Exclusive Interview: Vivian Campbell on Revisiting His Youth Via the Dio-Inspired 'Last In Line' & Enjoying the Evolution of 'Def Leppard'

Photo: Ross Halfin

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ICYMI

Vivian Campbell is arguably one of the busiest men on the rock landscape right now. He just wrapped up playing a string of dates with his Dio-inspired bandmates from Last in Line and he will barely have a chance to catch his breath before joining Def Leppard for the European leg of their current tour. His year is booked solid and at least for right now, the iconic guitarist would have it no other way.  It seems that he is quite content to be literally revisiting and honoring his early years with Dio while embracing younger generations of fans that show up night after night to hear the Def Leppard classics.

I caught up with Vivian the other day for a quick chat and discovered a man whose search for inner acceptance seems to have made his current joy that much more palpable.

Last In Line Promo Shot

Vivian on making the juggling of Def Leppard and Last In Line look easy:

"It's not easy I've got to say that, but I've always enjoyed my work and I think now I'm enjoying it more than ever. Over the last couple of years, and for the first time in my career, I'm happy with my guitar playing (laughing). It has always been a struggle for me because I've never really been content with what I did and finally after all of these years I realized that it's okay. We're all individuals and we all bring something to the table and while I may not be the worlds greatest guitar player, nobody sounds like me. We all have a unique voice and I'm happy with mine so I'm really enjoying my work.

I've also realized that while the Last In Line project is a side project, it's a very serious one to me. Especially in this day and age, you can't just phone it in. You really have to manifest it and do live shows to make it a real thing, so I've been committed to doing their tour. I am quite literally working all the time- I'm either working with Def Leppard or working with Last In Line. It's work that I really enjoy but it has also taught me another life lesson (laughing) and that is that I do finally see the importance of scheduling time off. I am intending to do that next year (laughing) because this year is already booked with both bands but next year I will plan a vacation."

Vivian on the differences between playing in both bands:

"I really enjoy both Last In Line and Def Leppard because they are two incredible bands filled with incredible musicians that I get to play with. I also get to exercise different muscles because, with the Leppard thing, it's the vocals that we're really known for. It's a high production show and very well oiled machine with two guitarists and Phil Collen really does all the heavy lifting. It's the vocal aspect there for me and being a rhythm guitar player, something that a lot of guitar players don't focus as much on, so I'm very proud of my ability in that. In Last In Line I'm not just the only guitar player but I'm the only melodic instrument in the band, we're not even touring with a keyboard player. That puts a lot of pressure on me as a guitarist but it's also very rewarding and it challenges me.

It brings me back to the origins of Last In Line, which goes back to the original Dio band. We took the name from Dio's second album and so this band is a great way for me to reconnect with that part of my life and that band. It's a challenge to play like that and I take pride in trying to nuance my performance night after night. Some of those guitar solos from those early Dio albums, in my mind I still haven't played right (laughing). I've played them 96 or 98 percent right but I'm still looking to get to a hundred percent. It's not even big things, it's tiny little things (laughing) but I need to challenge myself. I think that if you're not moving forward then you're standing still in life so I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel but I am always trying to make things better.

The same is true with Def Leppard. Joe (Elliott) and I talk about it some nights right when we come off stage. I really do think that sometimes it's only us guys in the band that notice the details. As professionals, we all do have that desire and goal to make things better rather than just phoning it in and taking the easy road. I think that is the difference between bands that are successful and bands that maybe aren't doing well. It's a matter of professional pride."

Vivian on the creativity that still is running through his veins:

"A lot of people ask why Def Leppard even bothers making new records in this day and age when people just want to hear hits from the '80s. It's important to us. We make them for that percentage of our fan base that is really excited about new Def Leppard music but more importantly, we do it for selfish reasons. We do it because there is a creative element to what we do. We want to get better at the songs that are decades old but at the same time we have a creative muscle that we all need to exercise and so we still strive to make great new records too.

It's a strange time because back when Def Leppard or even the old Dio band were first starting out we had the ecosystem of MTV and of FM radio that actually programmed their own music nationwide and even worldwide. The digital age is so different and even with all of the media, it's actually very difficult to get new music out there. There's a percentage of fans of any band that really want that new music but struggle to find it."

Def Leppard Promo Shot

Vivian on watching the Def Leppard audience evolve over the years:

 It's interesting and also a good situation for a band like Def Leppard that has been growing our audience for years now. There's a strong percentage of that audience that is like our children's age now and they come to the shows all excited to hear the hits of the '80s (laughing). It's so nice to reach beyond your own generation and see your audience grow. It's such an exciting thing and it has been happening for us for the last decade or so. We really feel the energy and as our audiences get younger they also are more energetic and we feed off of that and it makes our performance more energized.

Def Leppard was obviously very big in the '80s and then the '90s were rough because the musical landscape changed so much that we were playing live just for our core fans. The late '90s brought a change in the wind and more people started showing up and we noticed that a lot of them were younger. Last year we did 60 dates in North America on a co-headlining tour with Journey and probably 40% of that audience was younger. The energy that young people bring to the show is very palpable and we really feed off of that. Especially when your playing songs that are thirty years old (laughing), we are playing them for the audience and their excitement fuels us to make things even better. It's such a good thing and it makes us really happy."

Vivian on The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction:

 "It's a great honor to be in the hall of fame and I definitely think Def Leppard deserves it. I'm happy because now I get to vote and have a say from the inside (laughing), but personally, I've never put a lot of stock in the industry awards. Being the new guy in the band (laughing) and it has been 27 years for me, but as a fan first, I remember buying the Hysteria album. I wore it out on cassette and then I bought it on cd, and I can remember being amazed that this landmark rock record wasn't even nominated for a Grammy. It had seven hit singles on it! That kind of framed my whole reference point for industry awards and I just don't think that they're totally reflective of merit. I will say that the thing that resonates with us is the fact that we got the biggest ever popular vote. The fans are very loyal and they made that happen. The people who have been with Def Leppard since day one are really the ones who put us here. I believe they're the ones who brought us to the attention of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

Vivian on the fans:

"The audience is vital. If there's no audience then there is no band and so that means there's no show. They are like an extra member of the band and if they aren't excited about the show then we're not so excited about playing it. We're kind of like vampires now, we feed off of that energy and if they're giving us a lot when we're giving even more back. There are certain cities all around the world that I really love to play because of their energy. There's really no such thing as a bad audience it's just a matter of how excited they can get, and then in turn how the can excite us."

Check out both Def Leppard's official site and Last In Line's official site for tour dates, merch and more! Also, keep an eye on Vivian's official Facebook page for updates. 

Exclusive Interview: Vinny Appice on The Appice Brothers Releasing Tribute Video on the Tenth Anniversary of Ronnie James Dio's Death

(Promo Shot from Vinny Appice's Official Site)

Saturday, May 16th, 2020 marks the tenth anniversary of Ronnie James Dio's death and it's a day that will not go unnoticed by the rock community. Stomach cancer may have shortened his life but Dio's vocals on tracks by Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and of course, Dio are never forgotten.  In fact, he remains in permanent heavy rotation in both the rock world and on MTV Classic's Metal Mayhem.

While Covid-19 has grounded a lot of touring musicians that extra time off has paved the way for a lot of creative projects to be brought to fruition, including one by Vinny and Carmine Appice. The brothers, plus Jim Crean (vocals), James Caputo (bass), and Artie Dillon (guitar) are releasing a video for the song "Monsters & Heroes" as a tribute not only to their former bandmate but also to the man that they'll always consider a brother.

I stole a few minutes of Vinny's time ahead of the video release and he was happy to share the details on how this touching tribute came to be. Check it out.

Vinny Appice on how the idea for the tribute video came about:

"It wasn't something that we had planned for a long time, because if things were normal (before Covid-19) then I would have been out of town. I had dates scheduled with Last In Line for March and April, then I was supposed to go to Europe and South America with another project. So the idea hit about two weeks ago when I was seeing all of the virus videos that everyone was making, with all of the windows looking kind of like the Brady Bunch (laughing).  I thought it was cool and the best part is that you're seeing stuff you've never seen before, like performers playing in their own living room.

I thought it would be cool to do one of these videos and when I called my brother Carmine (Appice) he thought it was a cool idea. There was a song we did a few years ago, written by Paul Shortino,  called "Monsters & Heroes" that was originally on our Sinister album, and it felt like a real single. It was the best song from the album to release as a single and since Ronnie's anniversary was coming up and we actually had the time to do something special it really worked out perfectly."

Vinny on how the video was filmed during the Covid-19 quarantine:

"Luckily our guitar player, Artie Dillon, knows how to do all of the video stuff and so we started putting it together. I played first and then I'd stop so Carmine could play. We've done this song live many times so we can choreograph it pretty well. Everyone was in separate locations filming their parts and so it took about two weeks to actually piece the footage together and sync everything up. When we finally saw the finished version we really thought it came out even better than we had expected.

Paul Shortino sang this song on the album but in this video, it's Jim Crean on the vocals. We have played hundreds of shows with him over the years and then Carmine and I have both played on a few of his records, so Jim is like family. It's the same with James Caputo on bass and Artie Dillon on guitar, they're our band so we've done many shows with them live, making them also like family."

Vinny on how Ronnie James Dio is always with him:

"When I go out and play with Last In Line, we play five or six Dio songs and when I go and do my own show then it's a night of Black Sabbath music, so most of the music that I play is tied to Ronnie. He's always there with me. When I'm writing music I remember how much he taught me about creating songs that aren't so predictable and that it's good to mess with the formula a little. The music keeps him with me and we got along so well that we were like brothers. I'm lucky the music has continued and I've gotten to play with legendary musicians that created rock classics. We didn't know at the time how things would end up we just knew that we thought the music sounded good. Who knew "Holy Diver" would become such a staple (laughing), it was just a lot of fun to do. Here we are ten years after he passed and we're still tied together which is so good, it's a nice feeling."

Vinny on remembering Ronnie today:

"The video is really special and it feels good to do something for the tenth anniversary of his passing. If you listen to the lyrics it tells a great story about Ronnie and mentions a lot of the song titles that he was known for.  I think seeing his silhouette and the cancer fund link at the very end is really touching. That picture blew me away when I first saw it, what a great guy Ronnie was. He really loved his fans. He would stop and get out of the limo while trying to leave a venue because there were fans in the cold waiting at the gates. He would get out and sign autographs and take pictures because he really loved his fans.  We all miss him and so it's a good day to remember Ronnie. This song and video will help to bring him into people's thoughts and that's just such a good thing for this great guy."

Check out the video for "Monsters & Heroes"!

Exclusive Interview: Jeff Pilson on Foreigner, Reuniting with Ex-Dokken Bandmates & New Music Coming Next Year

(Photo: Bill Berstein)

ICYMI

Jeff Pilson has got to be one of the hardest working men in rock, especially this year. He plays bass guitar and serves as musical director for Foreigner, a band who started the year with a symphonic album debuting at number one on Billboard's Classical Albums chart and then rolled through a grueling Juke Box Heroes Tour for two months with Whitesnake and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening. Next, Foreigner will be touring Australia before swinging back to the states for a few very special reunion shows with the surviving original band members.

Foreigner is Jeff's main gig but it's not all that he does. He has recently produced for bands like Warrant and Last in Line and is currently working on a new project with former Dokken bandmates George Lynch and Mick Brown.

His plate is overflowing, the summer has been exhausting, and yet Jeff was bursting with excitement when he spoke about the great things to come during an interview earlier this week. Check it out below!

Cate Meighan: How are you doing? You're on a bit of a break now aren't you?

Jeff Pilson: I'm doing great. It has been about a week since the Jukebox Heroes Tour ended and I have another week or so before I'm back out on the road again with Foreigner. It was such a great tour and just about every show felt fantastic. It was a bill that we've wanted to do for a long time. We always thought that Whitesnake would be a great band to do a partner tour with, and then Jason Bonham is not only a personal friend, but he's an artist that we have so much respect for. His band is just so incredible and we knew that this lineup would be a real bang for the buck and it was a tremendous success. Live Nation was happy about it, we were happy, and then it seemed like the fans were happy too so it was great. It's all about how you package these tours and what we did last year with Cheap Trick was going to be really hard to top. I'm not sure that we did top it, but we certainly put together a tour with Whitesnake and Jason Bonham that we felt great about and that's pretty exciting.

CM: I'm amazed by the amount of time that you spend on the road each year.

JP: We count our lucky stars that people keep coming back to see us (laughing) and we definitely don't suffer from a lack of work. That's not a problem that we have (laughing) and it is amazing that there's a demand like this for a band like Foreigner. A lot of our shows are in casinos or at state fairs, some smaller venues and so not everyone gets to see us all the time. The thing with the packaged tours is that they're in amphitheaters and there tends to be real production value to them and they have to feel like more of an event for the fans. A band can burn themselves out very easily and the fact that we haven't, is I think a testament to how good the songs are. We never give less than 150 percent, I mean we just don't. I think that the day that we do is also the day that we'll stop.

CM: Lots of different bands describe themselves as a family and I wonder how true that really is. Watching you guys playing together makes me think that you're the real deal and that the connections are genuine.

JP:  It's still fun for us and honestly it wouldn't be nearly as much fun if we didn't like each other. I've been in bands where people don't like each other and it's very draining. To be able to play this many shows a year, to travel as much as we do and we're not spring chickens (laughing), the conditions have to be good. I think that we're especially lucky because we're an interesting collection of personalities. Everybody is cool, there are no prima donnas and we all have a great sense of humor. It's partially by design, we've come to a point where we have the members that we want. I think the camaraderie and chemistry really is a big part of our presentation and it's what makes a band connect. If the band is connecting within itself and then putting that energy out there, it's a lot easier for the audience to connect with us too.

(Kelly Hansen & Jeff Pilson

Photo: Cate Meighan)

CM: So you're home for a little while but I know better than to think that you're not working on something. What have you been up to?

JP: Well, I have a project with George Lynch and Mick Brown, who were with me in the band Dokken, and Robert Mason (lead singer of Warrant). We will have a record coming out next year and so the day after I got back from tour we did two videos (laughing). Let me tell you, two videos in one day is a really long day (still laughing). It's just so much, but it was really fun to do and after that, I really had to crash for a few days. I tried to schedule as little as possible in this break because I know that we have a lot coming up, Foreigner is touring Australia this fall and I have another project that I'm going to be producing. That also won't be out until next year, but I start on that within the coming weeks and so my plate is really full.

I'm glad to have this little break for some family time, a little barbeque and seeing some friends. I'm actually trying to take it easy and that's something that I very rarely do. I needed to recharge my batteries and that is a rare thing for me. I'm usually like the Energizer bunny and just go, go, go but we were gone for over two months straight and it just kicked me in the butt. I'm enjoying a little bit of down time and not being such a stranger in my house (laughing).

CM: You've teased this new project a little bit before, can you give up any more details yet?

JP: Well it's not going to be called Super Stroke, we have changed the name (laughing). The label has asked us not to announce the real name until we're getting ready to put something out, but we have a name that we're much happier with (laughing). We've already done promotional photos, we've done the two videos and they still need a lot of editing I'm sure. The record is being mixed and so we're very much on track for what looks like an April release. I have a little two-week break at the end of March and I'm hoping that the gods are willing and we can do some shows in that window of time as a launch for the whole thing. We're really hoping for that because we're so excited about this project.  It's some really strong music and it's a really great band. If we can go out and do some shows then people will just flip out. Robert is such a great singer, his voice is limitless and he's a great entertainer. When Robert and Mick and I sing together, the sound is so powerful and I'm dying for people to hear it. It's really a fun band and when a band gels it is a high for us that's not equal to anything else.

CM: You've always got so many different things going on with performing, producing, writing... what is your favorite hat to wear?

JP: When I'm in the studio I feel the most at home and the most connected. It's still a big thrill for me, writing and recording, or collaborating with people. Being in the studio is such a highlight for me. I'm not sure if it's because I tour so much, but there is a permanence about what you record that makes it very satisfying for me and it gives me the wherewithal to see it through. Not that I don't do that with a live show and if I didn't do those shows for a while then I'd probably miss them a lot. The stage has always felt very comfortable for me but with all of the travel and stuff that goes along with performing, it takes endurance to deal with it. I think the studio is probably where I feel the most at home. I have a beautiful studio in my home and it really is my comfort zone. I also feel like I still have a lot to say there. When you're in that creative zone it feels like there is constantly new information to be discovered and I think that kind of stimuli is very important.

CM: Can you take on a project if your heart isn't fully invested in it?

JP: I've been involved in projects before, kind of on the production side, that weren't necessarily things that I was extremely passionate about but I was still able to really invest myself in it. Fortunately, I've just about always had the ability to in the moment, really get into whatever I'm doing. I was briefly in a country band when I lived in the state of Washington, I mean if you wanted to work then you had to play country music (laughing). I'm not a big country music fan, but when I was playing it I was able to get behind it and enjoy it. The passion is usually what drives me but I do have an appreciation for a lot of different things, and so I'm able sometimes to just connect with the music. I can probably put a project together that's really not my bag, but I'm grateful to be in a position where I don't have to do it.

Even the things that you're passionate about have difficult moments. It's not just candy and flowers all the time, it's work. If it were that easy then it probably wouldn't be nearly as satisfying either. I mean, I've been passionate about things and then two years later I'll wonder what I was thinking (laughing). Sometimes passion is timeless and sometimes it's just not so I think it's good to try to be in the moment with the music.

CM: The business has changed in so many ways since you first started out with record sales almost becoming irrelevant, as artists now have to play live and sell weird merch items just to survive. What are your thoughts on the business side of things now?

JP: The thing about records is that they have a permanence and a relevance. Introducing new music to people and having them buy it is a different kind of thrill, one that has become very important to me over the years. I'm very disappointed that record sales are so low on the priority list and for me, that's a real drag. I love to be in the studio creating and certainly financially, that becomes a challenge if it was all that you were to do. I've got this great gig where I play live all the time, but even with Foreigner, I would love it if we could just set up in the studio for a few months and do nothing but write and create a new record. The market isn't there for it and so the opportunity isn't there either. Those are things that I consider to be a drag and the lack of record sales is something that I never would have predicted to become part of the equation. I would have never imagined that it would happen like this.

The decline in record sales is part of what has turned the live business truly into a business. That can be good on a lot of levels. It's great that the fans can meet bands at VIP meet and greets, but it is very much a business. If you watch old footage of say Led Zeppelin, they just got up there and played. It was more of an organic process and I'm missing that. You know, the guys that just got to do a new record and now they're out there experimenting with it. I miss that and it was a big part of the process for so long.

How many people just sit down and listen to a new record anymore? If they do, there are other things like video games going on around them (laughing). We're pining for the old days and the old days are gone, but the lessons from them are still of value. It's part of the challenge for the music business, to figure out how to rekindle some of that excitement and energy. I challenge them to do that because they're doing nothing to keep people interested for the long haul. Instead, everything is for instant gratification and the business itself isn't developing.

CM: I know that Foreigner fans are absolutely thrilled about the handful of reunion shows coming up. What are rehearsals like when you combine the original band with the current lineup?

JP: Rehearsals with the original band members are really fun. Those guys do their homework and they come in extremely well prepared, probably because they're the guys that originally did it (laughing), but just watching it all fall into place is fascinating. I really enjoy that and it's so much fun. We all love and respect those guys from the original band and honestly, they're really a great bunch of guys. We've all gotten to be really close and consider them good friends. We all have dinner together the night before these shows and just talk and enjoy each other. We recorded a record that will be coming out next year and we recorded a couple of the shows where we were all together. I've had a lot of contact with those guys while doing edits and things for the live record and they are just wonderful, each and every one of them.

(Foreigner Promo Shot)

I have to say, I'm really proud of the fact that we can do this. You don't find many situations where the originals and a current existing band can co-exist. I think it's a testament to what big people Mick Jones and Lou Gramm are. It's a testament to how Kelly Hansen is so respectful of Lou as the original lead singer. It's just so cool to see these 12 people able to share a stage and be happy about it, no one else is able to do that. I'm proud of us for being grown up enough to do it because the fans love it. When the fans love you and the egos within a band keep it from performing, I think that's when people are just taking themselves to damn seriously. Thankfully, we're not doing that and instead, you end up with 12 genuinely happy guys on stage at the end of these shows.

CM: The excitement over these shows amongst the fans is pretty incredible.

JP: I knew there was a reason why they offered us money (laughing). I love how excited people get for these shows and that it seems to come from an organic place.  I'm so glad that we're able to go out there and have fun like Super Foreigner (laughing).

CM: So I have to ask, what could possibly be left on your bucket list?

JP: Oh well that's pretty easy, I still haven't written the greatest song of all time. I'm going to keep going until I drop dead or I write it (laughing). Getting better at songwriting is really on it and fortunately, you don't have to be young to write. As I get older, that's the ever-looming thing and I say it somewhat sarcastically, but it is a goal. It's a big thing for me, getting better as a writer. There's not a lot more performance wise that I feel I need to do for the bucket list, now it's about coming up with better things.

It's funny because as a writer and producer I feel like I'm so much better now than I was back in the days when people were buying records, and it's such a shame. I'm hitting more of a stride now and I have more confidence that what I'm doing is right, but with an emotional vulnerability. I think there is an honesty now that mixes with the childlike reaction to music, coupled with the ability to analyze things without losing my self-esteem when I find flaws in the work. Those are tricky lines to walk and I think that getting older certainly helps with that. It's about staying detached and letting the muse work through you and I think that's something that we get better at as we get older.

When you're younger you have different things that you're trying to achieve. I look back at some of the music that I was involved with and I can see the gaping holes in the flow of it now. I hope that I've learned and that I carry those lessons on to other things. I hope that I get to continue working with great people that are also great teachers. I just want to keep getting better and I really do feel like I still have a long way to go as a writer, so it's a priority for me.

(Photo: Cate Meighan)

If you haven't experienced Foreigner with the 21st Century Orchestra and Chorus then you need to give it a listen because it is just stunning.

Check out Foreigner's official site, for upcoming tour dates, official cool band merch and more! Also, keep an eye on Jeff's official site for updates on all of his side projects!

 

Currently Booming: NEW Music by Last In Line - 'Landslide'