Reb Beach recalls how bassist Jeff Pilson was talked into being a part of Black Swan

Reb Beach recalls how bassist Jeff Pilson was talked into being a part of Black Swan

Whitesnake, Winger and Black Swan lead guitarist Reb Beach was recently interviewed by Tom Leu for Sound Matters.

Black Swan consisting of Beach, bassist Jeff Pilson, lead vocalist Robin McAuley and drummer Matt Starr recently released their critically acclaimed debut album Shake The World.

Beach was asked about Pilson not initially slated to be the bassist in the band but eventually getting talked into it. The guitarist replied: “Yeah, that’s totally the story. I’m surprised you heard that… We were doing the demos, sitting there writing the songs, and the bass was so cool that I started it. I said ‘we can’t have another bass player, this is too awesome, this is a sound. This is unlike anything else I’ve heard with your playing, it’s just so signature. It sounds like a real band. It’s a sound that happens with Jeff and me playing together. Just like it did on Erase the Slate [Dokken].’ And it was evident right from the beginning. Finally I just hounded him so much, and Robin [McCauley] hopped on board, with it.”

In terms of his take on some current music and recent award shows, Beach indicated: “I watched the Billboard Music Awards and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Every song was terrible! It wasn’t even a song… it’s like, where’s the hook? And it’s all auto-tuned, and no guitars, and really, really bad stuff. It was disheartening.”

You can listen to the entire interview with Reb Beach via Sound Matters‘ website.