For the vocalist, joining his favorite band was not just a dream come true but a new lease on life. Grönwall, who auditioned for “Swedish Idol” with a version of Skid Row’s first and most successful single, “18 and Life,” was recently given a clean bill of health after a battle with cancer.
“The first show we did with Erik was with the Scorpions in Vegas,” Sabo said recently, speaking over the telephone from his home in Long Island. “It was the one-year anniversary of him starting his cancer treatment so where he has come is beyond amazing. He’s just so ridiculously talented, creative, humble and gracious, all in the same breath. He has this certain quality to him that’s very endearing. Nothing is contrived. Everything is for real with him. That’s what happens when you face down something as serious and as life-threatening as cancer. When you successfully come out the other side, you view life in a different manner. I look at him, his love of music and the love he has for being in this band and I admire his perspective so much.”
Serendipity calling
Sabo and his bandmates remembered Grönwall from his “Swedish Idol” audition. They had even shared the stage with him during his stint as lead vocalist for H.E.A.T. However, the members of Skid Row were reminded of his talents last year when the Swedish star posted a new cover of “18 and Life” on YouTube. The rest, as they say, is history.
“We were familiar with him back when he did ‘18 and Life’ as part of the audition,” Sabo said. “We were like, ‘Wow, holy cow, this kid is very talented,’ but nothing beyond that. Then, were re-introduced to him when he was in a band called H.E.A.T. They played on some dates with us in Europe, but when he redid ‘18 and Life,’ we were like, ‘Wow, this kid is really talented. He’s got everything.’ When the time came that we needed to make a change, Erik was the first and only guy we contacted. It was sort of serendipitous how everything worked out and how lives can somehow meet together at a space and time. There’s no rhyme or reason why. It’s just the way the world is and is supposed to be.”
Remote audition
Grönwall made his recording debut with Skid Row on “The Gangs All Here,” the band’s current single and the title track to the forthcoming studio album, set for release on October 14. The new vocalist appears on every song from the sessions with producer Nick Raskulinecz, whose credits include the Foo Fighters, Rush and Korn.
“We had maybe half of the vocals done when we realized we needed to make a change,” Sabo said. “We just scrapped it all. For whoever came in to sing, we wanted this to be their record. We initially sent Erik ‘The Gangs All Here’ to sing and he got that song back to us within the day and it was amazing. We were like, ‘Wow, this actually might work.’ So, we sent him more songs and they kept coming back. He did such an amazing job that we were able to do all of the vocals remotely with our producer, Nick.”
Audio renovation
This was the first time the members of Skid Row had worked with Raskulinecz, but Sabo was quick to credit the producer’s contributions to “The Gangs All Here.” It’s the band’s sixth studio album and first release since the 2014 EP, “The United World Rebellion: Chapter Two.”
“There were lots of changes to the material,” Sabo said. “As we got involved with Nick, we basically went through every song and deconstructed and reconstructed everything. We tore them apart and rebuilt them for the better. It was such an amazing process. You have to leave your ego at the door and put your trust on someone with an amazing resume of accomplishments. At this stage of life, it’s pretty cool to be able to trust somebody enough to do that. What a blessing to be able to work with this guy because every day was filled with challenges, but they were challenges done in an inspiring way.”
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: “Live to Rock Tour” with Skid Row, Warrant and Winger
Where: Rose Music Center at The Heights, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, June 2. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Cost: $23-$72
More info: 513-232-6220 or www.rosemusiccenter.com
Artist info: skidrow.com
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