It’s been four long years since SKID ROW has visited Australia, and during that time, much has happen. Most significantly, former Dragonforce vocalist, ZP Theart, has joined the fold, giving us the chance to see him up front. DAVEY RINTALA spoke with DAVE ‘SNAKE’ SABO in the lead up to the band’s upcoming tour to talk about the impact ZP has made to the band, new recordings, Pantera, and the band’s love of coffee.
Hey Snake, it’s Davey here from Reverb Online in Australia, how you doing?
Hey, how are ya, you’re right on time!
I tried to be right on 9 am on the dot, well 9 o’clock here anyway
Well done
Now before we talk about the big news of the upcoming Australian tour, how is the progress of Chapter 3 of the United World Rebellion Trilogy coming along? It’s been over four years now since Chapter 2, Rise of the Damnation Army was released, and the fans are super hungry to hear some new material
Well, as you well know we have ZP Theart in the band, and part of the delay was the process of having him join the band, and then making sure that it was going to work. Given what we had put ourselves through previously (laughter), and once we realised that it was not only going to work, but was going to work beyond our expectations. Then we just started booking shows like crazy, we just wanted to get out and play as many shows with ZP in the band as possible, to re-establish who Skid Row is. With us being able to do that we then realised how good this guy is not only as a singer, but as a person and just as the right guy for the band.
His ego is so far in the background it’s ridiculous, he’s all about what’s good for the band, and he never ever has taken a position of what can Skid Row do to raise my visibility, it’s always been what can I do to help make Skid Row a better band, and be better from all aspects. Also he just has great reverence for the history that we’ve created prior to him joining the band, and treats it with great respect and that’s really huge. He is a really, really positive person and that just benefits everybody, because it seeps into everybody’s being and it allows us to really enjoy the process of whatever it is the band is doing even more because, enjoy the people that you’re around completely because there’s no hidden agendas, so therefore there’s no dramas.
So therefore you’re there for the sheer purpose of creating and performing music at the best of your ability, and that’s not to sit there and say that there’s not going to be disagreements and stuff, which there always will be, but you just know you’re all looking for different ways to get to the same place though. And with that in mind there is a respectability between the five of us, that sort of supersedes everything else, so even though while we we’re human beings we’re going to have some differences. We all have the same goals in mind, we all have the same respect for each other. To show that in order to get there you just gotta be cool with one another, and respect the process which we do.
And so this whole experience for us has been, all of us, it’s been really an incredible gift, one that I certainly didn’t see coming or expect. My guard personally was up really, really high again considering what we had put ourselves through, in the decisions and choice that we have made in the past. And so the last couple of years have been really, really enjoyable. Life affirmative if you will.
So you’ve got Michael Wagener on board with the new album. He produced, recorded and mixed the first two Skid Row albums and also Revolutions Per Minute. His bio list an impressive plethora of artist and album credits, including the mixing on the 1986 Metallica masterpiece Master Of Puppets. What does having Wagener involved on the upcoming album bring to the table?
Well first of all he’s family, he’s always been family. We may have gone off and worked with other people throughout our history and what not. Michael has always been family and we had for years and years and years, threatened each other with getting together and doing another record together (laughter).
He’s been in Nashville for a long time and Rachel [Bolan, bassist] in Nashville now, and being that we’re spread all over the place, this has sort of become our central base of operations. Number one it’s a great music town, where music supersedes the business of music and it’s great to be in that environment. And Michael having established himself here for I wanna say 20 years, the time is perfect for us it seems, to do a record together.
We have such a great history together and Michael is one of those guys that just, he knows us very well, and is very in tune with what we do, and there is complete transparency, there are no hidden agendas with Michael either. It’s all about creating the best Skid Row record possible. From a personal standpoint, he’s always been the guy that pulls the best performances out of me, and I think that is across the board.
The big news is that Skid Row will be hitting Australia for some shows in just over 3 weeks time, you last toured here back in 2014 which support from Ugly Kid Joe. This will be the first time Australian audiences will get to witness SKID ROW with new vocalist ZP at the helm, tell us more about what we can expect from the shows.
We’re very cognizant of the fact of how lucky we are to still be able to go out and play music for a living. The band’s been around for 32 years and we have a sort of a renewed energy, and that just comes from being in an environment which is conducive to creativity and just overall appreciation for music, and we’ve always been a band about that’s been based and we’ve built a reputation on our live performances.
We’ve always toured extensively, and we continue to do so to this day. We still do over 100 shows a year and it’s important for us because that’s where we thrive, and that’s what spurs our creativity to go into to make more music and so the shows for all of us, they’ve been the same. Because you look across the stage and you’re onstage with people that you really want to be there with, and everyone is really, really giving it everything they’ve got, and enjoying the process too. There’s no barrier between the band and the crowd, there’s a connection that happens, and it’s one of those things that you go “Wow” man.
After all this time I still get that electric feeling, those goose bumps man, that thing that you can’t really describe but when it happens you know how lucky you really are, and that’s really what it is about making that connection with the audience and sharing it in a celebration of music. So, it’s to have a sort of a reinvigoration and that has a lot to do with ZP, and his positivity, how he sees, just how he lives his life, and how it certainly perpetrates everybody’s skin and emotions, so I’m very thankful to have that.
Obviously Skid Row has got quite a few albums in the back catalogue, how do you come up with a set list that overall represents Skid Row’s history, and are we going to be hearing many classic tracks off the first two albums?
Absolutely, we’re very proud of our history and we celebrate it as we do our present, and it’s all super, super important to us. Every step prior to today, is what got us here so we celebrate it all. It’s a great thing too about ZP, as I said earlier, he’s extremely cognizant and respectful of the history that we have, and reveres it and you know, does it honour by the way he approaches the singing of those songs. So yeah, trust me I love playing ’18 & Life’, ‘Youth Gone Wild’ and ‘Monkey Business’, those songs are still near to my heart as part of my history.
Speaking of ZP, all the band’s previous vocalists have all been ridiculously talented singers, Sebastian, Johnny and Tony, so when looking for a new singer, before ZP came on board, how did you go about finding him, and what sort of traits were you looking for, like stage presence, vocal range etc?
All of it’s important, but I think the most important thing is that respect for the history that was created before, a humility for what we’re given the gift of being able to do, and being a team player. Putting the group as a whole in front of your own ego, and your own individual wants.
Totally random question, I see you guys brought out a signature artist roast coffee, through the Dave Ellefson Coffee company, how did that all come about?
Oh man, Dave’s an old friend and he’s doing his coffee business, and he called us up and said you know, would you guys want to be a part of this, you know, the artists series and it lends itself perfectly, like absolutely.
So you’re all coffee addicts?
Yeh, well yeh, I mean yeh slightly, yeh forever, I mean my gosh (laughter)
Not sure if many people have asked you this next question in interviews recently, but back in 1992 you guys did a headline tour in the USA with Pantera as the support band, now that tour would have been absolutely epic and one hell of a party, and the camaraderie and friendships that you made with the Pantera lads would last forever. Now, it’s so sad that Dime left us 14 years ago and now his brother Vinnie passed away 3 months ago. Can you tell us a little bit more about that 1992 tour, and any particular stories or memories of Dime and Vinnie that you could share?
Well, it’s amazing how quick we all became friends, and Phillip Anselmo and I are still best friends.
You’re still managing his band Down?
Yeah, I manage Down and although they haven’t done anything in quite a while, but yeah..
And the thing is that you could tell there was, and always was with them, an integrity and a work ethic, that they were going to leave every ounce of their being on that stage every night. And it was awesome for us because they were great every night, and we had to be as great as them every night, that was every night!
There wasn’t one night where those guys weren’t great, so you had to be on your game and that made us such a better band, it was really something. And with that, one of the other great things about that tour was that we got to see a band in the process of becoming huge, it was so great to watch. And just you know, they kept it together completely as far as their egos and everything, they just wanted to excel and be better and better, and the friendliest guys you could ever want to meet. We all separately and collectively have so many great memories together, and luckily we were able to create even more memories as history went on.
Losing Dime and Vinnie is what can be considered two of the great losses of music in history, because they created something that was their own. That so many others went out and attempted to duplicate. They created a type of music that was their own. It was derivative of several other things as all music is, but it was their own. So many bands came after the fact, playing a certain style of music that, that band created, and it was that music that created the basis of it, that was Dime and Vinnie. Their groove, their interplay together, that symbiotic relationship that can only occur between siblings.
And the legacy that they created in such a short period of time is without doubt, without question and beyond reproach. They’re going to be remembered long, long after we’re all gone and dead and buried. And that’s really a testament to how absolutely brilliantly talented they both were.
Just a few quick questions to ask you before we wrap up the interview, just some random stuff. I know a lot of people ask you what your favourite song to play live is, or maybe even your 3 favourite songs, so let’s be a little different and go with your 5 favourite Skid Row songs to play live?
Ahh… ‘Monkey Business’, ‘Quicksand Jesus’ (long silence). We play ‘We are the Damned’ off the last United World Rebellion Record, I love playing that song live, it’s a lot of fun to play. I mean I’ll always love playing ’18 & Life’ and ‘Youth Gone Wild’, what it represents is really, yeah that’s the beginning of our history.
What would you class as your three best solos that you’ve recorded?
To be honest with you, I don’t think all that much of my solos (laughter). I mean they’re cool and everything, I don’t think any one of them is just like the most amazing thing in the world. I’m more proud of the songs that I co-wrote with Rachel and the guys, than I think I am of any solo that I’ve ever put together.
Are there any Skid Row songs that you think are like, you know, underrated? There’s a lot of great songs on Subhuman Race which I absolutely love, but as a big Skids fan I feel they never really got the respect that I thought they would, obviously there was a different vibe on the album, coming out in that grunge era?
There’s a bunch of songs on Subhuman Race that I really like, there’s also a bunch of songs on Thickskin that I really like too, actually what am I talking about, all our records. Yeah, certainly because of the frequency of which we play certain songs, some are going to stand out but there’s like ‘Frozen’ off Subhuman Race, which I think is really cool. I thought ‘Eileen’ was also really cool, something completely different for us, and ‘Disease’ on Revolutions Per Minute, I think is really cool.
Ok last question, another random one for you Snake. Have you read Sebastian Bach’s biography, 18 & Life on Skid Row?
Ahh no
No interest in reading it at all?
No, I mean I have friends of mine that have written books and I haven’t read yet, that I should probably read before that.
So, is there any chance of a book coming from Dave “Snake” Sabo in the near future?
Probably not, I don’t know, I feel awkward about that. If someone gave me a good reason to do it, like a bona-fide valid reason, other than “you really should”, then yeah I would consider it. It hasn’t really been put forth, I mean look, we have tonnes of stories, all of us you know, and it’s awesome, because those are your life’s experiences that you get to reflect upon. But, I don’t know about anything that warrants like a full blown book.
Thanks so much for chatting with us today Snake, it’s been an absolute honor talking with you. All the best for the upcoming Australian tour, and also with Chapter 3 of the United World Rebellion trilogy.
Well, I can’t I can’t thank you enough Davey for taking the time, and hit me up here in Nashville, and you know being supportive of the upcoming tour and Skid Row in general, thank you so much.
Skid Row performs Thursday October 18, Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane; Friday October 19, Prince Bandroom, Melbourne; Saturday October 20, Manning Bar, Sydney; Tuesday October 23, The Gov, Adelaide; Wednesday October 24, The Studio, Auckland.