t work like this however we simply adopted our instincts. And so after we went to go — he was effectively sufficient to do the Scorpions residency.

So fast story, the Scorpions’ residency begins on March twenty sixth final yr. We didn’t meet him till March twenty second. He flew in to JFK. I met him on the airport as a result of that’s the place I used to be flying out of and hastily, I see him and it was like a buddy seeing a buddy from 30 years in the past. It was hugs, laughing, let’s go to the bar and get a beer collectively, speaking about our influences… We all have the identical influences and the identical silly sense of humour. It simply clicked. I simply stored trying up above and going, ‘Who’s ever up there, thanks a lot [laughs]’ as a result of it was unbelievable. So we flew to [Las] Vegas and we meet with the remainder of the fellows, and it’s the identical factor — hugs, laughs, consuming beer and consuming dinners. We went into rehearsal the following day and it was nice. The solely drawback that we had — it wasn’t even an issue — we had to determine who we have been with one another on this incarnation of the band on stage. We have been additionally accustomed to how he projected himself on stage and that may have an effect on everyone else. And additionally simply segways for going from one tune to a different, cues and issues like that. That would include time however musically, it was nice! He had performed his homework. He knew these songs in and out. So the following day, we spent once more rehearsing — that was the Thursday. So he flew in on Tuesday. We jammed on Wednesday and Thursday. We felt so good about it that we took Friday off and we performed our first present on Saturday.

Sleaze Roxx: Ha [laughs]! That’s cool!

Dave “Snake” Sabo: That’s unbelievable.

Skid Row‘s “Time Bomb” video (from The Gang’s All Here album):

Sleaze Roxx: That’s very cool! Now as a lot as it’s working with Erik, ZP then again, I seen that he has a few co-writing credit on the album so clearly, he was contributing at that time. The vocals aren’t on the album but. Is that while you made your choice, ‘We should part with ZP.’

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Yes. There was a — once more, a type of issues that we noticed coming for some time and we hoped that it could work itself out, and it simply wasn’t. It’s all of our faults for it not figuring out. We’re all accountable as a result of we’re all a part of it. We had a bunch of excellent years with him however once more, all of us acquired to that time the place we realized that we have been travelling in several instructions, and the report was simply not popping out the way in which that we had envisioned it. And so we form of needed to make a change and we have been enthusiastic about ending this report.

Sleaze Roxx: How come it took so lengthy to launch this album as a result of I feel it was about eight years since your final EP [‘United World Rebellion: Chapter Two’ which was released on August 5, 2014] and this one right here [‘The Gang’s All Here’]?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Errrr. Obviously, our observe report proves that we don’t have fast releases of data. I don’t know why that’s. We’re actually specific. We actually need the songs to be pretty much as good as they’ll. And once more, you hope to hook up with an viewers, and generally you do, and generally you don’t. But in our brains, we’re on the market making data but it surely’s acquired to be the most effective that it could presumably be at that specific juncture of our lives. Maybe that has one thing to do with it. We’ve been touring continuous. We haven’t stopped touring [laughs]. We don’t write very effectively on the highway in order that’s undoubtedly one thing to issue about. And in fact, the [Covid] pandemic affected folks in many various methods. It utterly suffocated my creativity. I used to be nugatory so far as concepts throughout the pandemic. Lots of people have been very productive. I used to be not one among them [laughs].

Sleaze Roxx: Fair sufficient. I wished to ask you — I believed that your [new] album title was tremendous witty — ‘The Gang’s All Here’….

Dave “Snake” Sabo: [Laughs]

Sleaze Roxx: So how did you give you it and clearly, you knew that it could ship a sure message as effectively? So what have been the discussions in that regard?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Well, we had written the tune. The tune had been written together with the remainder of the report. And we had toyed with a bunch of names and we stored coming again to — and particularly after Erik joined the band — and we felt that ‘Yeah, this is just right. This feels like a situation where the total is greater than the sum of its parts.’ Where collectively as a unit, we’re far more highly effective than we’re as people added as much as each other if that makes any sense.

Sleaze Roxx: Yeah.

Dave “Snake” Sabo: So we felt that tune title was applicable on a bunch of various ranges. It felt like ‘Yeah. here we are.’ And we’re when it comes to our solidarity, we’re a gang. So it simply appeared to be the suitable selection as a result of we stored coming again to it.

Skid Row‘s “The Gang’s All Here” video (from The Gang’s All Here album):

Sleaze Roxx: With the brand new album’s success and everybody seemingly actually excited to have Erik in Skid Row, do you discover that the entire Sebastian Bach reuniting with you guys had died down or utterly? Because I don’t hear a lot of that anymore.

Dave “Snake” Sabo: I don’t actually hear it in any respect.

Sleaze Roxx: So it should be a very welcomed factor for you guys as a result of for some time, that’s all that you simply have been answering [about].

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Yeah, it was like 4 years’ value.

Sleaze Roxx: Ha [laughs]!

Dave “Snake” Sabo: You know, it’s foolish. It’s simply foolish. We’re so targeted on the right here and now, and what we’ve been capable of accomplish, and what we really feel we’ve a chance to perform in our future, in order that’s not even a part of the thought course of. And it hasn’t been for 20 one thing years. You know, there was a short second in time that it was being thought of however that

fizzled out actually fast. We’ve been actually staunched in our place and remained. This is who we are actually. We’ve gone by way of a number of iterations of the band and everyone who’s been within the band has performed an necessary position, a method or one other, in permitting us to proceed on. And that is the place we are actually and Erik is our singer, and we’re pleased with that. We’re pleased with the report that we have been capable of make collectively, and once more, we’re already writing songs for the following report. Erik is concerned in that and I really feel the world has opened up once more for us in a way. And I’m actually grateful for that. Again, like I stated, the response for this report has been actually, actually humbling, and we’ll proceed touring and we’ll proceed to launch some product as effectively alongside the way in which. There’s another stuff within the works for afterward within the late summer time. All this time, we’ll be doing Europe dates with KISS. It’s simply one other unbelievable alternative. We toured with them on their first ‘farewell’ tour in 2000, and to be concerned with this one, it’s simply — on a small degree in fact — it’s simply such an honour to be requested to you understand assist them and open up for them on this final go round for them.

Sleaze Roxx: Right. That’s cool! What concerning the setlist for you guys? It should be actually exhausting to do. You have two multi-platinum albums that individuals love however I seen that there are solely two new songs within the setlist. I bear in mind when Accept acquired Mark Tornillo as their new lead vocalist, they form of compelled the brand new songs [from ‘Blood of The Nations‘]. It was a great album. They had like five new songs [in their setlist]. I find that ‘The Gang’s All Here’ is a incredible album and from a fan’s perspective, I’m like ‘Why don’t you play extra new songs?’ as a result of they’re nice….

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Well, thanks.

Sleaze Roxx: … And I feel that individuals would wish to hear them [live].

Dave “Snake” Sabo: When we do a 60-minute set, which is the setlist that you simply’re taking a look at, we really feel that to try to please as many individuals as we are able to, we’ve to play sure songs from our previous and we’ve to be sure that the brand new songs that we’re placing in match inside the remainder of the set and the older stuff. Sometimes, it appears to be like good on paper however you attempt it within the set and it simply doesn’t work. Songs like “The Gang’s All Here” match completely subsequent to songs like “Makin’ A Mess” or “Riot Act.” “Time Bomb” suits in effectively with a tune like “The Threat.” These songs work with each other and so we’re experimenting as we go alongside. When we play longer units, we throw extra new songs in there.

Sleaze Roxx: Fair sufficient. Any ideas on doing a dwell album?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Yes!

Sleaze Roxx: Yes?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Absolutely. We recorded a bunch of stuff after we have been final in Europe and we’re going by way of that proper now to see if that is one thing that we wish to pursue additional.

Sleaze Roxx: Cool! I hope that you simply do launch it. My final query for you and it’s slightly bit off the cuff, in your “thank you’s” [in ‘The Gang’s All Here’ CD booklet], you thank a few people who I believed was attention-grabbing. Two of them are wrestlers. One of them is Chris Jericho. One of them is Bubba Ray Dudley. Obviously, Chris Jericho has a number of ties to the music business so I’m not shocked there however how are you aware Bubba Ray Dudley and what has he meant that he could be included in your “thank you’s” for the album?

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Well, Bubba and I am going again to when he first began in ECW [Extreme Championship Wrestling]. I might be going to the ECW home reveals every time they have been in New Jersey and that’s the place he acquired his begin — his actual begin — was in ECW. So we met by way of that and we’ve all the time grew to become — we hit it off very well — and he’s all the time been an unbelievable supporter of us and me. So we all the time maintained a friendship all through the years. And then he began co-hosting ‘Busted Open’ with Dave LaGreca, and he requested me to come back on. Even earlier than he was a co-host on there, he could be on there continuously as a visitor — not a commentator however a visitor host. He would all the time name me and say, ‘Dude, call into this show right now and it will freak my co-worker out, which was Dave LaGreca.’ So I might and from there, we simply stored building our relationship, hanging out collectively. Him and his buddies are my buddies. He’s such a loyal straight forward pure individual. He stands behind what he says. He believes what he says. He is such a form benevolent man however he’s straight up. He doesn’t fiddle and I like that about him. And he’s sincere with me as I’m with him. And we’ve nice, nice conversations concerning the music business, the wrestling business, and the way it impacts our lives.

I take into account him a very pricey buddy as I do with Chris. I’ve recognized Chris since ’95. We met in Japan throughout one of many wrestling matches in Japan. And he was on the cardboard. I suppose that he knew I used to be coming. I suppose that the promoter advised him that I used to be coming. We had simply launched ‘Subhuman Race’ [1994]. He knew every part about that report, in all probability extra so than I did. So he’s been a buddy ever since and we’ve all the time stored our friendship alive. You know, I’m not shocked by the success that he’s achieved with Fozzy. That’s simply who he’s. He is a decided, by no means say no, kind of man. He’s acquired a terrific work ethic and you understand, he simply doesn’t get discouraged. He simply powers by way of and retains transferring ahead. That’s proven in his wrestling profession. He’s probably the greatest to ever do it for actual and that’s saying loads. I’m a fanatic. I’m a complete mark. I’ve been since I’ve been a baby. Since I’ve been eight years outdated, I’ve been going to wrestling matches at Madison Square Garden. Meeting Chris — I used to be a fanboy. And so by way of the years, we’ve stored involved as mates do and nonetheless stay nice mates to this present day. We break one another’s balls as a lot as we are able to however I’ve great, great respect for him for all that he has been capable of accomplish each within the wrestling ring and musically. And he earns each little bit of it. He earns it! That man is continuous!

Sleaze Roxx: Well, thanks very a lot for doing the interview with me. It was a number of enjoyable listening to your tales and your ideas.

Dave “Snake” Sabo: Well, I recognize the time bud! I actually do. I recognize the time.

Skid Row‘s “Tear It Down” video (from The Gang’s All Here album):