Jeff Pilson and George Lynch have an undeniable chemistry that began decades ago with Dokken and continues now with The End Machine. The pair, along with drummer Steve Brown and new vocalist Girish Pradhan, have just released their new record The Quantum Phase, and Jeff took some time to talk about it.
Please press the PLAY icon below for the MisplacedStraws Jeff Pilson interview –
On how his back is doing – I had my surgery November 27th. So in a few days, I’ll be, it’ll be my three-month anniversary. I’ve been this entire time working on the recovery since then. A lot of physical therapy, but I’m doing fabulous. My doctors have told me they want me to stay seated for a while. I returned to the stage March 1st. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep myself seated. But I am trying to think health first here. So I’m going to be seated for a while, but I’m able to walk. I walk, I take walks every day. I’m trying to build it up. The doctor said, “Listen, you can’t go from zero to 60. You’ve been working on this stationary and, not doing what you do for months now”, he said, “You got to build it back”. There’s the worry that when you get the adrenaline, you get out there, you do something, but you’re actually going to hurt yourself. So I have to be very careful. I’m going to be seated for a while, but my goal is by the summer tour with Styx and John Waite, I want to be up and rocking. I think I will, I feel like I will.
On the departure of Robert Mason and the arrival of Girish Pradhan – Well, basically Sarafino (Perugino), who’s the president of our record label he came to George and I, and he said, “Guys, I want you to hear this singer.” He said, “I just have the feeling that this would be the right thing for The End Machine”. It was nothing against Robert. That’s what’s so painful about this whole thing. Even the explanation is…I really don’t want anything to reflect negatively on Robert because he didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not like that. But the suggestion was made, George and I heard Girish singing. We thought, “Wow. Okay”. We knew he was a writer from the stuff that we heard, we didn’t know how it was going to work with us, but we were willing to go into the deep end and take the chance. So we sent him material and it came back just phenomenal. He’s a great writer. So it kind of became a no-brainer. Again, it was an idea that the record company thought would be really good for this band and you know what, they were right.
On the band’s creative process – Alessandro (Del Vecchio) only comes in during the mixing. He’s only the mixer. Not that he couldn’t make suggestions when he mixes and sometimes he does, which are great. But it starts with George and I, we, we sit, we sit down in a room. Now, during the pandemic, we did do a Heavy Hitters record remotely, which was really interesting. It was actually very, very enlightening to do a record that way, but we prefer to be together and we have a chemistry that is amazing and instantaneous. So we sat down and we crafted the music and then we sent it to Girish. We listened to his ideas and then we collaborate and give our suggestions. It has to go through emails and zooms and everything else beause he’s in India. But he came through, I mean, he just, he did a great job. There were certain songs that needed rewrites, but that’s okay. That’s part of the process. He had an amazing attitude about it because it’s hard to do rewrites. When you have one idea and you work on it and it’s like, “I gotta do another one”, that’s hard. That’s really hard. But boy, did he ever come through with the songs that he did rewrites on? He just did amazing stuff. So wow. I mean, really, really it’s a great songwriting process. It’s so fluid and natural.
On the guidance he gave Girish as producer of the record – Well, he didn’t need much. That’s for sure. I couldn’t do much because we were doing it remotely. The suggestions all had to come through emails, which is not my ideal way of working with a singer. I’d prefer to be in the room with them and everything. Because I do sing, I can kind of communicate with them on a, on a level of understanding as someone who knows what’s involved in singing. But, it was done with emails and things like that, which is not, again, not my ideal way. But, wow, did he ever take all the suggestions well, and on top of it, it didn’t need a lot. The main things were rewrites, but when he came back with rewrites, almost to a fault, they were great when they came back as a rewrite. So I didn’t have to say much on this, which is pretty amazing…This guy is a superman. His voice is, it’s just astounding what he can do. He’s, he’s as good a singer as you can get. As far as his vocal ability, I think it’s limitless, which is pretty phenomenal. So I think the man has a very, very bright future.
On why he works so well with George Lynch – George is for me, he’s very inspiring to work with. George is really honest and he’s really straightforward, which is great. No phoniness with him. When he gets in the zone, and that’s the thing with George, he has to get in the zone. But when he’s in the zone, he’s a genius and things flow out of him that come from some other place. My role is to make him comfortable and get into that space. Then when he gets in that space, we’re able to collaborate and do things together. Again, he’s really honest. For him, it’s all about what’s the best idea. It’s not “My idea has to be it”. We’re not like that with each other at all. We’re brutally honest with each other, like, “God, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life”. We say things like that. Once we do, put the songs together and crafting them in a way that really befits making a great song, we just have a natural way of doing it. It’s very organic. We both just feel it and we tend to complete each other’s sentences. So I think there’s a little bit of ESP that happens. When we get together, that ESP creates a magic where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s the objective.
On Foreigner’s Rock Hall nomination – Well, the first thing I think is, yes, it’s overdue. Even as a Foreigner fan myself, I knew that there was an obstacle in the way and that obstacle has been removed. So, now, we are getting an honest shot. The first, after I think that, I think, “God, I want this for Mick (Jones)”. Mick so deserves this. Mick’s a wonderful human being. At heart, he’s a very deep and sensitive human being who has really deep feelings. People don’t realize, that’s where the power of a lot of those songs comes from, is how deeply emotional he is.
Even though Lou (Gramm)’s been saying some kind of crappy things in the press lately I want it for Lou, too, because I think he so deserves it. I love Lou’s voice, and I think he’s one of the top singers of all time, and I think he really deserves it. I love Al Greenwood. Al Greenwood is a great guy, a fabulous keyboard player. I want it for Al really bad. Rick Wills, I love Rick Wills like a family member, he’s a great guy. I want it for him. Ian (McDonald) was a wonderful person and passed a couple of years ago, but, but Ian was just a great guy. Even though it’s posthumous, he so deserves it. I don’t think King Crimson ever got in, right? The original Crimson. That’s a travesty on its own. Ian deserves to be in there. I mean, frankly, the original King Crimson absolutely deserves to be in there, but whatever. But anyway, I’ll take it if it’s Foreigner for Ian. Then there’s Dennis who was a very, very valuable member of that band and he deserves it as does Ed Gagliardi in posthumously. So, I really adore those guys. Like I said, even with Lou saying the stuff he says, I really think the world of Lou. So I think it’s a well-deserved thing. I hope it happens, especially for Mick because that’s who I’m closest to. But man, that band deserves to be in and I hope it happens.
On if he has a relationship with Don Dokken since the reunion shows –Oh, yeah, since the reunion shows I have. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, but and I haven’t spoken to him since he’s had this nasty roll on the Internet, which I don’t understand but anyway so, no, we, we haven’t been speaking recently. Still, we have since the reunion. Despite what he says there is a chemistry about the four of us so, yeah, there’s the desire to make that one last record. Still, there’s also a complete acceptance if it doesn’t happen, because logistically, it would be very difficult. Don lives in New Mexico now and it would just be a slow and tedious process, I’m guessing which I’m not used to these days. But yeah, there is the desire to make that one last (record). I think we have the chemistry in this to make one last great record. But again, a complete acceptance if it doesn’t happen.
It’s kind of sad that those reunion shows would have been the last things we would have done because that was not a particularly inspired set of performances. Even though the live record came out with some cool energy on it, but I don’t consider it our greatest work. But the song that we did, the new song we did came out great. It just was instantaneous and it was the whole chemistry thing where it just kind of fell together. There were times with Dokken where all of a sudden it just fell together. That song was one of them. So, I know the ability is there. That’s probably what makes me say I’d love to do one last great record. Again, total acceptance if it doesn’t happen.
On if we will see a third Black Swan record – We will indeed. Reb Beach was just here a couple weeks ago, and we got seven songs deep into the next Black Swan, which is going to be fabulous. I think Black Swan fans are going to be very happy. So yep it’s in the works. Probably not till well into 2025. Because of the scheduling and logistics problems that happen with these bands. But it’s on its way. Started sending stuff to Robin (MacAuley). Robin’s finishing up another solo record. So once he gets done with that, he’s going to start working on Black Swan. So I’m very excited. It’s going to be a great record and I’m so glad people have enjoyed it.
On Black Swan’s Chemistry – Reb and I talk about that, like, God, it’s just, our chemistry is just so fun and natural, and we work hard. When Reb comes here, I’m in here at 10 in the morning, and by 11, we’re, we’re recording, and we go till 8 or 9 at night, every time. It’s hard, constant work that is totally fun. That’s probably why I have back problems, because I like to work like that. It’s just, it’s really fun. Robin and I go back 35 years now and longer actually, I’ve probably known Robin 40 years. I was best man at his wedding years ago. We have a chemistry too that’s just so fun and natural and hardworking because Robin has an amazing work ethic. He really does. He’s one of the two singers I’ve ever worked with who will go through and sing every take when you’re doing basic tracks with a band and this is old-school recording, but, when MSG would go in there, he would give it his all for eight hours a day. Singers don’t do that. Only he and Ronnie Dio are the only guys I’ve ever worked with that do that. That’s where that powerful voice comes from. I mean, he works hard. He’s worked at it hard. He knows what he’s doing. When we get together and collaborate on melodies and whatnot he is so great to work with and so fun to work with. We have a lot of laughs. He’s another guy that when he’s in the zone, man, wow, you don’t get better than that.
On if The End Machine will tour – There’s certainly pressure to do so. There’s certainly the desire to do so a lot. The reality is, yes, my year is pretty packed as is George’s and Girish’s in India, that’s his home. Steve (Brown) has a busy year with Tesla. So playing live would be difficult this year, but having said that we do want to play live really bad. In 2025, both George and I, our schedules will open up a bit. Foreigner’s not going away. There will be Foreigner shows in 2025, but there won’t be that long nine months of touring, which is great. This means I can have a more open schedule and, and be more available if the situations and opportunities arise. Now, the logistics to make that happen are still really difficult, even if my schedule were wide open. It’s not like George is going to do nothing. He’s going to have to do other things. So the desire is there. The possibility becomes a little greater in 2025, I believe, but the desire is there. So we’re, we’re working on it. I’d love to make it happen, but I would never promise anything because it is a logistical nightmare. It really is.
