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Drummer JEFF MARTIN Says He Was Fired By DOKKEN Following West Palm Beach Concert
- July 25, 2008
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After DOKKEN's July 23 concert at Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida, the group's frontman Don Dokken decided to change drummers mid-tour. Jeff Martin, who has sat behind the kit for some of the greatest guitar players in history — including Paul Gilbert, George Lynch, Michael Schenker and Jake E. Lee — was reportedly relieved of his duties. Martin said in a statement released to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "I played and sang my ass off every night to make the band sound better, but apparently that isn't what he wanted. I wish them all the best for the rest of tour." DOKKEN will take part in a personal appearance and CD signing on Tuesday, July 29 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event will take place at the Spin Street Stage, located in the shops at Mohegan Concourse immediately following the band's show in the arena with POISON. Due to the short timeframe of this event and the huge number of fans expected, the band will only be signing copies of its new album, "Lightning Strikes Again", which was released on May 13 via Rhino Records. In addition to the regular European version of "Lightning Strikes Again", Frontiers Records released a special limited edition of the CD on April 11 in a glossy slipcase. The limited-edition version includes an exclusive bonus track for Europe, entitled "Sunset Superstar". Fan-filmed video footage of DOKKEN's second-to-last show with drummer Jeff Martin — on July 22 in Tampa, Florida — can be viewed below. Footage from Jeff Martin's last concert with DOKKEN — July 23, 2008 in West Palm Beach, Florida — with commentary from Martin's webmaster:
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COMMENT |
posted by :
7/25/2008 11:31:53 PM
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They're playing at the Mohegan Sun and they're worried about TOO MANY fans showing up so they can only sign their latest CD? That sounds like a bunch of BS to me. I don't know where the hell Mohegan Sun is but I know it's not Madison Square Garden...
Oh yeah FIRST!
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COMMENT | saw jeff on a george lynch tour
posted by : toodiesel
7/25/2008 11:35:42 PM
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saw jeff behind the kit during a george lynch tour and he was outdoing the singer... maybe the same issue here, but I do like Don's vox so who knows
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COMMENT | Jeff Martin...
posted by :
7/25/2008 11:36:08 PM
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Reunite Racer X, get Nitro to Reunite, and we'll have the shred metal tour of the century!
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COMMENT |
posted by :
7/25/2008 11:37:55 PM
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Due to the short timeframe of this event and the huge number of fans expected, the band will only be signing copies of its new album, "Lightning Strikes Again", which was released on May 13 via Rhino Records.
==================
What a bunch of bullshit. i just found out there is a "special 75 dollar" ticket to Helloween and Gamma RAy that comes with a "signed poster" instead of the 30 dollar ticket thats normal. Why are bands doing this? What about back int the days of Prog Power where Kai and Company would hang out with people in their hotel lobby?
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COMMENT | Jeff Martin
posted by :
7/25/2008 11:49:46 PM
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Well looks like I won't be attending this show .
I was only going to see Motorman
Jeff is not only a great vocalist but an excellent drummer
Your loss Mr Dokken
BTW, who was Jeff's replacement?
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COMMENT |
posted by : JudasShawn
7/26/2008 12:04:17 AM
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The door is open but sadly Wild Mick is on tour with Ted Nugent until at least October.
Hopefully this firing is the beginning of the reunion. Don may be making room for something bigger!
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COMMENT | WOW!
posted by :
7/26/2008 12:28:59 AM
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well if Don Dokken is in town, it must be MOHEGAN FUN!!!!
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COMMENT | Mohegan Sun...
posted by :
7/26/2008 12:29:41 AM
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...is in Uncasville, Connecticut. It's a little over 9,500 seats. It's an arena inside a casino. I bet THAT makes for a fun night.
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COMMENT | The better singer is on the throne!
posted by :
7/26/2008 1:07:49 AM
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I've seen both of them several times and Jeff's voice is too dam good and strong to sing harmonies to Dokken's wimpy voice.
I suspect DK was a bit threatened by Jeff stealing the show.
That sucks. I hope Jeff gets a gig for the rest of summer!
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COMMENT |
posted by :
7/26/2008 1:42:34 AM
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I wish him luck on his own.
I never much listened to Dokken, but after seeing them at a state fair, I don't think it'll be hard for Martin to do better.
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COMMENT | SURGICAL STEEL
posted by : Brother Maynard
7/26/2008 2:33:12 AM
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Time for Jeff to front a band again. Those days in front of the Steel were great. Plus, Don is soooooooo old sounding.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
7/26/2008 3:02:26 AM
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God I hate this band.
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COMMENT | Its time Jeff.....
posted by :
7/26/2008 4:32:36 AM
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To round up the gang for a racer-X US tour. Not enough people have had the pleasure..........The snowball of doom must roll on!
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COMMENT | hmmmm
posted by :
7/26/2008 5:16:50 AM
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Gotta wonder if this has anything to do with Lynch performing for one show. Sounds off the wall I know,however....I wouldnt doubt for one minute if the next Dokken headlines read something about Mick returning,followed by Jeff Pilson. Far fetched, perhaps...but there was a rumor already about a reunion.
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COMMENT | Jeff Martin > Dokken
posted by :
7/26/2008 5:51:41 AM
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Jeff Martin is cooler than any member of Dokken, past or present, combined.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
7/26/2008 6:17:51 AM
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Don's a control freak. Nuff said. And if you listen to the YouTube clips from this recent tour, Jeff not only plays phenomenally but also outsings Don by a mile. And this is coming from a Dokken fan with no previous knowledge of Jeff's works. I think it's funny that this band is touring under the Dokken name with only ONE original member. That's like Eddie Van Halen calling a solo project Van Halen. At least he knows we need 3/4...not 1/4.
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COMMENT | The truth.... from 'RacerXRocks' at Metal Sludge
posted by :
7/26/2008 7:38:33 AM
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"Here's the story, based on what I've heard from other guys on the tour and from Jeff....though Jeff would never say a bad word to anyone in public.
First of all....Jeff Martin and Chris McCarvill were both hired to replace Mick Brown and Barry Sparks..respectively. Neither was given ANY press coverage or props for joining the band. I dare you to find anything on the Dokken site promoting their involvement. What kind of respect is that?
On many occasions, I tried to post information on the Racer X site regarding Jeff getting hired to play on the tour, and help promote it! Each time I was told not to post anything due to "legal issues". Everyone and their mother in the rock world KNOWS Mick Brown plays drums for Ted Nugent...Ted is on tour this summer. DUH. Some secret.
Don had Jeff come out to LA to practice...everything seemed to go well. Now...anyone who knows ANYTHING about drums, knows the Mick plays VERY STRAIGHT. Jeff calls is...(Chant) I HAVE HOLES IN TEETH, I HAVE HOLES IN TEETH...or HOLES IN TEETH I HAVE, HOLES IN TEETH I HAVE. You drummers...play that beat and you'll laugh.
Anyway...Jeff is very influenced by Ian Paice, Keith Moon, John Bonham and others...He's a master of time keeping and odd fills to add flavor to the song...just like his idols. Don specifically told Jeff to let it go...be himself. All was good.
When they finally started rehearsals...Jeff was told to play more straight. Don told him to listen to Tooth And Nail..etc and play it "Just like Mick" on the studio CD's. So Jeff learns all the songs like the CD, as told. Once they play their first show....Don tells Jeff that he's not playing it right...and that NOW he needs to listen to the LIVE CD and play just like Mick does on that CD. So Jeff learns all the songs all over again.
This continues for many early shows..."play more straight", "play laid back", "push the songs", etc....Yo Yo instructions. Music is about feel and fun...not anxiety.
The show before West Palm...Jeff is given very specific instructions to not "push the songs and lay back".
At the West Palm show...Jeff is relaxed...his friends and a family member are there....He plays his ass off.
On a side note....All the guys in Poison were awesome...and very supportive. One member upon hearing what happened....wanted to switch Dokken and Sebastian Bach...LOL.
It's unfortunate that it happened. Jeff is relieved it's over...He wasn't having any fun. We actually ended up on the same flight back to California by accident and knocked back a few drinks in the bar in West Palm.
My own personal observation....Clearly, there's only ONE original member of Dokken in Dokken. When you want to know who is the trouble maker in a band....look to who is the common denominator!!"
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COMMENT |
posted by :
7/26/2008 7:52:57 AM
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The only thing I ever liked about this band was George. For me, Back For The Attack, was a killer record. Nearly everything since (yes, even with George) seems to be a 'filler cd' with not much thought behind it. I have never and will never be a fan of Don' voice. It's just my personal taste.
I do think that there is some $$$$$$$ in a reunion tour but I don't think that Jeff and George will take part (Mick might). They're better off without Don (in my opinion).
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COMMENT |
posted by : Fani Dilth
7/26/2008 10:04:13 AM
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Due to the short timeframe of this event and the huge number of fans expected... the band will only be signing copies of its new album, "Lightning Strikes Again...
In other words, band needs to move copies of disc.
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COMMENT | george
posted by : The_MetalMonster_Mike
7/26/2008 10:27:11 AM
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said they were supposed to do a reunion for this tour but didn't want to open for baz and jeff pilson wasn't gogin to be involved so they are gunna do it next year
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COMMENT | ha!
posted by :
7/26/2008 10:40:11 AM
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its called lead singers disease, don cant have anyone singing better than him! ha..! wtf, why would you hire the racer x singer anyways?? he's sooo much fuckin better anyways...! ha..sorry jeff, you're tooo good a drummer and singer to sing behind Don's weave anyways.!! thanks jeff for the inspiration ! racer x!!!!!!!
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COMMENT | Best of luck to Jeff.
posted by :
7/26/2008 10:56:14 AM
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Don has been living off of superior musicians for his entire career. Only Ozzy can claim more success with so little talent. His voice is weak, he mostly writes pussy-assed ballads, oh yeah, AND he's known as one of the biggest assholes in rock. It's time for him to leave the stage. I know everybody needs a paycheck, but Jeff Martin can do far better than this.
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COMMENT | That sucks
posted by : RiotAct666
7/26/2008 11:39:45 AM
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Jeff is a killer drummer. Check out his work w/ racer - x , badlands etc. Wish him the best and how about a Racer - X reunion now? That would be sweet.
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COMMENT | Jeff owns!
posted by : Guitarp77
7/26/2008 11:40:25 AM
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Too bad this happened, but Jeff has proven to be a competent musician, and an awesome singer.
Hope he finds another great gig!
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COMMENT |
posted by : black-eye
7/26/2008 11:52:06 AM
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That sucks Jeff got fired from Dokken. I remember him from singing in Racer X. He is an incredible singer. From watching the youtube stuff, I didn't notice a single note out of tune or drum beat out of sync. Good luck to Jeff on landing a new band, and I'm sure he will easily. Anyway, who was the lead guitarist in Dokken now? He looks familiar. And he played George's parts very close to perfect. He smokes! Thanks.
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COMMENT | Thanks Bro Maynard
posted by : Hawkwinder
7/26/2008 12:20:27 PM
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I noticed you mentioned Surgical Steel and I remember that name from Metal Massacre 2. They did the song 'Rivethead'. I'll have to give that a listen. I like finding songs that feature people that made a bigger claim to fame later, like Krokus vocalist Marc Storace was on the HM compilation Metal for Muthas 2 with the band EZ Money, or Arjen Lucassen playing in Bodine before the Ayreon stuff.
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COMMENT | black-eye
posted by : Hawkwinder
7/26/2008 12:28:01 PM
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According to Wikipedia, it looks like the guitar player is Jon Levin.
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COMMENT | Racer-X reunion will NEVER happen
posted by : englishrock
7/26/2008 4:26:08 PM
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Been readin' the comments that Jeff should get RX back together. The same reason Don (dildo) Dokken fired Jeff is the same reason Paul Gilbert won't get on stage with JM...does NOT want to share the spotlight. PG is one of the greatest guitarist on the planet, but what made Paul super-special, was he didn't ACT LIKE IT! Now that PG & his wife (Yoko) have their own band, and the spotlight is ALL his (and Yoko's), why does he need Jeff, John & Scott??? Not gonna' happen. Get over it, Blabbermouthians.
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COMMENT | DON/DOKKEN, better than Xpected @ Rocklahoma:-)
posted by : InThroughTheOutDoor
7/26/2008 5:03:46 PM
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The G-player also wasn't too bad doing GL solos, let's wait for re-reunion...x
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COMMENT | hmm..
posted by :
7/27/2008 4:28:00 PM
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I met Jeff Martin (Thanks to Kelly Keeling, George's singer at the time, introducing us)while he was on tour with George Lynch a few years back... Cool dude... awesome vocallist as well as a killer drummer... nice guy too..
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COMMENT | lynch mob
posted by : sstone225@live.com
7/28/2008 10:43:11 AM
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I hear lynch mob is coming back. don has always been a dick. he needs a drum stick to the head.
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