In June, Last In Line bass player Phil Soussan told Robert Edwards of the “Talkin’ ‘Bout Rock” podcast that Last In Line was working with a mystery vocalist, though he was very cagey about who that might be.
“We’ve got someone of great interest,” he told Edwards, “Let’s just say that. We’ve actually been sort of doing some work and stuff remotely, but we are going to get together very, very soon, and I think that will be the yes/no announcement that’s coming up very soon. But I, unfortunately, can’t say very much more than that.”
But maybe I can venture a guess. I’ve spent a lot of time on the road with Last In Line as a publicist, roadie, and friend, and have several reasons why I think Sebastian Bach might be the band’s “mystery vocalist.” And even why he would be a good addition to the group.
I remembered having seen frontman Sebastian Bach performing Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” on stage with Vinny Appice at the Whisky in Hollywood, and doing a respectable job of it as well. Check out the video below and notice the smiles on Appice’s face while Bach does a solid and suitably throaty rendition of the Ronnie James Dio/Sabbath classic. And he’s singing it in the original key as well.
Unlike some notable vocalists from the classic ’80s “Hair Metal” era, Bach has retained every bit of his powerful vocal chops, and more incredibly, his un-Godly high-end range. And it isn’t from lack of use — he plays about 100 tour dates per year.
The video is on bassist Tommy Black’s YouTube channel. Black, who played bass with Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, and manages the famous Viper Room on the Sunset Strip, is a regular “Camp Counselor” at Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, as is Appice. Also in the video are Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Monte Pittman, and Rafa Moreira — all regular Fantasy Camp counselors.
So, what does that one video tell us? Not much, you might say. Sure, it’s just a celebrity jam.
But consider also this key element: Sebastian Bach and his wife Suzanne Le Bach have been very, very close friends for many years with Last In Line bass player Phil Soussan, and his wife Jen. You might even say they’re all BFFs.
And Bach and Soussan (and their lovely wives) all live in Las Vegas, which makes life a whole lot easier when working on songs together. Not that former vocalist Andrew Freeman didn’t also live in Vegas, but he and his Last In Line bandmates were not known to socialize together. And they certainly weren’t BFFs.
Also, back in the Spring, when Vinny Appice appeared on the Eddie Trunk show on his “Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk” SiriusXM and announced Freeman’s departure to the world, he suggested Trunk, or the listening public, could send in names of any suitable replacements for the Last In Line frontman position.
And he may have thrown in a clue in that announcement when he said that band would be doing auditions and said to Trunk “If you know anybody, you could text me, that might fit the bill. We’re gonna have to set something up. Maybe we can get some videos and stuff. Kind of like SKID ROW did — they set something up, and people are sending in videos, singing and all that.”
Now Vinny has a great sense of humor, and a profound ability at dry wit. So was he hinting at something here? Beside, Eddie Trunk is also a (part-time) Las Vegas resident, and also good friends with both Sebastian Bach and Phil Soussan.
So, this is not a unthinkable possibility by any means. For Last In Line to add the former Skid Row vocalist to the fold would make this a true “Supergroup,” considering it already includes major members of Dio, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, and Ozzy Osbourne (Soussan wrote the song “Shot In The Dark” and toured with Ozzy and Jake E. Lee, along with his many years with Billy Idol, Vince Neil, and even Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin).
I have very little doubt the band’s booking’s would increase dramatically in number and in profitability should they bring Baz into the family. And honestly, I’d like to hear Bach do a whole set of Dio/Last In Line material. I’m sure it would be completely kick-ass.
Think about it.
~ Adam St. James
Check out the video of Bach and Appice, et al, and look at Appice’s smile.
