Jimmy Kay from The Metal Voice recently spoke to Foreigner/ Ex Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson about the band’s upcoming Orchestra tour while taking a break at the 2026 Metal Hall of Fame rehearsals.
Watch the video below.
When asked about Foreigners upcoming tour
“Foreigner is doing quite a year of touring. We’re starting an orchestral run with the orchestra on March 6, 2026, we’re starting a residency in Vegas of five shows. And then we’re doing more orchestral shows, including the San Diego Symphony on March 20th. And it’s a really cool show cuz it still rocks, but it’s with an orchestra. It’s very cool, very dark and interesting. Um, then we’re just more touring. We’re doing a huge festival in Mexico in early May. We’re going to be in Europe for over a month in June doing festivals there. Uh, that’s going to be great. Uh then we tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd starting in July and that goes till I think September and then we’re going to tour all the way till the beginning of November. So busy year of touring,”
When asked if this the end of the road for Foreigner
“Actually not because you know we have a new singer and Luis Maldonado and his force of nature is incredible and wait till you hear him sing and perform. The guy is astonishing and uh he’s actually breathed a lot of new life into the band. So we have we have much more coming and no it’s not anywhere near the end of the road. We thought it was going to be at one point but not anymore. We’re rocking.”
When asked if he would ever consider doing a DOKKEN orchestration Tour?
“Sure. I’d love to actually enjoy doing that. I mean, after working with orchestras like I’ve been doing, um, I would feel very, uh, capable of coming up with something very cool. So, sure, I’d consider that. I mean, I don’t think the opportunity will ever arise, but if it did, sure, I’d love it. “
In 2020, Guitar-shredding virtuoso GEORGE LYNCH reteamed with former Dokken bandmate JEFF PILSON for a set of new studio recordings that turned pop music classics into powerful metal anthems. Dubbed Heavy Hitters, the album was well-received by rock and metal devotees across the board. Now, this dynamic duo have once again converged for the highly anticipated follow-up album, Heavy Hitters II, which brings forth a fresh new set of reimagined cover versions representing classics of soul, modern alt-rock, new wave, blues and more!
Ever wondered what Pilson, one of the most widely respected bass players in all of hard rock and metal, could do with Sly & The Family Stone’s ultra funky bass line in “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”? Or questioned whether Mr. Scary could transform Howlin’ Wolf’s oft-covered “Smokestack Lightning” into a smokin’ hot, floor-stompin’ slab of bluesy rock (with a special guest vocal by the great Corey Glove of Living Colour)? Well, Heavy Hitters II has your answers. Those delights and a whole lot more wait in store – just check out the album’s brand new single, a completely revamped version of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive.” In the hands of Lynch and Pilson, this tune gets a thorough re-working with a supercharged galloping rhythmic guitar riff you’ll have to hear to believe.
Whereas the previous volume of Heavy Hitters featured a mix of various guest vocalists, this time around Lynch and Pilson brought in one of the most diverse and powerful vocalists in the business, longtime Rolling Stones backing vocalist, Bernard Fowler! Fowler, along with acclaimed drummer Brian Tichy, fill out each of the album’s tracks with their masterful performances.
Reflecting on the project, Lynch declares “Jeff and I have always cherished any opportunities to work together over the 40 something years we’ve been playing together. Writing original records, (in Dokken, LP, T&N, The End Machine, etc.) is wonderful but doing an album of covers is a different and refreshing experience for us. I’d say it’s a little less ‘grindy’ work and a lot more fun because we’re interpreting previously written songs rather than building compositions from the ground up. It’s very liberating and affords more time to experiment and have fun with tracks. Plus getting to do a record with Bernard who is a legend was very motivating! It’s almost like we’re a few degrees removed from being in The Rolling Stones!”
Pilson likewise enthuses, “George and I have so much fun with these Heavy Hitters records. Reinterpreting classic pop songs as rock anthems is an amazingly fun challenge. And with Bernard and Brian we have a band that I’d put up against anyone out there! Plus as writers George and I love studying what makes these songs such classics and we take that into our own writing to constantly improve. And we’ve always wanted to write and record a Christmas song- which we did with ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.’ So Merry Christmas from Heavy Hitters – and have a great summer!”
Watch for the full release of Heavy Hitters II arriving on CD, vinyl and digital on August 11!
Guitar-shredding virtuoso George Lynch has reteamed with former Dokken bandmate Jeff Pilson for a set of new studio recordings that turn pop music classics into powerful metal anthems! The two have previously made metal magic together as a duo on the 2003 album Wicked Underground, which was recently reissued on vinyl, as well as with other projects such as T&N and The End Machine. But this new batch of recordings, entitled appropriately enough Heavy Hitters, stands apart not only for its outstanding roster of players and vocalists including head Bulletboy Marq Torien, Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, New Zealand native Wil Martin and drummer Brian Tichy (Whitesnake/Ozzy) but for the jaw-dropping song selection. If you’ve ever wondered what an amped-up, full-throttle version of Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth Move” or Prince’s “Kiss” or Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova” or Madonna’s “Music,” then this is the album for you!
As a special treat, the band has released the first single from the album – a powerful rendition of Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” – featuring Martin on vocals, offering just a small taste of what’s in store.
As Lynch himself explains, “I was never a huge Duran Duran fan but I always loved this song. It was just so majestic and emotional. It was an honor and a challenge to cover it in that we had to thread the needle between respecting the original vision of the arrangement but putting our stamp on it as well.”
Pilson, meanwhile, says “The purpose of this whole record, besides having a lot of fun making it, was to take amazing hit songs and interpret them in a way that was true to the greatness of the original but that also brought something new and fresh to the song. ‘Ordinary World’ is such a great melodic and emotional song, a song I think George and I have always loved. We just wanted to add some heaviness, a little George Lynch soulful playing and then let Wil fly with that phenomenal voice.”
Heavy Hitters will be available on both CD in a deluxe digipak and on limited edition colored vinyl starting December 18, courtesy of Deadline Music, a subsidiary of Cleopatra Records, Inc.!
Vocalist Robin McAuley (McAuley Schenker Group), guitarist Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake), bassist Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, The End Machine, ex-Dokken), and drummer Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big) have joined forces in BLACK SWAN, a new band project signed to Frontiers Music Srl. Their debut album, “Shake The World”, an aptly titled album if ever there was one, is a delightful romp of powerful hard rock that is not simply the sum of its parts, but a powerful rock ‘n roll machine. It will be released on February 14, 2020 on CD, LP, & Digital formats.
Pre-order the album, including signed items and merch bundles, and stream the single HERE.
The genesis of Black Swan was sparked by a conversation between Jeff Pilson and Frontiers’ President & Head of A&R, Serafino Perugino, who wanted a project that would not only showcase McAuley’s vocal prowess, but have a mighty musical backbone to stand skyscraper tall behind him. Thus, the initial seeds were planted and Pilson ran with it from there. “Shake The World” was tracked at Pilson’s home studio in Los Angeles and is a showcase of both the musical talents of the instrumental players in the band as well as McAuley’s powerful voice. The four members got Black Swan off the ground by exchanging ideas back and forth and then bringing all the songs together. The final result is something fresh, very heavy, but still intensely melodic and it’s certainly not Dokken, nor Winger, nor MSG, or some combination thereof, but it’s own unique animal. As an example, one of the songs was written by Jeff Pilson right after seeing the Queen movie ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. “I came home and I sat down at the grand piano and pretty much wrote exactly the chorus that we have, just coming straight [from] the movie. It is a bit Queen-like.”
Continues Pilson, “It’s amazing, incredible music. Wait until you hear everybody’s playing and singing. It’s beyond — way beyond.”
Adds Robin McAuley, “This is really exciting for me to read: Black Swan announces the release of “Shake the World,” the first offering from the band on the Frontiers’ label.” I’ve known Jeff for some thirty years and we have a history of performing together on MSG Unplugged, in addition to being great friends, musically and socially. When he asked me to do this and collaborate with Reb, I didn’t have to think too long with my response. Initially he wasn’t going to play bass on this, but Reb and myself soon changed his mind, lol!!! Bringing Matt into the mix was a great decision. His powerful energy and style is unmistakable on this album. Overall, it is a very powerful blend of styles and writing. Reb is truly an amazing guitarist and songwriter. Jeff captured my vocals the way I like to sound. Probably the best vocal sound I’ve had… ever!!!! Such a great and creative studio experience for me. This is kick ass, powerful music on an album full of great songs. If you love strong melodies and BIG choruses, BLACK SWAN won’t disappoint!! It’s time…”SHAKE THE WORLD!!!”
Guitarist Reb Beach says, “When Jeff approached me to do this, I was so excited because I loved writing “Erase the Slate” with him for Dokken. I also played in the band with Jeff for four years, and we worked so well together, writing and live too. He is as good as it gets when it comes to a rock musician, a great songwriter and an absolute joy to work with. I came in with riffs, Jeff arranged them into a song by adding his own parts, and then Robin wrote the lyrics, and knocked it out of the park with the vocals. I am pretty particular about singers, and Robin’s voice is so slammin’ that I wouldn’t want anyone else. Matt came in with his huge drum sound, and we had a great sounding band. Very exciting stuff!!”
“Shooting the video was a blast,” says drummer Matt Starr. “Shot in Los Angeles over the course of two days, it was similar to recording the record, everything was very organic and comfortable. That’s the advantage of working with guys who have so much experience. There’s not too much discussion going on. Everybody knows what to do, we just get to work and do it. That leaves more time for hanging out, chatting and smoking cigars!”
Black Swan’s “Shake the World” is a killer slice of melodic hard rock and heavy metal from seasoned players who have gelled musically. Whether you are a fan from “back in the day” or brand new to the scene and just diving in, this album is essential listening!
Tracklisting:
1. Shake The World
2. Big Disaster
3. Johnny Came Marching
4. Immortal Souls
5. Make It There
6. She’s On To Us
7. The Rock That Rolled Away
8. Long Road To Nowhere
9. Sacred Place
10. Unless We Change
11. Divided/United
Alan Dixon from The Metal Voice spoke to Foreigner and Classic Dokken Bassist Jeff Pilson as he was performing with Foreigner in Montreal Quebec Canada on March 13 2019.
Watch the interview here:
Pilson spoke about the latest The Last in Line album, Foreigner’s current tour, Dio Disciples upcoming studio album and his new project The End Machine with Classic Dokken lineup.
When asked about the new Last in Line album called II that he produced
“I am very proud of that record, it’s an amazing record, I love working with that band. The guys in the band, Vivian Campbell, Phil Soussan and Vinny Appice have been friends for 30 plus years. And of course Andrew Freeman is an amazing singer. It’s great to hear Vivian Campbell shredding again as he did on the first record. The songs on this record are so strong and the band really has their own identity now. ”
When asked about Foreigners current Canadian Tour
“This tour has been amazing, we love Canada, Canada is a very good market for us and we are going to come back to Canada a lot. I have done more shows with Foreigner than Dokken but I have been a member of Dokken for a longer time. Foreigner has always been a positive influence on me from the minute Foreigner came out I was a fan. ”
When asked about his participation in writing for the upcoming Dio Disciples album
“I have written a couple of songs for them, I probably won’t actually be recording the record because I don’t think there is a way to fit it into my busy schedule, I would love it if I could. I know they are interested in a couple of songs I wrote for the band. Also I love working with Craig Goldby the guitarist of the band, he and I have collaborated over the years. Hopefully there will be more work with the Dio Disciples but at this point it is just limited to just writing songs but I am hoping I can do some recording with them. ”
When asked about the new album with his new band The End Machine
“I am really excited about this album, we will also be playing shows with The End Machine. We got Robert Mason in as the vocalist who is incredible. I am really pleased with the songs, the songwriting and musical chemistry. I knew that the chemistry would be there with, George, Mick and I, but it was so great to hear what Robert brought to the album and how he really rounded it off. There are some Dokken and Lynch Mob influences there of course but it stands on it’s own musically. Also George Lynch is the greatest rock guitarist player on the planet, there is no question in my mind. The thing with George if you give him a sound he likes 99% of the time something brilliant is going to come out of him. There is a lot of depth to the record, there is straight ahead stuff and there is moments when we really let ourselves go which was really fun to do and gratifying. ”
Last in Line “II” was released on February 22 via Frontiers Music Srl. DIO DISCIPLES is made up of former members of DIO, along with a rotating lineup of vocalists, including Owens and Logan and Wendy Dio revealed in an interview this past spring that DIO DISCIPLES’ debut album will be released via BMG. THE END MACHINE’s debut album, will be released on March 22 via Frontiers Music Srl. The End Machine featuring three members of the classic DOKKEN lineup — George Lynch (guitar), Jeff Pilson(bass) and Mick Brown (drums) — along with former LYNCH MOB and current WARRANT singer Robert Mason
THE END MACHINE will play its first set of shows in April. Brown will be unable to make the dates and will be temporarily replaced by EVANESCENCE’s Will Hunt.
The details are as follows:
April 04 – Whisky A Go Go – Los Angeles, CA
April 05 – Count’s Vamp’d – Las Vegas, NV
April 06 – Encore – Tucson, AZ
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently interviewed current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Dio) who called in from his hotel room on a headlining tour with Foreigner in North America.
Watch the interview here:
When asked about his legendary answering machine messages
“Actually there was a bootleg a long time ago of my answering machine messages. There was a period, especially in the 90’s when I would just make these epic answering machine messages and I sort of got known for it, so then I felt obligated to continue. One time I did Pilsonian Rhapsody, I actually did, Bohemian Rhapsody done to an answering machine message. I went crazy with all the voices and music. I did the Batman theme, but of course I said PIL-SON instead of Bat-man and again played all the instruments. If you can ever hear the bootleg there are some pretty hysterical stuff.”
When asked which of the three bands Dio Foreigner and Dokken he is most proud of
“It would be Dio because there was a connection about Dio. It was the most heaviest powerful band I had been in and I took what I learn in Dio and brought in back to Dokken later on. I would say Dio but I am really proud of Foreigner. Foreigner is on a headlining tour now and we worked our asses off to get back here of course we have Mick Jones great songs but we had to work our way back”.
When asked if Foreigner will be writing a new studio album
“I don’t see us do a whole record of new material like we did in 2009 that was a tough situation for us because we are on the road so much that it was really tough for us to come up with a whole record of new material, it was a lot of work and a lot of stress. I don’t really see that happening again. What I do see happening is what we had done on the last couple of years is that we will put out a new song here and there maybe include it in some package. I see us going recording of new songs but not full albums.”
When asked if Foreigner is still Foreigner without Mick Jones can the band exist without Mick
“It’s a fair question but I will ask anybody who asks that have you seen the band live. When Mick is not there, it’s still very much Foreigner. It’s sanctioned by Mick. I understand how people feel about original members but with Foreigner it’s really about the songs. Lou Gramm was one of the greatest rock voices ever and it’s not taking away from Lou it’s actually flattering Lou that his performances were so universal that we can carry on and do those songs even when he is not there, so we can also do those songs when Mick is not there. The only way it could exist without him being there is if he passed away because he will always be connected to Foreigner. Even if Mick Passed away the legacy of the music is so strong to me yes Foreigner could exit but I don’t anticipate it existing without Mick in some way or form.”
When asked if there are any unreleased Dio Songs?
“As far as me having it no, as far as being unreleased material yes there is. There is actually a fair amount of unheard material. There is talks and they are in the works of someday the music seeing the light of day. In order for it to be releasable there would have to be things done to it . Yes there is Ronnie on songs that people have not heard does exists.
However I do remember playing Ronnie a riff and us starting to work on a song and I believe the riff is going to surface on the upcoming Dio Disciples record.”
When asked if there will be a new studio album and a US tour by the classic Dokken lineup
“The reunited Dokken gets offers all the time and we talk about most of them, we are all on speaking terms and we get along fine. It’s down to opportunity. I think all of us have somewhere in us where we would like to do perhaps one final studio record together. So I see that as a distinct possibility somewhere down the line but as a whole US tour the problem is kind of obvious it’s our scheduling. Maybe someday some limited shows, its not impossible and I think a recording is possible but it’s kind of first things first. The last time we talked about a recording Don was starting to work on his Dokken album, fair enough, there is no hurry. Maybe some day but nothing in the books right now.”
When asked who much truth there was to the bickering and hatred of Don Dokken and George Lynch
“It was a drastically over hyped version that something that is essentially true. The two of them get along pretty good now but there was a time in the early days they didn’t get along great. What really blew it all up is when we were doing publicity for the Tooth and Nail record we had a publicist who wanted to come up with a publicity angle that would really help sell the band. So what they centered in after talking with everybody was wow Don and George don’t like each other and that just exploded and it became the media hook that got stuck with the band and then it became a self fulfilling prophecy and then it became our worst enemy. Did George like the fact that the band was called Dokken, of course he didn’t like that he just wanted to have a regular band name. ”
When asked when he joined the band was he an equal partner in Dokken
“It was equal right from the beginning and that was the brain child of our managers Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch and they new about the personalities of the band and the name so right from the start it was an equal split except for Breaking the Chains album cause I wasn’t on it but they gave me a little piece of it. Don and George also encouraged me to write and to be a participant right from the beginning. ”
When asked how the whole band fell apart after Back for the Attack Album
“It was our personalities exaggerated by drugs.”
When asked about him producing the new Last in Line album and a timeline on it’s completion
“Right now they are talking about January 2019 as a release date, the record is not completely done recorded.”
When asked about his memories of the late Vinnie Paul from Pantera
“I didn’t know him well, actually Pantera opened for Dokken on our very first tour, Pantera they were really sweet to us, they were just starting out. My memory of Vinnie was that he always brought fun with him, he was a very nice man. There were some strip club trips in the 90’s , he was always up for a good time. I hope he rests in peace.”
When asked about his new band/ project and new album project with George Lynch, Robert Mason (Warrant) and Mick Brown
“That record is actually done although it’s going to come out until April 2019 it is phenomenal, it’s a very inspired piece of work. We have a new band name but we are not announcing it yet. George is playing his ass off on it. The music is very natural to what we are there is a bit of Dokken in there, there is a bit of Lynch Mob in there, it’s kind of that direction although it gets a little deeper, we got pretty musical and deep on this record. We are trying our best to do a couple of live shows at some point. The whole record is recorded and done it’s being mixed right now to be released April 2019.”
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