Vinnie Moore – The Double Guitar Exposure
- How did you decide to record the album “Double Exposure”, what was the inspiration behind it?
I planned to do an instrumental project with 6 songs but while listening to the demos it occurred to me that the songs could easily be vocal songs as well. So I came up with the idea to do two versions of each song. It was during the period where we were locked down and I wanted to stay busy and get some music released as quickly as possible. Once I decided to add vocals though, it became a much bigger undertaking and wasn’t so quick at all. (Laughs)
- What was the contribution of each contributing member of your line-up?
With drums, Richie’s biggest contribution was his feel and the way he plays. He’s really funky and has a great sense of swing. As far as the singers, it was more of a collaboration with the songwriting. With some songs the singer wrote all the lyrics and all of the vocal melodies. With other songs, the singers and I each wrote some of the lyrics and some of the vocal melodies. Overall the vocalists had a lot of creative input. The bassists added their feels and style to the songs. And with keyboards John added a lot of nice colorings and textures
- Did you incorporate any new technical elements (in terms of recording or guitar playing) in this release?
I definitely played some phrases and licks that I haven’t played before. I always strive to add new phrases to my library as opposed to always playing the same things. I used a Harmonizer on the song Breaking Through to create three part guitar harmonies which is something I haven’t done before. I also used a 24 fret guitar on some stuff and this was new for me.
- I have been following most of your solo works, and your music has a positive, up-tempo feeling even without including lyrics. Are you also positive in your personality?
Thank you. For the most part yes I am a positive person. But like everyone, there can be times where you feel down and negative about things. The important thing is to pick yourself up and keep pushing forward.
- Are there any outtakes from this album that we are going to listen to in your next musical work?
There are really no outtakes except maybe a few alternate guitar solos. That happens for me on every album actually but I have no plans to do anything with them
- Do you have any plans to use your own voice as a singer on your next albums?
I sang some harmony vocals in the song Still Waters Run Deep but I doubt I will ever do any lead vocals. But you never know.
- Did you write the lyrics for the album, and is there any specific concept behind them?
I wrote some of the lyrics but the singers wrote most of them. I wrote the Chorus lyrics in River Flow, Still Waters Run Deep, and Paid My Dues, and some scattered Verse lines here and there. I wrote the word “Rise” for the song Rise, and “Hummingbird” for Hummingbird. A one word contribution. (Laughs). With the lyrics I wrote, it was pretty much phrases that popped into my head about general things in life. Nothing about one specific event. With Hummingbird is was a flying free type of theme. Rise to me meant rising up and taking a stand for your beliefs. River Flow was about an imaginary past love, and Still Waters probably had a little to do with one finding themself. Once the singers wrote their lyrics, some of the meanings broadened or changed. I have never asked them what they intended specifically. Sometimes it’s better to leave it to your imagination.
- How was the latest tour with the UFO?
It was awesome for the most part. We played big festivals in Spain, Italy, Germany, and France which is always a highlight. I got really sick halfway through unfortunately and so the second part of the tour was not so enjoyable but the shows were always fun.
- Is there any plan for the band UFO to return for a new tour, or was this the last one?
There are no definitive plans at the moment but I think it is possible that we do some in the summer of 2023. It all depends on how Phil is feeling and his recovery. We had to cancel our last tour dates and I think he wants to end it on a more positive note. So I am hoping for the best.
- What are your next music plans?
The next step will be doing some solo shows in the spring of next year. It will be great to play some of the songs on the new album onstage. Soon after I would like to put a new band together and start on a new record and continue with that for a while into the future.
Vinnie Moore photo by Gretchen Johnson
Information: https://vinniemoore.com/
