It’s been nearly two years since Skid Row parted ways with singer Erik Gronwall. According to bassist Rachel Bolan, they’re starting to make progress on finally finding a replacement.
“We have a couple guys on our radar,” he confirmed in a recent interview with the Rockstrap podcast. He says that here in the new year, they’re planning to audition more people with the assistance of their management and also, producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush).
It’s been a fairly detailed process, as he discussed with hosts Don Jamieson and Keith Roth. “We’re all going through each person saying, like, ‘Okay, let’s get in a room with this person [or] this person is a little too young, or a little too green, or they can’t sing. Who told them they could sing?'”
The personality part is key as they look to select their next singer and to that end, Bolan says they’re making good headway. “We have a couple guys on our radar that we’re pretty excited about,” he shared. “So hopefully before the end of the year, we’ll be out back out on the road.”
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Skid Row has had a number of different frontmen in the nearly 30 years since they parted ways with Sebastian Bach. “You know, it’s just, it’s just one of those things, man,” Bolan laments. “We had a really good thing going with Erik. I think the road was just too much for him [with] his past health issues and whatnot.”
“It just didn’t work out, which was a bummer. He was great,” the bassist continued. “I mean, he fit right in. We’ve been writing songs, though. I wish we all lived within an hour of each other, rather than flights away. That would make s–t so much easier.”
Listen to Rachel Bolan on the ‘Rockstrap’ Podcast
What Skid Row Has Been Doing
In addition to writing songs, the ’80s hair metal legends did do a short run of shows in the early part of 2024. Lzzy Hale of Halestorm stepped in to offer assistance on vocals in May of that year as they were working to fulfill some dates they had on the books following Gronwall’s unexpected exit.
It seems that fans who continue to hope for a reunion with Bach might happen should place those energies elsewhere as both Bolan and Snake Sabo have said multiple times it’s not going to happen.
There is new music on deck though as Bolan himself is finalizing a solo album that according to his comments during the Rockstrap interview should be out as soon as June. The Gang’s All Here, Skid Row’s most recent studio album, was released in October of 2022.
READ MORE: Watch Skid Row Play First Show With Lzzy Hale
Skid Row Singers: Where Are They Now?
The band has kept a revolving door over the years.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
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Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
