Published: May 24, 2006 05:37 pm         

Parti Gras with Sebastian Bach

Former Skid Row member to sing national anthem and sign autographs

During a New Orleans style celebration at Hoosier Park, people will have to multitask to hold a hurricane drink, make bets on horse races and get an autograph from a famous musician.

And who will be the special guest for the Parti Gras Saturday night? None other than Sebastian Bach formerly of Skid Row.

Bach, who hit it big in the 1980s and 1990s as the lead singer for Skid Row, will sing — not his well-known heavy metal songs but — the national anthem.

Bach will be singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at 6:15 p.m. before the races begin. He will then be signing autographs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the north apron.

“We’ve actually gotten calls as far away as Maryland, asking about the fact that he is going to show up at Anderson, as it says on his Web site,” said Donna Smith, vice president of marketing for Hoosier Park. “They are asking when they can start lining up to get his autograph.”

Bach was chosen to come to Hoosier Park because he fits the event’s theme “Parti Gras.”

“Since the event is Parti Gras, Sebastian has been known in the past as a party animal,” Smith said. “He was the lead singer of Skid Row. He’ll continue the party atmosphere here, in a subtle way.

“It’s an inaugural event with a New Orleans type feel to it,” she said. “We are giving away Mardi Gras beads to everyone who comes in (18 and older). We will have live entertainment, family activities and Sebastian’s appearance.”

Bach could not be interviewed for this story since he was feeling ill with the flu and was trying to nurse his voice back to health so he can sing the National Anthem on Saturday.

To go along with the Parti Gras, Homestretch Restaurant, which overlooks the racetrack, will be offering New Orleans cuisine in its buffet. The Hurricane Truck and Trailer will also be selling hurricane drinks, typical to New Orleans, throughout the night. And the band Zanna-Doo will be performing from 5 to 7 p.m. on the south apron.

As part of a Pepsi Family Saturday, free pony rides, face painting and barn tours to the backstretch will continue to be offered from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Bach will also be interviewed in the winner's circle, where he will be talking about new VH1 reality show “SuperGroup.” The show first aired on May 21 and airs at 10 p.m. every Sunday for the following six weeks.

The seven-episode show follows Bach and four other musicians: Scott Ian, a founding member of Anthrax; Jason Bonham, son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham; Evan Seinfeld, lead vocalist and bassist for Biohazard; and Ted Nugent, a guitar showman who was a guest at Hoosier Park last year. The five were filmed as they lived together in a mansion in Las Vegas and formed the group Damnocracy.

“It is about him (Bach) living in a house with the other four guys and they write songs together and perform in the finale,” said Bach’s wife, Maria Bierk, during a telephone interview this week. “Everybody gets to see what their new songs are and covers of each of their bands.

“It’s really fun. It’s craziness — 24 hours a day of filming,” she said of the show. “We kept thinking ‘Uh-oh, did they catch that?’ People would hide in the closet to make phone calls.”

The five musicians were not the only ones on camera — their five wives joined the party as well. Bierk and Bach have been together for 22 years, married for 14, and have two sons.

“Us wives came in, that was fun,” Bierk said. “I had a lot of fun with those guys. It was a really good time living with 10 people. We had parties and friends over. We went out every night. There was a lot of rock 'n' roll in there.”

Bach, 38, will also soon begin recording his first solo album, which is scheduled to be released in October and tentatively will be named “Angel Down.”

“It is heavy music,” Bierk said, describing her husband’s songs. “It is good, cool, heavy music. It’s not like yesterday’s music — it’s a progression. It is Sebastian. It is his first solo record and he is getting to do what he wants.”



What: Parti Gras at Hoosier Park with Sebastian Bach

When: Doors open at 5 p.m. Bach will sing the national anthem around 6:15 p.m. before the races and will sign autographs from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Where: Hoosier Park, Anderson

Cost: $2. Children 12 and under free.

For more information on the event call Hoosier Park at 642-7223. For more information on Bach log on to www.sebastianbach.com.