There is no one in the music business with more energy and enthusiasm for their job than Jeff Pilson. The man is always happy, always smiling, always involved in something; whether it be traveling around the country as the bass player for Foreigner, producing records for bands like Adler and Kill Devil Hill, or recording his own music with T&N or War & Peace. He never stops. Even though he tells me, “When I’m done at the end of the day, I like to just relax and veg,” he breaks into a big laugh like even he doesn’t believe that ever happens.
Jeff Pilson is one of those musicians who have earned a great reputation both in front of an audience and behind studio glass. Obtaining his fame initially with Dokken via the band’s second album, Tooth & Nail, which spawned the power-ballad hit “Alone Again” in 1985, and through several years of big-time success with Under Lock & Key, Back For The Attack and Beast From The East, huge tours and the unstoppable “In My Dreams” single and video. When inner strife and lesser-received albums began to combust the band, Pilson found outlets with other musical projects, including his current full-time home in Foreigner.
The uber-successful band of 70’s Arena rock found new life in the new millennium when Foreigner founder Mick Jones added not only Pilson in 2004 but Kelly Hansen on vocals in 2005. Along with Tom Gimbel on sax and guitar, having come into the band in the mid-nineties, the rejuvenated band has consistently sold out shows everywhere, doing their energized versions of classics like “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice,” “Juke Box Hero” and the local high school choir enhanced “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
“You couldn’t have asked for a more talented producer,” Adler’s Lonny Paul praised last year when we were discussing his band’s new album, Back From The Dead, which Pilson produced. “And the talents went beyond just engineering … but the way he treats the talent. He made us all feel extremely comfortable and in my opinion that’s the most important thing about recording a record.” Continued Paul, “He was willing to try anything, even if it was outrageous, to get through the record and make it a very fun, happy experience … And Jeff was all about experimentation and trying different sounds and arrangements. He was excellent on all that stuff. I would highly recommend him to produce anybody’s record.” Pilson was equally as excited to be working with the former GNR drummer on his debut album. “What an amazing experience that was. Those guys are like family to me and I’m just so pleased at how it all came out. We’ve gotten such a fabulous response from it. It’s very, very cool.”
With so many wonderful things that have happened in Pilson’s career, I suggested he write his autobiography. Laughing, he replied, “Maybe someday. I do like to write, I do like writing, so I could conceivably see that; but not too soon because I’ve just got so many musical things that I’m doing right now.” So what does the bass player/singer/producer/songwriter/actor/band cheerleader have going on? I checked in with Pilson last month to try and find out.
Tell us everything that you have been doing lately because you are a man who never stops.
(laughs) Yeah. Well, let’s see, where do I start? I tour with Foreigner all year long so I’m on the road with them constantly. Then in-between I try to do as much as I can. I just put out a record that George Lynch and I did called T&N and that’s basically a record with seven songs that we wrote recently where I’m singing, and then we did five Dokken tracks that we re-recorded with guest singers. I did sing one of them but we got like Sebastian Bach to sing one of the songs, we got Ripper Owens to sing a song, we got Robert Mason to sing a song, we got Doug Pinnick to sing a song. And it came out great and we got a really wonderful response on that record and that was a great, great, great thing all the way around.
I’m right now producing a band called Kill Devil Hill which features Vinny Appice and Rex Brown from Pantera and that record is coming out fabulous. I loved the first record and I’m really, really happy to be doing their second record. It’s probably not going to be out until late fall but it’s just going to be a fabulous record. These guys are top of the line. Then earlier in the year I produced a record by Adler, which features Steven Adler, and that came out great. And, like I said, I’m trying to stay as busy as I possibly can (laughs). Oh and I’m also doing a Starship album right now that’ll probably come out in the summer, we’re hoping, cause it’s almost done. But that’s been really fun working with Mickey Thomas from the Starship. He’s the only original guy left. He’s got a band that he tours with that is a Starship band but, man, what a vocalist. I mean, he is just incredible.
Let’s go way back in your history: Tell us where you grew up and what kind of kid you were.
Well, I grew up in a couple different places really. I lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for many years. Then I moved to the state of Washington. What kind of kid was I? Well, you know, I was always a pretty good student and I was kind of into that but really more than anything I think I was always just really interested in music and making things as great as possible so I’ve always been very into that. That’s been a fun part of my living, I think.
You’re always running around on stage. Have you always been like that?
(laughs) You know, I’ve always had touches of it, yes.
What is your first memory of music?
I have memories going back to being a kid, memories of like my mom singing to me and my mom was actually a singer in big bands when she was younger so I have memories of that that stand out. She was just a great mother and a great singer and I think that that had a lot to do with my aptitude for music. I think that comes from a lot of that.
Were you singing first or did you pick up an instrument?
Actually, the very first thing I actually did was I played cello (laughs). That is probably the thing that got me going the most, doing t
hat.
Can you still play cello?
Probably, I mean, I could probably scrape out a note or two but I wouldn’t be very good (laughs)
So we’re not going to see the cello on the next Foreigner album?
We truly won’t (laughs) I know you were probably looking forward to that (laughs)
What was the first band that totally blew you away?
Absolutely The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, when they first came on Ed Sullivan, which was February 9, 1964, if you want to know exactly (laughs). That was the first thing I think that made an impression that was undeniable with me. I mean, there were other things before that; like I remember the song “He’s So Fine” by The Chiffons and that was a huge song for me and things like that. But you know, it was The Beatles that were life changing, no question in my mind, and that’s what pointed me in the direction of actually playing music.
What was one of the first bands that you were in?
I remember a band called Mahogany that I had in ninth grade. We did little dances and that kind of thing. Then I had a band called Mojo in the tenth grade. We were way ahead of our time thinking blues, you know (laughs).
When you first decided that you wanted to be a professional musician, and looking back now thirty plus years later, was it all you had imagined it would be?
Yes and no. I think it is and I think so much of how you view it is shaped by experience that there’s no way you could have imagined it the way it really is, because you hadn’t had experience when you were imagining it. But as far as being a fulfilling life that is spent with a lot of time and concentration on creative things, yeah, it is all that. And that was what I wanted. Of course I also wanted to get the girls like every other guy (laughs) and there was a period of that in my life that I got to experience, and very comfortably so, and I’ve sowed my wild oats and I have no regrets about all that. But as you get more serious about the music, I think, yeah, it really did fulfill the aspirations that I had of wanting to just make my living doing this wonderful thing called music.
How did you come to be in Dokken?
I had just moved to Los Angeles and the original bass player, Juan Croucier, had just left the band to join Ratt. So Don Dokken called a mutual acquaintance of ours by the name of Mike Varney, who is a guy that had a Guitar Player column at the time and he was very known for getting musicians together. Don called Mike and Mike said, “Well, I know this guy that just moved to Los Angeles.” So he connected us and there you go.
What do you remember most about recording your first Dokken album?
Well, the first Dokken album that I recorded was actually Tooth & Nail, the second record. I wasn’t on the first one. What I most remember about that was it was a tremendously, wonderfully creative and inspired time for the band. And especially my bond with George really got cemented in those sessions cause he and I wrote the bulk of that record. We had a writing period of about a month where I practically lived at his house and we set up a little studio there and did all our demos and, like I said, did a chunk of the record there. I think that started a bond that’s still here today, especially with George and I. You know Mick was actually living at George’s house at the time so Mick was involved as well. He didn’t stay for the intense hours that George and I did but he would come in and make his opinion and be part of it and that was great.
Going in and recording the record was really a fun experience and what was great was that the band was so close. I think back and I think, man, I was the new guy and they actually gave me a lot of responsibility on that record. It was pretty cool that they did and it worked out great. I got a lot of wonderful experience, especially working with the engineer of the record, Geoff Workman, who passed away about two years ago, but Geoff was a great engineer and he had recorded with Queen and The Cars and Journey and all sorts of bands and he and I became very, very close friends and I spent a lot of time with him learning stuff. Recording Tooth & Nail was just a great, positive experience.
Would you say that is where you were bitten by the studio bug?
I probably already had been bitten by that bug. When I was in high school I used to take two cassette tape machines and record on one and record onto the other. I have always been into that. I think with Tooth & Nail though it took a professional notch upward and I started getting to hang around with people that had made some of the records that I loved. I mean, Geoff Workman was an engineer that was one of the guys mixing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I was getting to work with people of a real high caliber and learning at that level is a whole different thing. So I think that was the turning point for me as far as where the studio bug got to really meet with a powerful level of people so yeah, it took it a whole other step.
That being said, and with all the new technology that has developed since then, what do you like most about it and what do you like least about all these new-fangled ways of recording an album?
Well, what I like the most is the fact that you can do a record now at home and it can come out pretty great. That’s an amazing thing. What I like the least is that the music business has turned into a horrible, horrible situation. I mean, the music business is just garbage now, it really is. It’s nothing like we wanted when we all first signed up for all this. It really has turned into a really bad situation and that’s really, really sad. The music business is run by business people now, not by music people, and that’s just such a drag. It goes against everything you’d ever want for music. But having said that, it’s great that people can record at home now. I mean, my studio at home is as good as most regular studios so it’s a really great opportunity to be able to do that. So I guess you take the bad with the good but hopefully the music business will come around and somebody will find a way in the music business of monetizing it and making it less of a business and more of an art.
Where does your inspiration and ideas come from?
I guess from life. I like to get up early in the morning, get my coffee, go out in my studio and let it fly, let the juices start rolling and see what happens. I love that. So I guess I’m inspired by life, I’m inspired by hearing great music – there is a lot of great music out there to listen to and that definitely keeps me inspired – but just life, wanting to stay connected.
Do you hear music in your head?
Oh yeah, absolutely (laughs) Sure. I hear big, big chunks of music in my head (laughs)
When Dokken was on top of the world and “In Your Dreams” was huge and unstoppable, how did you stay grounded and not become sucked into all that that entails?
I personally just never really took myself all that seriously. I always kind of knew that this is great but it’s making music and not, you know, obtaining world peace or anything (laughs). And I think having that sort of an attitude is a healthy way of dealing with things. There were awakenings too. When everything happened in the nineties, it was enlightening to realize that things were different now. It was humbling in some ways. But I think just keeping an adequate perspective on the fact that this is only making music, that’s all this is, helps.
Do you miss the hair?
No (laughs)
How long did it take you to get your hair that high?
(laughs) Oh we had it down. We were able to get that hair up real quick (laughs)
Mick seems like this really tough guy and I can’t imagine him sitting there doing his hair.
Oh it’s hysterical. You know, we’re a bunch of funny guys but we just got very into it. It was fun.
Speaking of Mick, who is more of a beast on drums: Brian Tichy or Mick Brown?
Well, Brian is probably more of a beast. Mick is, I don’t want to say he’s more laid back cause that’s not really it, but Mick is a little more groove-oriented. I mean, Brian is very groove-oriented and has a great groove but Mick is more about that. Brian, he’s the overall thing. Mick’s also a very great showman, just naturally, but Brian’s a great showman because he is so animalistic and theatrical. He’s just a monstrously talented drummer. He’s able to play anything and makes it pretty cool.
With Foreigner, there seems to be genuine excitement on that stage. You are having fun and you all seem to like each other.
Oh great, thank you. That’s what we’re trying to do (laughs). We have a great time. We really do. For one thing, they’re great songs. Mick Jones had a vision for that band that really still holds up. He wrote amazing music that still sounds great today. When we get to the chorus of “Feels Like The First Time” the very first time in the song, it has just as much an effect as it had thirty-five years ago. And that’s an incredible thing right there. Plus, it’s a bunch of great musicians and a bunch of great guys all dedicated and all very much focused in the same direction. You don’t get any better than that. And I think we all appreciate that and respect that and it makes for a great organization and a great band.
How many times have you plowed into one of them running back and forth across the stage?
Not as many as you’d think (laughs). You’d think it happened a lot but it hasn’t happened a lot. We must be more graceful than we realize (laughs)
What was the first Foreigner song you remember hearing when you were younger?
“Feels Like The First Time” when it first came out. Loved it immediately. Thought it was an amazing song right away.
Who was the first real rock star that you ever met?
Well, it’s funny, when I was seventeen years old, I was a huge Yes fan and I mean a huge Yes fan. My best friend and I followed them from the arena after the show to their hotel and when Chris Squire got out of the limousine – Chris Squire was the bass player for Yes and he was my absolute idol – but when he got out I stopped and he was really, really kind to me and I will never forget that cause he was really wonderful. I may be mistaken but I think that was the first guy I ever met. And since meeting with him, I’ve actually gotten to know him. And Foreigner’s manager Phil Carson signed Yes in 1969 (laughs).
I wanted to ask about George Lynch. You two have been friends for so long. What have you learned from him as a musician and what do you think you’ve rubbed off on him?
That’s a good question. You know what, I think what I learned from him very early on was about honesty in music. He made me really want to pursue an honest course in music. He’s very true to his soul when he writes and works and I think that that had a major effect on me. I never really dealt with anybody who was quite as straight-forward and I think I learned a lot from him about that. And it’s been immensely helpful my whole life and I think it’s helped me maintain a level of integrity that I probably wouldn’t have had without my association with him. As far as what he’s learned from me, maybe some musical stuff here and there, music knowledge, but that’s so secondary to what comes out of your heart that I don’t consider it necessarily being all that important. But I think we’ve helped each other a lot in just learning how to put music together.
Any more plans to act?
You know what, if it came along, sure, I’d love to. I mean, it was fun but as far as actively pursuing any acting, I can’t really see doing that. I mean, that’s just a whole other career. When it comes along and it gets handed to you, it’s a great opportunity and it was fun but it’s very tedious, doing a movie anyways. It’s very, very tedious [Rock Star in 2001]. But the good moments are a lot of fun and I was lucky that I worked with some great people and did learn a lot. So you never know. Life has a lot of very unexpected twists and turns.
What are your plans for the rest of this year?
Hopefully Adler will get a world-wide deal with a really great label and hopefully that record will come out on a major label, cause I would love to hear that on the radio. I’m just really happy with that music. Number two is to get the Starship record done, get the Kill Devil Hill record done, start writing another T&N record with George, which we’re going to start doing soon. Then just going all over the world with Foreigner. So I think I’ll be busy (laughs)
What do you have left to learn as a musician and as a person?
As a person, I have everything to learn (laughs). Seriously, I think we all need to learn how to just be and exist without being contingent on being something; just to be, I think, would be the greatest thing that you could ever learn. As a musician, I have to learn how to really, really let those voices through that are giving you the inspired words, music and melodies. Just let that through. I think everybody has a gift, we just all have varying degrees of obstruction and everyday have to work more and more to obstruct it less.
