Skid Row picks up where it left off

June 20, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

I will not remember you.

Not only is that a play on Skid Row’s biggest hit single, “I’ll Remember You,” but it also encapsulates the current fear among ’80s hard-rock acts that for the past decade and a half have fallen on hard times.

As for Skid Row, which returns to Northeast Ohio for a Saturday show at Quaker City Motorsports Park, the band is not so much hopeful a return to platinum is in its future as it is pragmatic about its place in the world.

“We just played Sweden Rock Festival headlining one of the stages in front of 20,000,” said bassist Rachel Bolan, calling from St. Petersburg, Russia. “So it depends on where you are. Once you’re out of the U.S., it doesn’t matter. People like Skid Row and like Skid Row music. It’s just one of those things where some people aren’t afraid of change and some people are. But I wouldn’t do anything different.”

Skid Row emerged onto the scene in 1989 with its multiplatinum, self-titled debut disc that yielded hits such as “18 and Life,” “Youth Gone Wild” and “I’ll Remember You.” The hard-rocking act followed that up with 1991’s “Slave to the Grind,” which went No. 1. Eventually, the musical climate shifted and lead singer Sebastian Bach left the band.

Since then, singer Johnny Solinger has fronted the group for numerous albums, the most recent being 2006’s experimental “Revolutions per Minute.” Bolan said the band digressed a bit with that album including hints of country, punk and Celtic music.

Now Skid Row is returning to its roots with the heavy “United World Rebellion,” which is the group’s first of three EP releases due out over the next 18 months.

“When [guitarist Dave] Snake [Sabo] and I sat down to write, we were like, ‘Where are the kids who were 22-year-olds that wrote the first couple of records?’” Bolan said. “‘What was their mindset?’ So we weren’t carefree, but we found that angst, which we still all have for some reason. We wanted to rediscover our roots, and from what I’m hearing and reading, a lot of people are saying ‘United World Rebellion’ picked up where ‘Slave to the Grind’ left off, which is a gigantic compliment.”

Whether Bolan likes it or not, Skid Row is forever tied to its original singer, Bach. Today, the relationship is even more strained as both entities not only tour independently but also perform Skid Row songs. Invariably, each is pulling from the same audience pool.

Such is the state of affairs for many ’80s hard-rock acts that never fully rebounded from the early ’90s grunge rebellion. For years, two Ratts toured, and most recently, Queensyrche singer Geoff Tate is taking his band’s catalog on the road while his former bandmates play out under the group moniker.

In many ways, such a situation is no different from getting divorced and having kids — there is no clean break considering you’ll always have to see, or talk about, your ex. Bolan said Bach’s departure from Skid Road was inevitable.

“Where it went was where it was going to go, regardless,” Bolan said. “We were unhappy, and if you’re doing something and you’re unhappy doing it, what’s the point? When ‘Slave to the Grind’ debuted at No. 1, things kind of exploded. While our career was exploding, our band was imploding at the same time. It was a very strange time with all of these highs and extreme lows. It was really weird, but I didn’t think we’d be built to last. Nothing lasts forever.”

When asked if he could ever foresee reuniting with Bach, Bolan didn’t hesitate when saying, “No.”

Apparently, Skid Row will not remember Bach.