Sebastian Bach rocks House of Blues

SEBASTIAN BACH is the very definition of a star frontman, and he was in particularly fine form on Saturday night at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. "I've got an announcement to make. I'm gonna quit my band and go back to SKID ROW. April F*@&!in' Fools!," he bellowed about halfway through the set, but long before that it was clear that he's doing perfectly fine on his own, aided by a talented group of friends: guitarist RICHIE SCARLET and PAUL CROOK (ANTHRAX), bassist LARRY, and two drummers, MARK 'BAMBAM' McCONNELL and ANTON FIG, on a weekend pass from his day job with DAVID LETTERMAN. Fig, who plays on the Bring 'Em Bach Alive record and who was also on hand for the previous (March 31) night's gig in San Francisco, has flown out for weekend shows throughout the tour, and he plays about half the set alongside McConnell. Their double drum solo was a highlight of the set, which was heavy on crowd-pleasing Skid Row tunes but included newer songs from the Bring 'Em CD, including the singles "Rock 'N' Roll" and "Superjerk, Superstar, Supertears." Enjoying the show from the VIP balcony were CHARLIE BENANTE and SCOTT IAN of Anthrax, ROBBIE CRANE of RATT, MICHAEL CLAYTON (ex-TYKETTO, now VAUGHN), and all of HAIR OF THE DOG. Wrestler CHRIS JERICHO was also on hand, and jumped on stage to join Bach in singing the show-closing number, "Youth Gone Wild." Bach plans to remain on the road through the summer and will be heard on a couple of upcoming tribute albums to MICHAEL MONROE and RANDY RHOADS. RUSH's record company has confirmed that they will be recording this fall. In the meantime, Geddy Lee is working with Canadian artist Ben Mink on a solo project. L.A. GUNS, who recently re-recorded their now-unavailable Cocked and Loaded album for Cleopatra Records, have been recording brand-new material with producer GILBY CLARKE, who ran sound for the band when they rocked Paladino's in Reseda, California on Friday night. While summer live plans are pending, they've got two dates booked this week: April 7 in Anaheim, California at The Shack and April 8 at Pink E's in Las Vegas, Nevada. JIMI JAMISON, who we mentioned last week was reuniting with SURVIVOR, has posted the following on his website, www.jimijamison.com: "I am very happy to announce that Frank Sullivan and I have been working together closely over the past couple of months and we have reformed Survivor with all of the original members. We're rehearsing already and will begin an extensive tour with Styx and REO Speedwagon in May. I have had the pleasure of working with some very talented artists since Frank and I played together. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them all and expect they will do very well as solo artists. I thank the fans who have been so loyal and hope that they will come to see Survivor with our original members. For the many fans who are dedicated followers of the guys I've been playing with, I hope to keep you posted on their projects as well." STRYPER is going to be doing KISS-style convention in New Jersey on May 21st (why do you guys always do these things in Jersey?). All four band members will attend and jam for the first time since they broke up in the early 90's. There will be booths, a Q&A with the band members, collectibles on display, and several concerts. There's an additional site for that at www.stryperexpo.com. Also, check out www.stryper.com for more information. PANTERA will contribute a song to the "Heavy Metal 200" soundtrack entitled "Immortally Insane". This marks the first time that the band has ever written and recorded a song specifically for a movie. The soundtrack also includes previously unreleased tracks from BAUHAUS, MONSTER MAGNET, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, COAL CHAMBER, INSANE CLOWN POSSE, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MDFMK, MACHINE HEAD, FULL DEVIL JACKET, PUYA, APARTMENT 26, TWIZTID, HATE DEPT., DAYS OF THE NEW, SINISSTAR, and ZILCH ... Also on the soundtrack will be a brand new song from BILLY IDOL called "Buried Alive", which we have heard, and it could mark the comeback of the bleached British wonder. The disc hits stores on April 18th. JACKYL frontman JESSE JAMES DUPREE will make his solo debut with Foot Fetish on June 6. The album, which includes a cover of SLY & THE FAMILY STONE's "Higher," grew out of his collaboration with BROTHER CANE bassist ROMAN GLICK and guitarist JOHN HAYES. "There’s something kind of new-millennium-kinky about a foot fetish," says Dupree, who has been opening for QUEENSRYCHE of late. But, he underlines, "Jackyl is not broken up. This [album] is not an issue with them, and with that in mind, they can appreciate the fact that I’m doing some different stuff." TOMMY LEE and METHODS OF MAYHEM will end their tour on April 12 in New York, followed by a wrap party that will be broadcast live at the band's Web site, www.mayhem.z.com. The site also features live and behind the scenes footage, interviews, meet-and-greets, and more.