Sebastian Philip Bierk
(born April 3, 1968),
known professionally as
Sebastian Bach,
is a Canadian singer
who achieved
mainstream success
as the frontman of
the hard rock band
Skid Row
from 1987 to 1996.
He has acted on
Broadway
and has
made appearances
in film
and television
such as
Trailer Park Boys,
The Masked Singer
and
Gilmore Girls.
He continues his
music career
as a solo artist
and since 2026,
as the lead singer of
Twisted Sister.
Early years
Bach was born
in the Bahamas,
the son of artist
David Bierk
and was raised in
Peterborough, Ontario
after the family moved
to Canada
in the early 1970s
for his father's teaching job.
His father was a noted painter.
He painted the cover of
Skid Row's album
Slave to the Grind
and inside cover art of
Subhuman Race,
as well as the
album cover of
Bach's solo effort
Angel Down
and inside art
for its follow-up,
Give 'Em Hell.
Sebastian is one of
seven children.
His brother
Zac Bierk
is a former professional
ice hockey player
. Bach decided that he
wanted to be a singer
after he joined
a church choir
when he was eight
years old.
He attended
Lakefield College School
in Lakefield, Ontario.
Career
Kid Wikkid
(1983–1985)
The members of
Kid Wikkid
were based in
Peterborough, Ontario.
Upon hearing of the band
and unaware of their ages,
14-year-old Bach
auditioned for the group,
and was hired
by guitar player
and band leader
Jason Delorme
Kid Wikkid
moved back to Toronto,
and Bach's father
eventually allowed Bach
to move in with an aunt
Skid Row
(1987–1996)
Skid Row
initially formed in
the mid-1980s
with lead vocalist
Matt Fallon
fronting the group,
and they began playing
at various clubs
around the
New Jersey area.
Fallon left the band
in 1987,
leaving Skid Row
in search of a
lead vocalist.
Bach was spotted
singing at
rock photographer
Mark Weiss's wedding
by
Jon Bon Jovi's parents,
who subsequently
approached him
and suggested
he get in touch with
their son's friend,
Dave Sabo,
who was looking
for a lead vocalist
for his band.
Bach was wary
of joining another
US-based band
after briefly being
a member of
Detroit's Madam X.
Upon hearing
Skid Row's
demo tapes,
however,
Bach flew to New Jersey
to audition and became
the up-and-coming band's
lead vocalist
in early 1987.
Skid Row
achieved commercial success
in the late 1980s
and early 1990s,
with its
first two albums,
Skid Row
(1989)
and
Slave to the Grind
(1991),
certified
multi-platinum,
the latter of which
reached number one
on the
Billboard 200.
The band's third album
Subhuman Race
(1995)
was also critically acclaimed.
Following disagreements
over musical material
and infuriating Bolan,
Bach was fired
from the band in 1996.
However,
rumors circulated that
he had left the band
due to his
other bandmates
believing they should
not play as an
opening act for Kiss.
Bandmate
Rachel Bolan
also had a side project,
a punk band,
Prunella Scales,
who were playing
at the same time
as the planned
Kiss show.
The rift between
Bach and the other
band members
subsequently led
to his leaving
Skid Row in 1996,
Bach joined
The Last Hard Men,
an alternative rock supergroup
formed by
Breeders lead guitarist
Kelley Deal,
which also included
Frogs guitarist
Jimmy Flemion
and Smashing Pumpkins
drummer
Jimmy Chamberlin.
The group recorded a
full-length,
self-titled album
for Atlantic Records,
who then opted
not to release it.
In 1998
it was released on
Deal's label,
Nice Records,
with no fanfare
and a very limited pressing
of 1,000 CDs.
The band also
recorded a cover of
the Alice Cooper song
"School's Out"
for the soundtrack album
of the 1996 film
Scream.
In 1999,
Bach released his
debut solo album
Bring 'Em Bach Alive!,
his first release
after his departure from
Skid Row.
Mainly a live album
of Bach's
Skid Row songs,
it also presented
five new studio recordings,
including the single
"Superjerk, Superstar, Supertears".
In 2000,
Bach began performing in
Broadway productions.
He made his
Broadway debut
with the title role(s)
in
Jekyll & Hyde
in April 2000.
He also appeared as
Riff Raff
in
The Rocky Horror Show
in 2001.
On November 28, 2001
Bach appeared at
New York Steel,
a benefit concert held
in response to 9/11
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