Loucifer Speaks » Bach in UK

Interview with Nick Sterling

Loucifer — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:55:27 +0000

Nick Sterling with Sebastian Bach in Warwickshire, England. Photo by Hans Brendestam

Nick Sterling is the extremely talented guitarist who recently joined Sebastian Bach’s band. He has just completed a tour with Sebastian Bach (supporting Guns N’ Roses) and is now in the process of promoting his own album and writing/recording the new Sebastian Bach album. This guy is unbelievably busy… and yet, he still made time to answer my questions. To put it bluntly – Nick Sterling is awesome.

Lou: Hi Nick, thanks for agreeing to answer my questions – I understand that you’re really busy at the moment! Anyway, how’s it going today?

Nick: It is going swell. It’s been nice to be home after this last tour in Europe with Baz.

Lou: How was the tour with Sebastian Bach and Guns N’ Roses? I saw you in London on the 13th October – it was a great show!

Nick: I thought the tour went great; we definately had a lot of great shows, the crowds we’re wonderful. We played like 7 shows in 7 nights and we’re really a band that gets better the more we play.

Lou: What was the highlight from that tour?

Nick: Playing the O2 arena in London was really cool; the second night that we played there was better though, that show was awesome! The crowd was really into it and Baz was really singing great so we came off stage feeling really good.

Lou: Slightly bizarre question, but I really liked the hat you wore on this tour (I have a small hat obsession!) – where can I buy one of those bad boys from?

Nick: Yeah, I really like hats a lot too and when we’re out traveling I’ll go a few days without showering so hats help that too. That hat has gotten pretty funky over the past year. I’ve taken it to Europe, Canada, South America, Jersey, haha. I don’t know where you’d find one, mine’s actually from the theater department from a school near by.

Lou: I’m sure you’ve been asked this a thousand times before, but how did you end up becoming the guitarist for Sebastian Bach?

Nick: We’ll he was looking for a guitarist and he initially saw me in an advertisement for Eminence speakers in Guitar Player magazine. After that he checked out some of the stuff that I had online and we started talking by phone. Sebastian was just so stoked about making some new music and he really likes my style of writing so everything has just kinda fell into place. I wouldn’t want to be involved if he was just into doing the whole nostalgia rock thing, that’s not what he’s about, he wants to keep making records until he’s much much older and that’s cool.

Lou: I understand that you’re working on the new Sebastian Bach album at the moment, are you able to tell us anything about it? Does it have a title yet?

Nick: We will be starting the preproduction for the new record soon. Most of the songs on there are ideas that I have had written in the past, a lot of the tunes that work great for sebastian to sing happen to be tunes that just didn’t fit with the songs on my last solo record. It will be more of a Rock record, lots of melody but while still keeping Sebastian’s signature high level of energy.

Lou: Will it carry on from where “Angel Down” left off?

Nick: I think it will be a very different style of album than Angel Down but still compatible with Sebastian’s fan base. I’m really excited to start working on it.

Lou: Will you be hitting the road again with Sebastian Bach once the album has been released? (Hint: come back to the UK!)

Nick: I hope so, I would definitely assume so! Sebastian and his management team are really wanting to give it 100% so I’m sure that a huge tour supporting the album will happen sometime in the future.

Nick Sterling in Warwickshire, England. Photo by Hans Brendestam

Lou: You’ve only recently turned 20 years old and you’ve already accomplished so much… to say I’m jealous is an understatement! Haha! What or who was it that initially made you want to become a musician?

Nick: Well, playing the guitar always just kinda came naturally to me but my dad always played a little bit in bands growing up. He taught me some of the first things I ever learned and has supported me ever since then; my whole family has.

Lou: What was the first album you ever bought?

Nick: I’m really not sure. I wouldn’t remember that far back in detail, a lot of the things that I first started listening to were in the cd case in my parents closet.

Lou: I’ve read that, as well as being a superb guitarist and singer/songwriter, you’ve also had a go at producing. Will you be producing the new Sebastian Bach record? Have you produced any albums for any other artists / bands?

Nick: I hope to have some involvement on Baz’s next record in the studio. I’m pretty sure that it will just end up being a group effort; we’re not sure who will be producing it yet. I’ve done a little bit of production for other bands locally here in Arizona but mostly my experience is with recording my own stuff. Recording is definately one of my favorite things.

Lou: Do you have any tips for any aspiring musicians / songwriters / producers?

Nick: Don’t get to caught up in being so technical, let the music be music.

Lou: What equipment do you use?

Nick: I use a lot of different guitars and amps. With Baz it’s usually just rented backline gear. I’ve been taking my 73 Les Paul Custom and a really cool RS guitarworks telecaster on the road with him.

Lou: My research tells me that you got your first guitar when you were 7 years old (please correct me if I’m wrong!). Do you still have that guitar?

Nick: My first guitar was a Fender Duo-Sonic, I’m pretty sure it’s still somewhere at my parents house! I don’t play it much anymore; it’s a short scale string length.

Lou: I’ve been listening to your solo album, “Invisible”, quite a bit recently and it’s ridiculously good (my current favourite track is “Wasted Identity”… or “Awake”… or “Was It You” …or “Something to Believe”). What inspires you to write your lyrics?

Nick: I really don’t know, I really write a lot in spurts. When it isn’t happening it isn’t happening. I try to write things out for the most part pretty simply, I like lyrics that read more like as if they were spoken, i try not to get to artsy with alliteration or other technical writing and stuff like that, I like to keep it pretty simple.

Lou: Unfortunately I haven’t listened to your “Life Goes On” album yet. How would you say “Invisible” compares to that album?

Nick: Invisible is much different than Life goes on. That record was released when I was 15 and I was really into Rush and Boston and big huge vocal harmonies and stuff like that. My writing definately sounds a lot younger on that record also. It kinda just marks a place in time for me.

Lou: Will you be doing a solo tour to promote your new album “Invisible”?

Nick: Possibly, I’m already on to making some new music; it’s really what I’m wanting to work hard on and play live at this point. Soon enough I will be playing solo shows of my own again, I’ll know when I’m ready, when I’m confident in the music I’m putting out there and have a group together.

Nick Sterling in Warwickshire, England. Photo by Hans Brendestam

Lou: You’ve written a vast selection of good songs so far, which one stands out the most for you? Which song are you most proud of (from any album)?

Nick: I really don’t have a favorite. I think that having a favorite song would be kinda silly. Usually I’m most proud of the one’s that I’m writing at the time. It’s just really exciting when you’re working on something brand new; once it’s completed it’s just getting more familiar. I still can love a song that I’ve gotten familiar with but it’s just not the same as the excitement of the creative process.

Lou: Which bands are you listening to at the moment? Are there any albums that you’d recommend we buy?

Nick: I’ve been listening to a lot of early Smashing Pumpkins lately, pretty much all Gish and Siamese Dream.

Lou: The final words are yours: Do you have any messages that you would like to say to your fans and the readers?

Nick: I’m so excited for the recording of Sebastian’s next record, I’m really happy with the songs and they will be a blast to play live! Looking forward to it!

Lou: Thanks again, Nick! You’re awesome!

myspace.com/nicksterlingrocks
youtube.com/nicksterlingrocks
facebook.com/pages/Nick-Sterling/225577226132
myyearbook.com/?mysession=cmVnaXN0cmF0aW9uX3Byb2ZpbGUmdXNlcmlkPTI5MTY3ODc5

Sebastian Bach @ Leamington Spa, 15th October 2010

AngelM16 — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:59:01 +0000

Review by AngelM16
All photos by AngelM16

When I heard Sebastian Bach was playing Royal Leamington Spa I wasn’t convinced that it was the most rock n’ roll place to hold a gig. It seems I was mistaken, however, and on Friday night I was treated to what was, in my opinion, the best rock n’ roll show you’ll find anywhere on the planet!

I opted to see Sebastian at a headline show here in the UK, rather than supporting Guns N’ Roses, as I had always wanted to see him live, ever since I heard a friend’s tapes of ‘Skid Row’ and ‘Slave to the Grind’ back in the 90s, and I figured this would be the best way to see him the first time: up close rather than potentially just as a dot on the stage at the O2.

I should mention the support band, Falling Red. Somewhere between Motley Crue and The Murderdolls, they managed to hold my interest for their entire set – no mean feat considering how excited I was about seeing Sebastian, and I thought they did a good job of warming up the crowd. They did go on quite early, and the venue was still fairly empty when they started, but they hit the stage as if the place was packed to the rafters and put on a good show.

Sebastian took to the stage at around 8:30. The crowd went absolutely nuts as he launched straight into a fantastically energetic performance of ‘Slave to the Grind’. Along with ‘Slave..’ we were treated to a few other Skid Row favourites – the highlight of which for me was ‘I Remember You’, which left me with tears in my eyes. Despite having heard the song hundreds of times, hearing it performed flawlessly live took my breath away. I know some people gripe about the fact that Sebastian still plays the songs from his Skid Row days, but let’s face it, we want to hear the original Youth Gone Wild singing them, not some other guy, so I say good on you Sebastian for playing them!

There was certainly no shortage of songs from Angel Down in the setlist either: The crowd particularly enjoyed ‘Love is a Bitchslap’ and (specially re-named for the night) ‘Leamington Metalhead’. I had to chuckle when Sebastian checked with the crowd that he was pronouncing Leamington correctly before singing that one. There were also some new additions to the set; several songs that are due to be released on the next album (which, if these songs are anything to go by, will be fantastic). Nick Sterling obviously has a great idea of what suits Sebastian’s voice, and is clearly talented as a song writer as well as a guitarist.

The sound at the Leamington Assembly was excellent. The band were on top form, and Sebastian’s vocals were utterly amazing. As a result the atmosphere was electric throughout the whole set, and the grin on Sebastian’s face as the audience screamed at the top of their lungs after every song got broader as the night went on. It really seemed like he was genuinely enjoying himself, making jokes and changing the setlist as it suited him.

I was lucky enough to get to meet Sebastian after the show, and he was kind enough to do pics and autographs with those of us who were waiting at the stage door (Thanks again – I’m still grinning from ear to ear!). Way to top off an already perfect night!

I really hope we’re going to see and hear a lot more of Sebastian and the excellent lineup he has at the moment. At one point during the set Sebastian promised to do a full UK tour when the new album comes out. Rest assured, Baz, your fans will hold you to that!

sebastianbach.com
twitter.com/sebastianbach

Guns N’ Roses & Sebastian Bach, 13th October 2010 @ The O2 Arena, London

Loucifer — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:36:58 +0000

WARNING: This review contains MY opinion (that’s a shocker, right?).

All of the photos used in this article were taken by me.

It’s around 2pm here on the 14th October and I’ve finally got myself in the position where I can write this review. Amazingly, I have already read some (somewhat negative) reviews online – some of which were possibly posted while the band was still playing! But hey, that’s not my problem. I’m just going to review the gig from my perspective. I could lie and say that I was going to be ‘objective’, but – when you’re a fan of a band – I really don’t think that’s entirely possible. Instead, I’m just going to tell you what I thought of the gig and just be honest about the whole thing. Which is kind of the whole point anyway…

The doors opened at 6.30pm and I secured my spot on the barrier – there was no way in Hell I was moving until the show was over… even if it meant I was there until 3am. You see, this gig was announced months ago, surely that was more than enough time for people to manage to make arrangements should the situation arise where GN’R were late? Well, you’d certainly think so. I did, and arranged my journey home with no problems… and that was before I knew that the O2 had been kind enough to lay on a free bus and train service into London Bridge, Waterloo and Charing Cross. The O2 gets Brownie points for that!

Sebastian Bach took to the stage at around 7.30pm (although, according to Facebook/Twitter the band had planned to go on half an hour earlier. I’m not sure what happened there, so I won’t comment further). I last saw Sebastian Bach in 2006 at Bloodstock and, I have to say, last night’s performance blew that one away. Bach was in fine voice and the band were as tight as spandex on a sumo wrestler. Nick Sterling was particularly impressive and definitely a guitarist to keep an eye on. This guy is only 20 years old and he is amazing!
Despite Bach’s best efforts, it did seem that much of the crowd needed a jump start or something to get going. With that said there were a few others like myself singing along and screaming where appropriate. By the way, I’d like to make a public apology to Baz for butchering his songs by singing out of key. Sorry dude!
The band’s set consisted of tracks from Sebastian Bach’s most recent album, “Angel Down” as well as classics from his time in Skid Row. There was also a brand new song to whet your appetite for the forthcoming album.
Highlights? There were plenty! The new song was superb (although I can’t remember the name of it… if anyone does know the name, please comment and let me know), “I Remember You” (I actually got goosebumps at this point) and “You Don’t Understand” stand out especially. It would have been cool if Axl had joined Baz onstage for “(Love Is) A Bitchslap”, “Stuck Inside” and “Back In The Saddle” but we can’t have it all.

I can’t remember what time Sebastian Bach left the stage and I wasn’t really too concerned. I was there to enjoy the show and not be a clockwatcher (plus, as mentioned earlier, I had made arrangements for if I missed the last tube).

At 9.36pm (I was told this was the exact time after the fact!) the lights dimmed and Guns N’ Roses’ intro music started. I’ve read reports online that GN’R were an hour late. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that 9.30pm is a particularly late start for a headlining band. Yes, the band did stop playing at around 00.20 and, yes, I did miss my tube… but I didn’t care. This is rock ‘n’ roll – it’s rebellious and it’s got to break a few rules and push a few boundaries every now and then. It’s not a fuckin’ board meeting!

Anyway, the time the band started and finished is irrelevant – the music (and the performance) is more important… and this is something that I think gets overlooked a lot. Following the reports I’d read about the band’s performances at Reading and Leeds in August, I have to admit to feeling a teeny weeny bit apprehensive. Perhaps all of the YouTube videos I’d seen online for this tour had been an elaborate hoax and the band had lost it. However, when the opening track “Chinese Democracy” started and I looked up and saw DJ Ashba silhouetted against the GN’R logo, all of my doubts vanished.

I know that there are people out there who are concerned about Axl’s voice. Well, let me assure you – there is no need to be concerned. Last night he hit every note. Right on the button! He and the rest of the band played stuff from “Chinese Democracy” and older stuff with equal amounts of energy and attitude. From where I was, it looked like everyone in that band gave it their absolute all. I’d like to make a special mention about Richard Fortus – one of the band members that I have to admit I’ve never paid a huge amount of attention to. Last night changed all of that. That guy has laid-back charisma oozing from every pore and is hypnotic to watch. As expected DJ Ashba proved himself to be a terrific showman and interacted with the crowd on a number of occasions. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal was astoundingly good – this guy plays the guitar like it’s an extension of his body and Tommy Stinson is the absolute definition of cool. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see a lot of Chris Pitman as he was on the other side of the stage to me… I had a better view of Dizzy Reed from where I was. Speaking of Dizzy, he was fantastic – and the ‘Dizzy’ chant from the crowd when he took to the centre stage to do his solo was unexpected and wonderful. As for the man behind the drums, Frank Ferrer – I honestly think that he is the best drummer that Guns N’ Roses has ever had. Steven Adler and Matt Sorum were good, I’m not arguing against that, but this guy is just jaw-droppingly good!

Axl appeared to be in a good mood, although he was relatively subdued between songs. He did, however, light-heartedly put a stop to any bottle-throwing shenanigans before they got out of hand by saying “Now, now, now, let’s not be throwing things, because you might miss me and you might hit one of these nice people down at the front. And we wouldn’t want that to happen”. He also wore a black feather boa that someone threw onstage and then, during a cover of AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie”, he briefly wore a KFC bucket kindly donated by a crowd member.

On a completely personal note, for one night I was able to forget that I had bills to pay, I could forget that I could be made redundant soon and I could forget just how much I usually hate the month of October. For one night I was able to completely and truly immerse myself in the music… and that, my friends, considerably outweighs any negative comments I’ve read about GN’R or Axl himself. I’m sorry bitter people of the Internet, you’re just going to have to try that little bit harder. If you do have any negative comments that you’d like me to read, please write them on a piece of paper and post them to me. I’m sure I could find a use for them… toilet paper is so damn expensive these days…

Overall, this was an astounding gig and one that I’ll no doubt be riding high on until the next time I can see the band.

Set List:

Chinese Democracy
Welcome To The Jungle
It’s So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Sorry
Shackler’s Revenge
Richard Fortus Guitar Solo (James Bond Theme)
Live And Let Die (Paul McCartney cover)
Instrumental Jam
This I Love
Better
Rocket Queen
Dizzy Reed Piano Solo (Ziggy Stardust, Silver Blue & Gold)
Street Of Dreams
You Could Be Mine
DJ Ashba Guitar Solo (Ballad Of Death)
Sweet Child O’ Mine
Instrumental Jam (Another Brick In The Wall Part 2)
Axl Rose Piano Solo (Goodbye Yellow Brickroad/Someone Saved My Life Tonight)
November Rain
Bumblefoot Guitar Solo (Pink Panther Theme)
I.R.S.
Nice Boys (Rose Tattoo cover)
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
Nightrain

Encore:
Instrumental Jam (Bumblefoot Improvised Guitar Solo)
Don’t Cry
Instrumental Jam
Madagascar
Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC cover)
Instrumental Jam
Paradise City

I will add a set list for Sebastian Bach when I can find one… As I really can’t remember what order the songs were played in!

gunsnroses.com
myspace.com/gunsnroses
twitter.com/gunsnroses
sebastianbach.com
twitter.com/sebastianbach

Guns N’ Roses announce extra London show & Sebastian Bach to provide the support!

Loucifer — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:25:04 +0000

After selling out the London O2 Arena for their gig on 13th October, Guns N’ Roses have now announced that they’ll be playing an additional show there on 14th October. Tickets are due to go on sale this Friday (27th August).

Sebastian Bach has also been confirmed as the opening act for the UK dates. Looks like someone listened to all of Baz’s UK Twitter Army and our #BachinUK hashtags!

myspace.com/gunsnroses
facebook.com/gunsnroses
twitter.com/gunsnroses
sebastianbach.com
twitter.com/sebastianbach
facebook.com/sebastianbach

Bach in the UK – The Quest Continues…

Loucifer — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:07:34 +0000

I thought it was about time that I posted something Bach in the UK related here again, since it has been a while.

The other day I received an email from someone called Tina who told me that Sebastian had said that he was planning a European Tour in 2010 and that he said this during a gig in Budapest. This seems to go against what he said on Twitter a month or so ago, but it also seems like a step in the right direction… If it’s true.

So folks, lets make it happen!

Things seem to have gone a little bit quiet on the Twitter and Facebook front, so lets turn things up a notch. Want to get involved? Here’s how:

1. Invite ALL of your friends to the We Want Sebastian Bach in the UK group on Facebook.
2. Write about it on Twitter using the #BachinUK hash tag. Also make sure that you’re following Baz – click here for his profile. (Also, if you feel like following Loucifer Speaks on Twitter, you can @LouciferSpeaks)
3. If you want to/are able to contact venues and concert promoters and let them know that Sebastian Bach wants to play here… and that we want him to play here!
4. Tell everyone you know to buy “Angel Down”.
5. Tell everyone you know to play “Angel Down” at full volume.

Repeat the above steps as many times as needed!

I’m still hoping that the current GUNS N’ ROSES/SEBASTIAN BACH tour that is invading South America will make it over here… that would make Lou a very happy bunny indeed…

Operation: Bach in UK, Day 2

Loucifer — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:28:04 +0000

It’s the second day of Operation: Bach in UK and the response for this thing so far has been incredible! We’ve had Baz himself reposting the link to our Facebook group and spreading the word! Kerrang also retweeted one of his tweets (via my very good friend LaurLau I do believe!) and Mark from the Classic Rock Radio show has told me that he will be talking about our cause on Thursday’s show (remember to tune in and listen!).

At the moment, the Facebook group has 62 members, but we need more. Join and invite EVERYONE! Also, keep tweeting with the #BachinUK tag on Twitter. Once there is a healthy amount of people involved I will start hassling UK promoters. I have a somewhat addictive personality, so when I set my mind to something I rarely give in… so, I will not rest until a Sebastian Bach UK tour is booked.

Also, feel free to use the Facebook group and the comment section on my blog to discuss your favourite Sebastian Bach tracks. At the moment I’m hooked on the “Angel Down” album (it’s currently fighting for the top spot on my MP3 player with “Chinese Democracy” by Guns N’ Roses, “1000 Yard Stare” by Black Ritual and “Wrath” by Lamb of God”). Current favourite tracks: “Angel Down”, “You Don’t Understand”, “(Love is) A Bitchslap”, “Stuck Inside”, “Negative Light”, “American Metalhead” and “By Your Side”. All the tracks are great, it’s just that those are particularly awesome… oh, and “Back in the Saddle”.

I’m going to be putting together some banners and userbars later on today so that we can promote “Bach in the UK” on messageboards, websites, MySpace, Last.fm, etc. Another blog will be added once this has been done.

Bach in the UK

Loucifer — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:08:13 +0000

I’ll get back to writing some more reviews and posting up some new interviews very soon – I promise!

But first…

Raise your hand if you love Sebastian Bach!
Raise your hand if you’d like him and his band to play a UK tour!

Ok, I’m going to assume that you all raised your hands to both points, since I don’t possess the ability to see through your computer screens and see what you’re doing. I know, it’s a shame. It would be a marvellous talent… although I am scared of some of the images that I may be subjected to… Anyway… I digress…

Thanks to a wonderful person on Twitter, AngelM16, a Tweet Topic has been set up spread the word to UK promoters (and just about anyone else who will listen) that we in the UK would LOVE for Sebastian Bach to come over and play. The reason that I’m posting this here is because I really, really, really, really, really want this to happen (I probably could have thrown in a few more ‘reallys’ there). Ideally I’d love to have what Canada and now Brazil have – Guns N’ Roses and Sebastian Bach on the same bill. Yep, that would make me a very happy bunny indeed. But… one step at a time…

If you’re interested in helping us out, please join in on Twitter by using this in your tweets: #BachinUK

If you want to follow Sebastian Bach on Twitter you can do so by clicking here for his profile. It’s well worth doing as he tweets A LOT!

In addition to the above, I’ve just set up a group on Facebook – click here to check it out!

Tell your friends, invite your friends to the FB group, tell your neighbours, tell your enemies, tell… well… everyone!