Talking to Robin McAuley is to do so from a place of closeness. The Irish vocalist comes across as natural, approachable, and genuinely warm, as if the conversation flowed between acquaintances rather than within the framework of an interview. On the occasion of the release of Paralyzed, the new work by Black Swan, McAuley chats unhurriedly and in a relaxed, easygoing tone, moving effortlessly between topics: from the band’s evolution to their way of working, live shows, or his recent experiences.
More than a typical interview, what follows is a direct and spontaneous conversation with a hard rock legend who still lives music with the same passion as ever.
David Aresté
M.S: Thank you for your time, Robin. It’s a pleasure to have you here, and congratulations on the new Black Swan album, Paralyzed. Now that it’s finally out, how do you see the record with a bit of perspective?
Robin McAuley: Thank you! Well, we’re very happy with it. The reviews so far have been excellent. Everyone seems to really like the songwriting, the production of this third record, Paralyzed. So yes, we’re pretty excited.
M.S: In your opinion, with a third album released, does Black Swan now feel more like a real band rather than a supergroup or a one-off project? How do you see it from the inside?
Robin McAuley: You know, we were brought together as a project/supergroup. I don’t think anyone in the band really wanted that kind of label. So now, with our third record, I think we feel very much like a band. I think we’ve really established ourselves as a solid songwriting team. There’s a progression across the three albums. Yes, I think we’ve established a very essential Black Swan sound. And yes, of course, we’re guys from the ’80s, but I think with the production and the songwriting, you know, we’re very strong in melody and big, powerful choruses, and we like the power of the music. But we try to bring freshness, something that gives it a bit of something new. So yes, I think there’s great songwriting at the core of the band, so we don’t feel like a supergroup. I live in Los Angeles, Reb lives on the East Coast. Jeff lives in Las Vegas and Matt is also on the East Coast. So it’s like East vs West, like basketball teams (Laughs)
M.S: How did the songwriting dynamic between you start?
Robin McAuley: Well, I think when we started, we were right at the beginning of COVID, the pandemic, I think 2020, 2021. I had worked with Jeff for many years. I had never worked with Reb, so it was the first time Reb and I actually wrote songs together. He thought Reb and I would have a great connection as songwriters. He’s an incredible guitarist. He has very strong melodies and all his years with Winger have proven he’s a great songwriter. So when we started, you know, we had to feel each other out, see what I would bring, see what he would bring, see how we would work together. And that happened very quickly. And then we went from Shake the World to Generation Mind, which I think took us to another level. And now we have three albums. I think Paralyzed is a very strong record. You know, we don’t like to go completely straight all the time. We like to mix it up with different vibes, different influences. And I think we cover a lot on Paralyzed, but it’s still powerful, still melodic and very, very Black Swan.
M.S: Regarding the lyrics, is there any theme or message especially important to you on this album?
Robin McAuley: I approach each song differently. Basically I try to connect with what Reb is playing, what Jeff is playing. I like stories. I treat each song like a book, like a beginning, a middle and an end. I like a story. I like the story to go somewhere. I like it to take me somewhere. Everyone has their own personal journey in life that goes into a song. But then the song starts to take different directions and it’s very open to interpretation for everyone. And that’s how I like to write. People come and say: “Oh my God, I love how you told a story about this,” and I say: “Really? Because I was thinking about something completely different.” But if it works for you, it works for you.
M.S: With musicians like Reb Beach, Jeff Pilson and Matt Starr, what is the creative process like when you write together?
Robin McAuley: Reb usually comes to Los Angeles and spends maybe about two weeks in the studio with Jeff, and they start working on ideas. They have a great working relationship. And then basically they take everything and throw it to me and say: “Do whatever you want.” And so I work, I listen very closely to the music for a long time, and then I start writing here at home, and I make demos here at home. And then I send it back to Jeff and Reb. They’ll say: “Oh, I love this here. Hit that note here too, make that little change. Keep that. I like what you did here. Don’t use that there, use it here.” So kind of mixing everything together, so everyone has input until we get what we feel works best for the song. It’s a very easy process.
M.S: So, do you do the early stages of writing together and then work online?
Robin McAuley: Yes, yes. In fact, one of the fun things is that Matt is on the East Coast. I go with Jeff and record all my vocals, all my lead vocals and harmonies. Jeff will have his input for the harmonies. In normal situations — there’s not really a normal situation in recording nowadays because everyone is apart — so we usually send Matt all the finished tracks and he’s the last person to put his drums on. He’s not in the room when we’re writing. And Matt is a great singer, and Matt tells me all the time that what he loves about the process is that he hears the vocal melodies and then he’s able to build his drums from that. And you know, I think most bands have been working virtually for years, sending files everywhere. I think what we do is we do that, but it doesn’t sound like we weren’t in the same room at the same time.
M.S: Which studio did you record in?
Robin McAuley: At Jeff Pilson’s studio, here in Las Vegas. We call it Mount Pilson. I go there to record all my vocals, and Jeff is there, and we work on the harmonies. We call it Mount Pilson as a joke because it’s kind of on a hill (Laughs) so that’s our little Mount Pilson.
M.S: Which song on the album do you think best represents Black Swan today, and why?
Robin McAuley: Oh, you know, I love the opening track. I think the opening track, “The Cold Wind Blows”, is so Black Swan. It has all those heavy elements, like the first album, Shake the World. And we love that kind of heavy foundation. One of my favorites, of course, is the title track right now, “Paralyzed”. It’s a beautiful piece of music. I think it’s a great story. It’s a great piece of music. And also when we wrote a song called “Shakedown”, some of the guitar parts reminded me of early Thin Lizzy. So at the end of the song I was playing with the lyrics, and I could hear (hums the melody) “Tonight there’s gonna be a jailbreak”. So in the end I sang “Tonight there’s gonna be a shakedown”. That was my little Thin Lizzy moment.
M.S: With your experience, how do you prepare for recording or going on tour?
Robin McAuley: I prepare mentally. Vocal rest, very important. I do everything I’m supposed to do to perform at my best. Stay healthy, eat well, exercise. The voice, the voice is the most important thing for me. Because if I can’t perform, everyone’s going to be upset with me.
M.S: Do you have any specific routine for your voice? Water, whiskey, lemon juice… who knows (Laughs)
Robin McAuley: A lot of hydration. A lot of water. I use steam for my voice. No alcohol when I’m working. I love wine and I love bourbon, but when I’m working… zero, nothing at all. That’s my discipline.
M.S: A tough one — do you know how many albums you’ve recorded over the years?
Robin McAuley: No idea. I have no idea (Laughs) I mean, no idea. I’ve been a guest on many things. I like to be, I like to be energized by the idea of doing something a little different, using my voice in a different way. Because, you know, I tell the people I work with: don’t just listen to one type of music. Don’t stay in a small box. There’s so much music out there. You’d be doing yourself a big disservice if you don’t listen to as much as you can. You don’t have to like everything, but you should listen to as much as possible. And you know, I was asked to re-record a Pretty Maids song, “Little Drops of Heaven”. I’m a big fan of Ronnie Atkins. I recorded that song and changed a few things to make it more my sound. And Ronnie loved it. And that’s going to be part of a covers album,
M.S: I saw that, a 30th anniversary compilation, right?
Yes, a compilation, a collection that Frontiers is preparing.
M.S: Last year you played in Spain.
Robin McAuley: Yes, we played in Burgos. What a beautiful city. We did the full show and then we also did an acoustic show in the square with the beautiful cathedral behind us. It was incredible. We also played in Barcelona at Rock the Sun. I love Spain. Spanish audiences are crazy.
M.S: We also saw you at the Monsters of Rock Cruise. Fantastic shows, especially the second one.
Robin McAuley: Thank you, we had a great time. Believe it or not, it was my first cruise. The previous year I was supposed to go, but I ended up in the hospital with a serious infection just before heading to the airport. Instead of flying to Miami I went straight to the hospital. It was scary — I had a very high fever and was in critical condition. But the following year I finally did the cruise and it was fantastic. At one point I even fell on stage because I tripped over one of the monitors. Someone asked me: “Are you okay?” And I said: “I’m fine… I think I just kicked the monitor.” People probably thought the singer had been drinking — but that wasn’t the case! (Laughs)
M.S: Do you think Michael Schenker could perform songs from the McAuley Schenker Group era live again someday?
Robin McAuley: It would be a shame if he didn’t, because this year marks approximately the 40th anniversary of that era. The reason I started performing those songs again was because fans were asking for them at festivals. They wanted to hear those songs along with tracks from my solo albums.
M.S: What would need to happen for Black Swan to go on tour?
Robin McAuley: Promoters would have to call and say they want Black Swan at their festival. Festivals would be perfect for us. Everyone in the band is very busy with other commitments. For example, Jeff spends a lot of time touring with Foreigner. So organizing a long tour would be difficult. But if we played three or four big festivals, I think people would realize Black Swan is a really strong band and we could then do a small venue tour.
M.S: What’s next for you?
Robin McAuley: Jeff already told us: “By the way, we still have to make another record.” So maybe there will be a Black Swan 4 (Laughs) I’m also part of a great show called Icons of Classic Rock in Las Vegas and other cities in the United States. And I’m recording new music with different songwriters. I’ll also be in Japan in October with Michael Schenker Group for the MSG part of the show, and in Europe there might be something as well.
M.S: Thank you for your time, we’ve reached the end. Would you like to leave a message for the readers?
Robin McAuley: Yes, of course. Thank you for listening to the album Paralyzed by Black Swan. You can find information at robinmccauley.com, on my official Facebook and Instagram pages, and also on Reb, Jeff and Matt’s pages. Go to YouTube, listen to the songs and play the album. And most importantly… turn it up.
David Aresté