SEBASTIAN BACH's Guitarist NICK STERLING Sitting Out Shows Over Contractual Dispute

Nick Sterling, who played guitar, and co-wrote many of the songs, on Sebastian Bach's latest album, "Kicking & Screaming", has chosen to sit out the last couple of shows on Bach's current North American tour due to an apparent business disagreement.

"Unfortunately, I will not be performing tonight at Nokia Live," the 22-year-old Sterling wrote on his Facebook page late Thursday night (August 2) before Sebastian's Los Angeles concert. "There were some contractual issues that we just couldn't work out. No hard feelings," the guitarist added.

Bach was joined at the Club Nokia concert by a couple of guest guitarists, including Jinxx (BLACK VEIL BRIDES) and Brent Woods (WILDSIDE, VINCE NEIL). The following night's show at the Pacific Ampitheatre in Costa Mesa, California, where Sebastian played as the support act for CINDERELLA, featured Woods on second guitar (see video below).

Asked by Italian web radio Linearock.it in a June 2012 interview what the reason is for the frequent lineup changes in his solo band, Bach said, "It's a very easy answer. It's all to do with finance. If you get paid a certain amount of money, you can't pay to play… If I tell a guy in my band, 'This is what we're getting. We all have to split it.' Some guys will be like, 'Fuck that!' And I'm like, 'You know what?! Bye!' [laughs] 'Cause it's a business. When you see me change bandmembers, it's usually a business decision."

Shortly after joining forces with Sterling in 2009, Bach stated about the young guitarist, "After searching for 'my Randy Rhoads' for the last couple of decades, I am very excited to introduce to you a guitar player whom I feel has what it takes to take on the world of rock n' roll and beyond...

"After flipping through an issue of Guitar World magazine (good place to find guitar players, it turns out!),I saw an ad for an amplifier that featured Nick Sterling. After I found Nick's web sites, I could not believe how talented this guy was... He sings, plays all guitars and basses, and all the drums on his recordings! Now that's something I know very few people are capable of. His songs rock, he plays great... I was very interested in making some music with this dude. I contacted him through his MySpace page, and soon we were emailing song ideas back and forth.

"Nick is younger than I am. The reason I dig his tunes is that, to me, rock 'n' roll is all about the spirit of the 'youth gone wild,' and honestly, some musicians, as they get older, tend to 'write older.' I am simply far too in love with rock n' roll, still, to change my 'musical direction' right now. I just want to keep making albums that have tons of energy, are melodic, cool, groovin' and fit into the catalog of what I have put out so far. Nick's songs and vibe fit perfectly alongside such tracks as 'Youth Gone Wild', '18 & Life', etc."

Pictured below : Nick Sterling

Video below: Sebastian Bach performing without Nick Sterling in Costa Mesa