Phil X was kind enough to stop by for a chat about his new album with The Drills, Pow Right in the Kisser.
Phil X is truly a musicians musician. Throughout a career in which he became known as an absolute top-level session musician ultimately resulting in joining Bon Jovi, there has been a pretty ever-present through-line of The Drills. Whilst being a session musician requires you to have somewhat of a chameleonic nature (adjusting approach to fit the needs of the bands they play with), The Drills has always been the place where Phil can stretch his legs creatively. On his new album, Pow Right in the Kisser, he makes full use of the network he has built up by utilizing a different drummer on every track.
During our chat, we talked about his writing process and how most tracks were written with the specific drummer he was going to use in mind. There’s a bit of everything on this album but, given it’s The Drills, the record has an undeniable hard rock edge. Phil’s lyrics and vocals are on point and, as you’d expect, the guitar work is phenomenal. It’s also a great example of how a drummer’s personality and style can impact a song. Daniel Spree does a fantastic job of locking in with every drummer used on the album and, should you not have listened to it yet, maybe listen without looking at the track listing and see if you can guess who the drummer is on each track.
As always with Phil, this is a record that will get your blood pumping and make you feel like moving around. If you’re looking to hear some great music and get in some cardio while you’re at it, we would strongly suggest you give this a listen – and make it LOUD!
So make yourself comfortable and tune in for our chat with Phil X.
