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Drummer Phil Varone, who
is perhaps best known from the band Saigon Kick, joined up with his Prunella
Scales bandmate Rachel Bolan and Bolan’s band SKID ROW during perhaps the
biggest tour of their careers, opening for the hottest band in the world
during an unbelievably long string of dates that took them around the
world.
Today, Varone is a full-fledged
member of the band, who is passionate about their talents and the new music
that they can’t wait to release to fans old and new…
He recalls what it was
like when he first accompanied SKID ROW (comprised of original and founding
members, Dave Sabo, Scotti Hill, and Rachel Bolan, as well as newcomer
Johnny Solinger) on the road opening for KISS. Amazingly, he only had about
three days and one rehearsal to prepare for such huge performances.
“Well, it
was amazing. I was pretty awestruck from everything that was happening
around me, because up until that point, I was playing in a band in LA and
doing other stuff, recording, but nothing major. I was looking for
something to do. All the sudden, Rachel calls me, and joining them just
seemed natural…but the minute I got there, and then I saw the caliber of the
tour, it kind of struck me and I was like WOW this is wild.
The first day I got
there, it was in Fargo. I walked out to go to catering or whatever, and
that was the first time I saw Gene in the paint and I was like ‘holy sh!t
man this is cool, this is the KISS tour’. I’m a fan, you know, so it was
great, it was like a dream come true. It was a great tour, it was a world
tour, and we played in front of a lot of people. So it was cool.”
Varone said his opinion
of KISS really didn’t change much after that tour. He is still a fan and he
thinks that it’s a great show. “They are fun people, they’re really nice
guys, and I had a great f*cking time. I would do it again in a second.”
Interestingly though, Varone pointed out that much like Saigon Kick who had
never made any money, at the end of the day, a band that has made
multi-millions of dollars, like KISS, is faced with the same problems and
personality conflicts. He said, “They have their problems just like any
other bands. What it proved to me though is that no matter how big or small
you are, you still have problems.”
Touring 130 shows with
KISS in total (75 with Varone on drums) and adding in one-off club dates in
between and a short club tour following the March to October run, Varone
says there was really no time for SKID ROW to fit in a new album then. But,
they did hit the studio soon after their extensive touring and have almost
completed their first new album since Subhuman Race (Atlantic).
“I
think it was because the tour was so sudden. I mean out of nowhere.
I know that they just got Johnny in the band, and two weeks later they got
the tour, it was so quick there wasn’t any time to prepare…We talk about
that to this day, if we had a record out we would have sold so many units.
That is why we’re getting everything in gear now for this tour, we’ll have
everything stylin’ when we finally get it out there…
We have to record a few
more things, I think when the tour starts, we are playing New Jersey the
first week or so, and we’re going to take like four days off and go into the
studio and finish it all up, and then immediately, as soon as its done and
mastered we’re going to put it out.”
Varone says that while
he is unsure of the details, they did still have a record deal with Atlantic
when he joined the band, but the label had rights to pass on the new album,
and they did. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing.
“To me its great, I’d
rather do it the way we’re doing it at this point. If we sell enough
units ourselves then we can basically dictate to a label what kind of deal
we want, and I that’s a lot better…personally I’d rather us make fifteen
dollars a record than a dollar a record. So, that’s what we’re looking
at, and right off the bat, the downloads (of their first single ‘Thick is
the Skin’) have been insane…people want to hear the single, people want to
hear new SKID ROW.
I think that it will do real well especially if we’re selling it at the
venues…I want to get this
record out, I want to make some f*cking money, and prove to the world that
SKID ROW is a great f*cking band without f*cking Sebastian (Bach) without
all that bullsh!t, it’s a completely different band it’s a way better band.
The band has never been this good.
I’ve known these guys
since 1990, and I’ve seen every stage of the band, and this is the best
band. We have the best frontman in Johnny Solinger without a doubt, the
best singer. I mean I just can’t say enough, and as far as the songs are
concerned, everybody loves the new single (Thick is the Skin). That’s just
a rock tune that we love, but there are songs on this record that are unf*cking
believable, that I just can’t even wait for people to hear.”
Without major label
distribution, when they release the album, it will be sold via their Web
site, possibly CD-NOW, and during meet-n-greet sessions for all of their
fans after every upcoming performance.
This summer, SKID ROW
fans can catch them on the Rock Never Stops (RNS) tour. Varone says the
band has already done a few weeks of warm-up performances, including club
dates and two dry runs with the whole RNS line-up, which also includes
Tesla, Vince Neil, and Jackyl. The tour will official kick off June 7th,
and SKID ROW will opening the show with thirty to forty minutes of material,
so get there early. Check out
www.skidrowonline.com to download the band's new single and find out
more about the tour at
www.rockneverstops.com. |
