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| w/ Scotti Hill |
| Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Being that it’s been several years since your last release Thick Skin; did that give an incentive or put added pressure on the band for a follow-up?
Scotti Hill: No pressure at all. We’re a slow band and we do things at our own pace. As a matter a fact, this was probably the least pressure record we’ve ever done. It was a very relaxed environment. Nobody breathing down our necks. In general, I’d say, the whole thing was pretty kickback. We wrote it as we went along and when we had a few free minutes, we’d work on it. Eventually, we got it done, which is amazing. I’m amazed whenever we get a record done. (Laughs) We had a great time. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: In your opinion, how does Revolutions Per Minute compare creatively and musically to the previous album? Scotti Hill: The bands concept behind the record was to follow no guidelines at all and it’s obvious by listening to it, it’s all over the place and we know that. Have you heard it? Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Yeah! Well obviously, I’m interviewing you. Come on, what do you think I am here? (Laughs) I do my homework. Scotti Hill: (Laughs) If you take a song like, God Can’t Wait... Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: I actually liked that song a lot! It kind of reminds me of old Slade. It’s a fun song. Scotti Hill: Yeah. It’s just a traditional Irish melody. Sitting around drinking Guinness in the pubs you know, the shit rubs off on you. So, we decided let’s do some fun stuff. You Lie is fun song for us. Though I don’t know if people are going to like it or not. We like old country music so we said, let’s do some of that. There were no guidelines. Whatever sounds good and is fun to play, we did. You here touches of old Skid Row in there. It’s straight across the board and whatever feels good. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: You brought in producer Michael Wagner who is definitely no stranger to Skid Row having been with the band since its inception. What unique quality do you feel Michael brings to Skid Row because I know you changed producers on Subhuman Race by bringing in Bob Rock and now your back working with Michael again for the last two albums? Scotti Hill: Michael didn’t do Thick Skin. That was self-produced. We’ve kept in touch with Michael over the years and we’ve always been really good friends. Whenever we go through Nashville where he lives, we make sure to hook up for dinner or to go out. When it was getting closer to doing the record we were like, man, it would be great if Michael could record us again. He was totally into it. We’ve all been up to his studio before working on whatever or if he needs somebody to play on something, one of us will go up. So, we’re familiar with his surroundings and his studio. When we got in there the very first day for pre-production, it felt like the day after Slave To The Grind. It was as if we never had been apart. Working with Michael and any band that has ever worked with Michael will tell you, he’s a lot of fun. There’s no pressure. If you’re having a bad day or you’re not feeling it, he’ll just grab you; take you out to a restaurant or a bar or whatever so you can clear your head out. (Laughs) He’s a lot of fun. We love him. It is just a really great, creative environment. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Well, it’s kind of like family too. The guy was with you forever. Scotti Hill: Oh, yeah! I remember when I met him in 1988. I was like, holy shit, it’s Michael Wagner! (Laughs) His lists of credits are pretty insane. He’s skilled, he’s fun and we trust him so it’s a perfect fit. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Can you elaborate on the title Revolutions Per Minute? Scotti Hill: Revolutions Per Minute is kind of like, your life passes you by insanely fast. I think we all have a different way of looking at it. How I look at it is, let’s get to it. Let’s get to what we have to do because everything’s moving by us really quickly and before you know it, it’s over. So, let’s get on with it. Every time we come out with a new record, we feel like we’re swimming upstream. So, it’s kind of like a revolution for us. That’s it in a nutshell. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Lyrically, what inspired the tracks Another Dick in the System, Pulling My Heart Out From Under Me and Love Is Dead because he’s singing some strong stuff there and I’m glad I’m not the person behind the significance? (Laughs) Scotti Hill: I think the three songs you mentioned were "Rachel" lyrics. As you could probably tell by the lyrics, he’s had a rough couple of years. (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Yeah, definitely. I’m glad I’m not the girl or whomever behind it! (Laughs) Scotti Hill: (Laughs) I’ll tell you what, Rachel’s lyrics are a direct output of what’s going on in his life. Without getting in to too much detail, he went through a breakup. He tends to write about the things he does so there you go. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Another Dick in the System if he didn’t say certain things, I would think the song was about the media or a record label. (Laughs) Scotti Hill: (Laughs) That would definitely be a Skid Row statement I think. Like a music business statement. As a matter of fact, I kind of like that. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: There you go. Just credit me! (Laughs) Scotti Hill: It’s definitely a big "fuck you" to somebody. (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: The track You Lie was added as a bonus to the album and musically was quite different from the rest of the album, almost sounding country. Was this something that was leftover? Scotti Hill: No, it was written. We were in the studio doing demos one day and just sitting around with an acoustic guitar and that song came up and we were like, wow, that’s fun. Personally, I love playing that kind of stuff. I really enjoy it. When I say country music, I’m not talking about pop radio country music. I’m talking about the old stuff. Just good country music from the old days. That kind of instrumentation, acoustic guitars, twangy electric and that sort of thing. That was just a "must do" and it’s not as if we even discussed and said hey man, should we do something like this? Are people going to like it? We’re like, does it really matter nowadays. Of course, we hope that people like our stuff. As any band will tell you, you’ve got to like it first. We enjoy it and we think it’s fun. I’m sure it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Well, it just took me back because it sounds nothing like the rest of the album. So, I didn’t know if this was something leftover because some bands have leftovers and decide to throw them on the album. Scotti Hill: (Laughs) We liked it so much we through it on there twice. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: (Laughs) I thought that was a mistake on the Promo I received from the label! Why is it on there twice? Scotti Hill: No, that’s the real deal. There was an alternate mix. We called it the corn fed mix that had a little harmonica and lap steel guitar on it. We couldn’t figure out which mix to use so we said, let’s just use them both. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: I’m glad that we discussed this because I thought they gave me a double track by mistake. (Laughs) Scotti Hill: (Laughs) Well, I feel bad for people who hate that song because it’s on there twice. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: (Laughs) Hey, it will grow on them that way! Scotti Hill: (Laughs) That’s right! It’s just all in good fun. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: That’s what it’s about anyway. If you’re not enjoying what you do then why are you doing it. Scotti Hill: Exactly. We certainly are enjoying what we’re doing. We’re having a great time. Everybody gets along. Life is good at this point. Ten years ago, I didn’t think I’d be doing this right now. It just didn’t seem like it would happen. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Were you playing with other guys or you just let it go for a little while? Scotti Hill: I was playing with Rachel and Snake on a side project. I played with my buddy Keith Roth on a side project. I had stuff going on. But, for a couple years there, I just flew under the radar dealing with my own shit. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: You recently recruited drummer Dave Gara to the fold. How did that come about? Scotti Hill: When Phil decided he wanted to move on, Dave was the obvious choice. At the time, he was playing in a side project with Rachel and we all new Dave from around Atlanta. I always liked the guy. I always thought he was awesome and I never really even heard him play. We started jamming and we said, let’s just do this. This guys a cool dude. He can play. He gets it. He loves the band. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Is everybody based around the same area now? Scotti Hill: No. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: That’s what I thought. How the hell do you guys rehearse? Text message? Scotti Hill: (Laughs) We do but we have to fly to rehearsal. We rehearse in Atlanta because we have two guys that live there, Dave and Rachel. Snake lives in L.A. Johnny lives in Texas and I live in Florida. It’s not like I can call the guys the night before and say, hey man, let’s get together. Unless were writing or recording, it’s not really that necessary to get in a whole bunch of rehearsals. I’m telling you, if I can’t play these songs by now, there’s a problem. Although, there are nights when I can’t play them but that has nothing to do with my memory. (Laughs) If were getting together to write or record, we’ll all meet up in Atlanta and set up shop in Rachel’s house. We have a studio up there and we’ll go rehearse or record. I’m going to go up there in about a week so we can rehearse some of the new songs that were going to be playing. In general, were not a 3-4 night a week rehearsing band and we never have been. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Well, about 20 years ago maybe. (Laughs) Remember those days? I’m kidding. Scotti Hill: (Laughs) Yep, for sure! Well, putting everything together in the beginning requires a lot. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Sure. A lot of time. A lot of blood spilt and everything else. (Laughs) Scotti Hill: Oh, yeah. Blood, sweat, drugs, breaking bones. The whole deal. (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Speaking of recruits, Johnny has been with the band now for two records. Many times bands change vocalists and it sounds like a completely different band. But, it doesn’t seem that way with Johnny. Sure, there are differences but I think he fits nicely without taking away from Skid Row’s overall sound. Would you agree and was there any concern at first about recapturing an audience that was use to Sebastian? Scotti Hill: We knew all along that we were going to catch a lot of shit from people that just want things the way they use to be. It’s just not possible. Like Rachel says, there is enough rock-n-roll to go around. As far as Johnny’s concerned, when he joined the band back in 2000, I think the first thing we had in mind was, could he do the old songs justice? We figured out, yes he could. The next question was, does he have his own voice? The answer to that was, yes he does. I love the sound of his voice. I love the way he sings. I watched him do every track on this record. I sat in the next room and watched him through the glass and he was in and out of there in no time. I’m really impressed with what he does in the studio. He’s been on stage for years. So, he knew how to work an audience from the beginning. It’s a good, all around thing. Plus, and I keep mentioning this, he’s a good guy and were friends. We have a good chemistry in the band. Not that we don’t have our disagreements, but everybody’s pretty much on the same pages as far as where we want to take it and what kind of music we want to play. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Can you give us some details on the CD Release show coming up at The Hard Rock in NY as well, as how it feels to be the third band to have ever played there live? That’s pretty exciting! That’s pretty cool actually. Scotti Hill: (Laughs) I think that is absolutely awesome. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: My buddy Eddie Trunk is running that too. Scotti Hill: Eddie has always been a good friend of ours and we were just completely flattered that we were invited to do it and to do our release party and all that stuff with him. The show as far as I know, is a free show and you have to win tickets. All I can tell you is that I’m really pumped about it. I hear the new Hard Rock is awesome. It’s going to be a good night. We did one of Eddies Halloween parties about four or five years ago. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: I was on the guest list for the party a couple years ago too. A lot of people. Scotti Hill: Yeah, we had a great time. So, I’m totally psyched about this event. I’m going to get a good night sleep the night before and I’m going to put it out there. I’m going to slip into my dirty clothes, get my boots on and kick some fucking ass! (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: With the tour for Revolutions Per Minute about to launch, obviously on this tour you’re going to be playing the new stuff as well as some of the older material for fans. Are there any songs from the older material that you absolutely would never play live and if so, why? Scotti Hill: There’s a lot of songs that people want to hear out of all those records. We’ll get requests for songs that we’re just either not interested in doing or it’s not in the cards. But, I would play anything. I’d rather give the people what they want to hear from the old stuff and give them a fair amount of new stuff. It’s just a good, well-rounded set. We are breaking out a couple of the old tunes that we haven’t played in a long time. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Like? (Laughs) Scotti Hill: I’ll going to let that be a surprise. (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Ah, come on. Scotti Hill: We probably will not play them at the Hard Rock. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Well, what about The Starland? I may be there covering. (Laughs) Scotti Hill: Yeah, we’ll play some at The Starland. We’ll be playing probably about 4-5 new tunes and a couple of old tunes that we haven’t played. I think we’re going to breakout Big Guns, which I don’t think we ever played with Johnny in the band. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: In a perfect world, would you ever consider a reunion with Sebastian? Scotti Hill: Well... there’s not a perfect world so I’d would say probably not. I would say no. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Thanks Scott for the interview and I hope to cover your show at the Starland. Working on that now. With that said, do you have any final words for The Metal Web! besides how awesome I am? (Laughs) Scotti Hill: (Laughs) I’m never good at final words because final words are just too damn final. I will see everybody on the road and were looking forward to it. We’re going to smoke it this year! OFFICIAL SITE "SKID ROW": http://www.skidrow.com HOME |
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