Phil X
Photo by Stephen Jensen
PHIL X & THE DRILLS are back with their first full-length album in nearly five years, following the release of the 2019 EP “Stupid Good Lookings Vol.1.” While Phil X is widely known as Richie Sambora’s successor in Bon Jovi, his raw, electrifying guitar tone and untamed, free-spirited playing style truly capture the essence of rock. In his flagship band, PHIL X & THE DRILLS, these qualities shine even brighter, delivering powerful, hook-driven hard rock that pulls listeners in. We sat down with Phil X to talk about the new album “POW! Right In The Kisser,” as well as his musical background, past projects, and much more.
Photo © Composite photo by Justin Roszkowski
Interview / Text Mamoru Moriyama
Translation Hiroshi Takakura
Muse On Muse : You’re widely known for your work with Bon Jovi as Richie Sambora’s successor, but we’d like to go back a bit. Could you tell us how and when you first got interested in music?
Phil X : My father got me interested in music when I was really little. He played a Greek instrument called a bouzouki. He was always playing so that was pretty inspiring and he noticed
my interest so, actually bought me a guitar when I was 5 years old. By the time I was 8, I had an Elvis Presley set that I would sing for friends and family but my first performance was a
big fat Greek wedding. I got up when the band took a break and performed Blue Suede Shoes and Teddy Bear and when the whole room when CRAZY, I realized that was what
I wanted to do.
MM : What kind of music and artists influenced you back then? What was it about them that drew you in?
PX : I went from Elvis to the top 40 on AM radio but then ROCK happened. It was Black Sabbath, Triumph and Ted Nugent who introduced me to solos by the time I was 11.
I think the greater population of guitar players would agree when I say Edward Van Halen changed the game. He was so inventive. His soloing was obviously mind blowing
but his rhythm playing was also incredible. I was totally sucked into that warp of amazingness but what really hit me hard was seeing Van Halen live in 1980. Not only was
Ed playing ridiculous guitar, he was sprinting across the stage, running up PA stacks, jumping off the drum riser…etc. It really set the bar for what a Rock show should be in my
mind. Then of course Uli Jon Roth, Randy Rhoads, Angus Young…. the list goes on. It was like a buffet of guitar styles and I wanted to eat everything.
MM : When did you decide to pursue a career as a professional musician? Could you share the journey that led you to becoming a pro?
PX : Nothing else mattered. I did badly in school and never really got into sports so it was just guitar and Rock’n’Roll. Even in my first band when I was 14, I knew in my heart
what I could achieve with hard work and perseverance.
“Pro” is such a weird word to use when it comes to being artistic. Are you a pro when you get to do what you have a passion for every single day or when you get paid?
Hahahaha. I was in a cover band that just played as much as we could wherever we could and then BAM!! Somebody saw us that told somebody else “You HAVE to see this kid
play guitar” and it all started to come together. Even before the internet it was about getting in front of as many eyes and ears as possible.
MM : You’ve played with bands like Triumph and Powder. Could you tell us more about those activities?
PX : Triumph was a great experience. I learned a lot from Gil Moore and Mike Levine. It also was the first time that I knew I couldn’t be 100% myself in a pre-existing project.
I would put a solo down in true Phil X style and Mike would come in and go, “that’s really great but it doesn’t really sound like Triumph”. I have to admit, that came in REALLY
handy when I had to fill in for Richie Sambora.
Before that, I played in Canadian band Frozen Ghost and then Aldo Nova who put a record, Blood On The Bricks, out on Jon Bon Jovi’s label, JAMBCO RECORDS in ’90/’91.
Aldo and Jon co-wrote and co-produced all the songs and that was the first time I toured the United States on a tour bus and shot super expensive huge production videos.
We also opened for the Scorpions for three weeks. That was an amazing time.
No matter what I had under my belt, it didn’t seem enough and I felt being in Toronto, Canada was holding me back so I moved to Los Angeles in 1997. A few original bands followed
with my first wife, Ninette Terhart, but when we started POWDER was when we started something very special. Ninette created this character on stage that the audience couldn’t help
but fall in love with. She was doing Cirque du Soleil silk and acrobatic routines in a Rock show way before P!NK. It was a lot of hard work, creating the music and the show and just
putting everything we had into it. At some point, it became Ninette’s thing and I started to feel like the guy on the side. That’s when I started The Drills.
MM : You joined Bon Jovi in 2011. How did that come about, and what led to you becoming a full-fledged member?
PX : Actually in 2011, I filled in for Richie. I actually didn’t join until 2016 but going back to 2011, Jon Bon Jovi called John Shanks (Bon Jovi producer and co-writer) and asked if he knew
anyone that could fill in for Richie since he was going through some personal issues and had become unreliable. Shanks told Jon about me and Jon said, “get him”. No audition or
anything. Just lawyers and management figuring out the logistics while I learned a 2 1/2 hour show and be ready to fly wherever to jump on stage. Or not.
Richie officially quit in 2014 and in 2016, Jon wanted to record a new record. I seemed like the obvious choice for the new guitar player since I had already played over 100 shows
all over the world.
MM : Let’s talk about your core band, Phil X & The Drills, and your new album “POW! Right In The Kisser”. It’s your first full-length release in about five years since 2019’s EP “Stupid Good Lookings Vol.1”. What inspired you to create this album at this point in time?
PX : ‘Stupid Good Lookings Vol 1’ was the first installment of a greater picture. We started recording in 2014 and I just kept writing and recording and everything that did NOT go on ‘SGL Vol1’
happened to be completed over the next few years to become ‘POW! Right in the Kisser’. One of the first songs recorded was ‘You Sunk My Battleship’ with Brian Tichy in 2014 and the last
song recorded was ‘Seemed Like A Good Idea’ with Tosh Peterson in November of 2024 so that’s 10 years of writing and recording while taking breaks for Bon Jovi and other projects.
MM : Could you introduce the other band members, Daniel Spree (Bass & Background Vocals) and Brent Fitz (Drums & Background Vocals)?
PX : Daniel Spree has been here since the beginning when our original drummer was Jeremy Spencer (Five Finger Death Punch). When Jeremy left, the drummer situation became a
revolving door. It was like a different drummer every month. Plus… being in LA, if you have a great drummer, he’s playing with 5 bands so I’d call and say, “hey dude, we’re playing
the Whisky on the 5th” and he’d reply, “Can’t do it. Already got a gig.” It was very frustrating but now it’s no surprise that there are 11 drummers on ‘POW!’
The first time Dan and I played a Drills show with Brent was in Germany. Half way through the show, I remember feeling like I’d been playing with him my whole life. It was instant chemistry and
vibe and Dan thought the same thing. Obviously Brent plays with other artists (Slash) so there are times that he isn’t available so we go down the list to find someone who is.
Photo by Phil X
MM : The album features guest drummers like Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), Ray Luzier (Korn), and Tico Torres (Bon Jovi). How did they come to be involved in this project?
PX : We’re all buds. I had worked with Tommy on all his solo records since ’99 on Methods of Mayhem, Tico obviously with Bon Jovi and Ray and I have always wanted to do something together.
All the other drummers on this record I’ve worked with before on other artists’ records. When you’re on the floor recording, musically creating and artistically vibing on each other, you become pals so
asking “Hey brother, will you play on my record?” is like asking “what do you feel like for lunch?”.
MM : How did the songwriting process for this album go?
PX : There were ideas that had been around for ages and just manifested for this record. I wanted some songs to have that punkier early Drills vibe while others added more dimension to
what people think The Drills are. I wrote ‘Broken Arrow’ when I found out Chris Cornell passed. I was devastated. It made me think that no matter what you see on the surface, you never
know what’s going on in somebody’s head. There’s a lyric that asks, “What’s it take for you to shut the voice of reason down?” followed by “How’s the view?”. To me, those are questions I
would ask if I could have a conversation with someone that commited suicide. The voice of reason saying “Don’t do it. Everything will work out” is completely ignored. Then… ok… now you’re here. Is it what you thought it would be?
I would’ve never written a song like that years ago and try to make the The Drills but it was time for me as an artist to explore more depth.
MM : Throughout the album, your killer guitar work and vocals are front and center, packed with pure rock energy. “Tracks like Find a Way” stand out with its groove and tight rhythm guitar, while “Way Gone” shines with its cool, well-structured guitar solo full of twists and turns.
PX : Thanks for noticing. I really put a lot of time into both. I feel like I have something to say with both my guitar and my vocals and they both really shined on this record. Just because I can shred doesn’t mean
I should do it all the time. I like to play for the song. What the song requires. What compliments the vocal. Those are the important things for me. Vocally, I like how I’m singing to reflect the lyric. If the lyric is intense then I sing intensely. If the lyric is playful, then I’ll sing playfully.
‘Find A Way’ is my Last Child (Aerosmith)/ Fame (David Bowie)/ Stevie Wonder jam. Tico killed it with his Cuban fired Funk. It was so easy for Dan and I to sink into that pocket.
‘Way Gone’ is so crazy energetic. I knew Kenny Aronoff was the drummer for that track. When we get in a room together, we’re both bouncing off the walls so hey… let’s play some music.
That song was screaming for guitar pyro so I was happy to reach into my bag of tricks and throw some on that section.
MM : What guitars, amps, effects, and pedals did you use on the album?
PX : Mostly my Friedman X Signature for the “WALL OF ROCK”. Also my ’76 Marshall JMP played a big part in rhythm guitars. For over dubs, I used my trusty TONEMASTER, a Supro Statesman and a “Super”, a GREER mini-chief, a SUNN T-120, a Bullhead Custom Shop and a Roppoli Plexi Replica. Guitars was Gibson SGs, Les Pauls, 2 Explorers, a Flying V Custom, an E335, an ES355 and a Trini Lopez re-issue, a couple of Framus XG Customs and a YAMAHA SG1801 signature.
MM : Is there a difference in the gear you use when playing with Bon Jovi versus Phil X & The Drills?
PX : A always use 2 amps no matter who I’m playing for. My Friedman X signature and a Supro Statesman or “Super” blended together. It’s just more pedals with Bon Jovi. Obviously I need a Talk Box but there’s also
chorus, delay, a Leslie sound for ‘Always’ and a wah pedal for ‘Keep The Faith’.
MM : What’s next for you? Any upcoming plans you can share?
PX : We have a few Drills shows coming up in March in Texas and some other stuff is on the horizon. I’m waiting for the Bon Jovi schedule to come in so I can fill the holes with Drills. (Get it?? hahaha)
MM : Please a message for your fans.
PX : THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the continued support. We only matter because YOU matter. We only ROCK because YOU ROCK.
Follow your dreams and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do anything. Because you CAN do ANYTHING.
PHIL X & THE DRILLS / POW! Right In The Kisser
1. Don’t Wake Up Dead
2. Fake the Day Away
3. Heal
4. Find a Way
5. Moving to California
6. You Sunk My Battleship
7. Seemed Like a Good Idea
8. Broken Arrow
9. I Love You on Her Lips
10. Feel Better
11. Way Gone (Beam Me Up, Scotty)
