Exclusive Interview: Foreigner's Jeff Pilson on Reuniting with the Original Band While Working on 'Black Swan' Project with Robin McAuley & Reb Beach

(All Photos: Cate Meighan)

We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.

ICYMI

Foreigner's bass guitarist, Jeff Pilson,  is undoubtedly one of the busiest guys in the business. Aside from traveling 200+ days a year with that classic rock powerhouse machine, he also juggles a few side projects at a time. If you think that supergroups are a thing of the past then you need to pay closer attention because Jeff has a knack for not only combining established rockers but also bringing them to a higher musical level. 

He is currently working on a few "side projects", The End Machine with ex-Dokken bandmates George Lynch and Mick Brown  (Warrant's Robert Mason on vocals), and another endeavor with Robin McAuley (Schenkerfest; The Rock Vault)  and Reb Beach (Winger; Whitesnake). 

His plate is always overflowing and this year has been exhausting, yet Jeff was bursting with excitement when he spoke about the great things to come in an interview that occurred about an hour before Foreigner's Double Vision Then & Now reunion show in Atlantic City. Check it out!

Jeff Pilson on Foreigner's journey this year:

"It has been so good! I've been going with the flow and we've done about 110ish dates this year so it has been really busy. We have had to cut back on some dates though because we're not just driving 50 miles to get to a show, we're all over the place (laughing).

When Mick Jones was choosing people to play in the current lineup I know that work ethic was important to him, but also important was how well you fit into the vision. There's a certain chemistry about how we all fit together and Mick is really good at finding and figuring out what works. We all have some sayso in things but Mick is the final arbiter and he understands the importance of chemistry, both in playing and personality. We spend a lot of time in this big tube together and so you have to be able to hang (laughing) and I think he has always been cognizant of that. You have to be at a certain level to be able to play in the band, but after that, it's about how well you fit in and adapt to the overall sound. It really is very much a group effort and we've got it now so that everyone really listens and pays attention. At the end of the night, it's pretty amazing to have everyone on stage and realize that we really are all listening to each other. We've all grown to be great friends and I love these guys- plus we're having so much fun."

Jeff on reuniting with the original members of Foreigner:

"This kind of night is fun, it's just so great. We're all sad that Lou (Gramm) is not here, of course, and we really do miss him. I spoke with his wife this morning and I'm really glad he's taking care of his health. He is going to be fine, it's nothing long term thank god.  We miss him though and it's not quite the same without him. Having said that, these shows are going to be great. The energy is there and the cool thing about Foreigner is that it's really about the music. We miss Lou and I'm sure the audience will too, but the music is so strong that it really has a way of overcoming adversity.

There's something about these reunion shows that connects everyone to the roots of this whole band and that's such a healthy thing for us to be able to do. The fact that we can even pull this off is incredible. No other band has ever been able to meld their past with their current and so I'm genuinely, incredibly proud that we can do it. In the process, we've gained friendships and insight, plus we've come up with a product that allows us to bring these guys in and tour a bit with them too. What an amazing thing that is."

Jeff on what's next for The End Machine, his project with George Lynch, Robert Mason, and Mick Brown:

"There is more coming! I was hoping we would be able to write during the upcoming break from touring but scheduling is difficult. There's definitely more coming but I'm just not sure when. Hopefully, we'll be able to start writing again soon, it has just been hard because there's so much going on. The reaction to The End Machine has been so positive and one of the things that has been really special to us is the depth of the band and our first record. We know not to rush it. Writing with George doesn't feel like work. It's a flowing and fun thing that we love to do.

George (Lynch) and I did a record together in 2003 called Lynch Pilson and we finally got the rights back to that record. In turn, we then sold it to Cleopatra who is going to re-release it. We just wrote a song a few weeks ago called "Top of the World" and that's going to come out soon. I'm so excited about the record being released again and having a new song to go with it."

Jeff on that other side project with Robin McAuley and Reb Beach:

"We just had conference calls about everything this morning! That's coming out in March and I think the first single will be out in December. We're filming two videos for it on Nov. 1-2 and so either sometime in December or January the first video will come out, followed by the second video. Then on Valentine's Day, we'll be releasing the third song, it's a ballad that came out incredible. I'm really excited about it and just wait until you hear Robin's voice on this project. He's such a dear friend and boy does he really shine here."

Jeff on being busier than ever:

"Well, with all of the creative stuff happening and the offers there I feel like you kind of have to strike while the iron is hot. I'm not in a rush about certain things, but who knows what's going to be there in ten years. I'm not that old, I mean I'm kind of old (laughing), but I'm not dead yet. Musically I still haven't written the greatest song of all time yet (laughing). I'll leave the term "greatest" open to interpretation, but that's still on my bucket list of things to do (laughing)."

Jeff on juggling a family while being on the road:

"Honestly, I need to take a little bit of a break. I feel like when I finally go home I need to just be able to stay home for a while. Being a father is really tough with this job and luckily we have a daughter that's just angelic (laughing). She's really smart, really into her school and she does a great job with her schoolwork. If we had a troubled kid I don't know how we would deal with it. She went to her first Foreigner show at 6 weeks old (laughing) and I've had to reconcile myself with not being home very much. It puts a real undue burden on my wife because she has to be like a single parent a lot and that's not fair. I do what I can and my wife understands but she's a human being. She gets tired and stressed out, so it's tricky. When I'm home, I'm dad and I'm all in. We're going to go away for six days on vacation in November and I'm really looking forward to that."

Jeff on what's next for Foreigner:

"More touring forever (laughing), more dates are on the books for after our Las Vegas residency. I'm sure they'll be making an announcement about it soon. We've been trying to stay out of the major American markets and doing secondary markets because we'll be doing a big 2020 shed tour in the summer. I can't say who's on that but an announcement is coming. We're also going to South America and we're headed back to Europe again to do some festivals. Musically it's very satisfying to play somewhere like Germany because those audiences really listen. We are working on some new music and it's strictly on the creative level. There is no time frame involved but it's starting to happen and there could be a new song or two coming."

I want people to know that Foreigner is a very viable, relevant band right now. Yes, we deal with the nostalgia of this great catalog, but we're out there hitting the pavement pretty damn hard and there's no sign of that letting up for the next couple of years.  We're very committed to taking Foreigner, with both its' catalog and its' fans, and making the very best of it. We want the chapter of Mick Jones' life about Foreigner to be perfect and complete. That really is our goal to do that and to make it that way for him".

Head over to Foreigner's official site to check out tour dates, band merch and more

Exclusive Interview: Foreigner's Lou Gramm Finds Joy Reuniting with His Original Bandmates & Exudes Peace as His Career Winds Down

Foreigner

Photo: Karsten Staiger

ICYMI- we are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.

I honestly can’t remember a point in my life when Foreigner wasn’t one of the musical fibers helping to hold my memories together. I can easily flashback to when I was six-years-old, curled up in my dad’s ugly green chair with his headphones on listening to Foreigner, as I held their album in my lap. My father was a DJ back when stations were first changing over to an album rock format and he was happy to bring his work (in the form of vinyl imports) home with him. I always got to pick a song to listen to before I went to bed and dad was thrilled when “Feels Like the First Time” replaced “Disco Duck”. I quickly noticed that if I picked “right” he would let me keep his headphones on for a few songs and falling asleep to the first side of Foreigner’s eponymous effort happened to me more than a few times. 

It was the synth that first grabbed my attention but by the time I was a pre-teen I really understood how important each and every musician (Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Al Greenwood, Dennis Elliott, Rick Wills, Ed Gagliardi) was to the band and how they all played a crucial part in creating that unmistakable sound. It’s a sound that regularly lives on in millions of households even now, forty-plus years later. 

Longtime fans were thrilled last year when the original band joined the current lineup onstage for a handful of shows. Those gigs were so special and well-received that “Super Foreigner” will reunite again in October for a few more Double Vision: Then & Now shows. I had an opportunity to speak with Lou Gramm, the man whose voice has helped to sell over 80 million albums. It's an interview that I feel like I've prepared 40 years for, and both his insight and his hindsight are uniquely valuable. 

Lou Gramm & Rick Wills

Photo: Cate Meighan

Cate Meighan: How did those first reunion shows feel to you and what was it like to have those particular audiences in the palm of your hand? 

Lou Gramm: “Well, to reunite was unbelievable. It had been a lot of years since that band had taken the stage together and so it felt really powerful. Everyone was playing terrific and from one end of the set to the other, there was a lot of joy onstage. I felt that it projected right onto the audience. I could sense that the audience was really enjoying it and the response to every song made the short hairs on my neck stand up.”  

CM: How is it different for you being on stage with the original band now versus back in the 70’s or ’80s? 

Lou: “Well, the band back in the day was awesome, but the schedule that we kept was hard. Just like everything else that you do in life, this was just as much work as it was a joy. That balance tends to numb things and you almost forget the little things that were so special, which is sad but it’s kind of the way that it is. So honestly on those (reunion) nights all of my senses were just piqued. Looking around at the guys, watching them playing and shooting little smirks at each other, it was all the things that we used to do and just took for granted. Those little things now have a huge meaning on these special nights. The shows that we did recently, we knew there would only be a few of them so we wanted to make the most of every song, interact and just be who we’re supposed to be.” 

Mick Jones & Lou Gramm 

Photo: Karsten Staiger

CM: Did you know there would be more shows after last winter? Was that something that was already in the planning stages? 

Lou: “We were hopeful but it was understood that everything would depend on how we were received. You know it could have really gone differently. We could have had a lukewarm reception and we could have walked offstage knowing that our better days were definitely behind us. Instead, we realized that our audience appreciates us as if it was 25 years ago. The people in the seats really create the energy of a show and without them and that energy there would be no point in continuing” 

CM: It was announced late last year that you were finished performing with your own band. Did the Foreigner reunion shows have anything to do with that decision? 

Lou: “At the end of last year I disassembled my own band and that was that. Different variations of that band had been together for 13 or 14 years and we had great shows. Whether there was a Foreigner reunion or not, I knew that it was time for me to put an end to that. This year I’ve played on and off with Asia. They do their songs and then they do arrangements of my solo work, plus Foreigner songs. They’re very good and we have a lot of fun on stage, but even that is coming to an end later this year. I’m in the process of winding down and I’m at peace with it. I’ve been doing this at a professional level, usually extremely busy and working hard, for 45 years. I can still sing; I don’t know if I’m as good as I was 40 years ago but I can still cut the parts. I’ve just lost the desire to be out on the road performing constantly, I’ve done enough. I’ve got a lot of other things that I’d like to turn my attention towards like my family and my obsessive hobby (laughing)- American muscle cars! I have a lot of fun with that and I’ve been into it since before I was old enough to drive. When you tour it’s usually in the summer so by the time the tour is over it’s almost too late to get the car out and drive it. I live in the northeast so come October that’s when everyone is putting everything away.” 

CM: Some of DailyBOOM’s readers had some questions for you. I liked this one- if you look at Foreigner’s whole catalog what songs are a perfect example of what this band really can do?

Lou: “Oh boy that’s really tough (laughing). I would say if I just shot from the hip, "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent". Two songs that have very different feels to them but they’re both heavy-handed and pack a real punch.” 

Mick Jones

Photo: Babs Marks

 CM: Another great question- how difficult was it for you to transition back into the band after spending time focused on your solo work? 

Lou: “It was difficult because when I did my own thing it was to let my own creative abilities have the lead. I didn’t need approval, so to go back into that situation was almost unbearable at the time. Creatively I did very little on Inside Information because everything that I brought up was shot down. I just held on tight and I sang the songs. It didn’t turn out to be the kind of album that I had hoped that it would be.” 

CM: Here’s another one that I liked- what album are you the proudest of? 

Lou: “There are a few. Mr. Moonlight was released on an independent label and got very little airplay and very little notoriety. I thought it was a great album and even now, you have to be a fan to know that it exists. Some fans still don’t know that it exists (laughing). I also loved 4. There’s a lot that I loved writing and recording, plus then performing but if I had to pick it would be those two.” 

CM: Last one from our readers’- what was the motivation behind “Angel with a Dirty Face”? 

Lou: “It was a fun little song about a girl who made it seem like she was an angel but you could tell what was going on and that she no angel (laughing).” 

CM: Okay back to the present day “Super Foreigner”! How do you feel knowing that you get to reunite with both bands again for four shows in October? 

Lou: “I’m very excited to do it again. I think we rehearse 2 days before the show and I have to say, the current lineup of the band is great. They’re all nice guys and they’re thrilled to be doing what they’re doing and I’d be thrilled if I was them too (laughing). They are as helpful as they can be and I hold absolutely no ill will against them. They walked into a situation where they were asked to join Foreigner and how many people are going to turn that kind of offer down (laughing)? They took advantage of a great opportunity and that’s how things go. We genuinely get along really well.” 

Photo: Cate Meighan

CM: What would you like to say to the fans that are really looking forward to these reunion shows? 

Lou: “The original band loved performing back in the day when it was our time to shine and now all of these years later it’s still our time to shine. We’re going to lay it down as best we can and we’re going to rock them real hard. We take a lot of pride in what we do and in the songs that we’ve written and recorded. It means a lot to the original band to still play and every time we do this our pride is at stake! So, we’re going to perform just like we’re back in our heyday and we won’t let anybody down.” 

Check out Foreigner's Official Site for more info on Double Vision: Then & Now tour dates!

Foreigner- Double Vision: Then & Now Reunion Show Review (Atlantic City)

Double Vision Then & Now- Foreigner Reunion
(All Photos- Cate Meighan)

Since Covid-19 is preventing any new gigs DailyBOOM is flashing back to some of our favorites from previous years. Enjoy this flashback!

When Mick Jones, Ian McDonald, and Lou Gramm first teamed up in New York City back in 1976 to form Foreigner, I'm pretty sure that they never would have imagined still sharing a stage some 40+ years later. Serious health issues, growing pains, lineup changes, and internal strife have all played a part in the bands' evolution and temporary disintegration, but the music has always been much more powerful than all of those things combined. Foreigner's catalog is an overabundance of riches for any musician fortunate enough to be able to do it any sort of justice and no one understands this better than the band's original lineup. Seeing Mick Jones (lead guitar), Lou Gramm (vocals), Ian McDonald (guitar/sax), Dennis Elliott (drums), Rick Wills (bass) and Al Greenwood (keyboard) reunite for a select few shows this year has been a rare gift for classic rock fans young and old alike.

The Hard Rock in Atlantic City was one of only four shows slated for this year's Double Vision: Then & Now reunion and it really was a perfect balance of the original Foreigner members, with the current lineup. The first part of the show featured the latter with Kelly Hansen absolutely showing off his vocal range on hits like "Cold As Ice" and "Head Games" before pulling the sold-out crowd in with his intensity on "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and "That Was Yesterday". 

Kelly Hansen

Kelly Hansen

While Hansen is more than holding his own on vocals, the rest of the current lineup is an incredibly skilled group of musicians, all with decades of success before even venturing to set foot on a Foreigner stage. Bruce Watson was tapped to step in for Mick Jones during a medical emergency years ago and never left. He has earned his spot by being versatile enough to either play lead guitar his way or to accentuate the magic that Jones weaves as his right-hand man. 

Bruce Watson & Tom Gimbel

Bruce Watson & Jeff Pilson

Jeff Pilson (interview here) spent years 'breaking the chains' with Dokken before joining Foreigner and he is an animal onstage. One minute he is literally headbanging right in front of you and the next he is already at the opposite end of the stage rocking out. His bass playing is a standout, even on the ballads and he often can be found working as the band's music director to make sure that their shows are seamless. 

Jeff Pilson

Jeff Pilson

Tom Gimbel (interview here or here)  is one of, if not the most versatile musician currently touring. In any given song he might be playing rhythm guitar ("Head Games", "Juke Box Hero"), keyboard ("Cold As Ice", "Waiting For A Girl Like You"), or flute ("Starrider"). But his biggest moment is when he cracks out his saxophone to make "Urgent" the memorable piece that it is. 

Tom Gimbel

Tom Gimbel

Speaking of keyboards, Michael Bluestein is quite an entertainer. He plays great and even from the back of the stage he always catches my eye with the way he pumps up and toys with the audience. It's so often mentioned that the drums are the foundation of any band and that certainly holds true for Foreigner. Chris Frazier has been the man behind the kit for the last seven years and he is the driving force that pushes this great band through songs like "Juke Box Hero". 

Mick Jones

Once the current lineup finished their set in Atlantic City, Mick took to the stage to introduce the rest of the original members and you could tell that this was an audience raised on Foreigner. I was one of those kids back in the 70's spinning my dad's vinyl, so to see and hear the guys who actually played on those original recordings was pretty amazing. Less than a minute into "Feels Like the First Time" and it was obvious that this stage full of 70ish-year-old men could still rock. 

Mick Jones

As long as Mick is breathing he will play like a guitar god and seeing him interact with Lou onstage felt like rare stolen moments that only a select few concert goers in this day and age will get to experience. Lou's vocals seem to be about the best that they've been in years and the Hard Rock audience's energy soared. 

Lou Gramm & Rick Wills

I got the feeling while watching Rick Wills on bass and Dennis Elliott on drums that they both could still be playing regularly with Foreigner if they chose to. They both helped the band barrel through "Blue Morning Blue Day" and "Long Long Way From Home" with such conviction that I really wanted to see what else they can still do. 

Rick Wills

Rick Wills & Ian McDonald

Multi-instrumentalists always intrigue me because they just have so much going on.  Ian McDonald is meticulous in getting himself together before playing and it made me so happy to see him have a bit of a sax solo complete with a bit of his own theatrical flair. 

Ian McDonald

The split setlist for the Double Vision: Then & Now shows is actually pretty perfect because it allows each generation to play to their strongest abilities. There was no better way to wrap up such a rare evening than by bringing all twelve musicians back onstage to perform "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Hot Blooded". 

Foreigner already has a pile of dates booked for 2019 and rumor has it that some of those may turn into reunion shows as well. This fan can only hope that it's a rumor that turns into confirmed fact!

Double Vision: Then & Now Setlist

Current Lineup:

Cold As Ice

Head Games

Waiting For A Girl Like You

That Was Yesterday

Headknocker

Urgent

Juke Box Hero

Original Lineup:

Feels Like the First Time

Double Vision

Blue Morning Blue Day

Long Long Way From Home

Dirty White Boy

Both Lineups:

I Want To Know What Love Is

Hot Blooded

Lou Gramm

Ian McDonald

Jeff Pilson

Tom Gimbel & Bruce Watson

Bruce Watson & Tom Gimbel

Jeff Pilson

Tom Gimbel & Kelly Hansen

Bruce Watson & Tom Gimbel

Jeff Pilson

Bruce Watson, Tom Gimbel & Kelly Hansen