Vinnie Moore: “The SG is a recent discovery of mine – I can’t believe I’ve never owned one. I didn’t realize how cool they were”

Double Exposure is Vinnie Moore’s 10th solo studio album since making his breakthrough way back in 1986 on Shrapnel Records, the iconic shred label, with Mind’s Eye.

Previously working exclusively in the instrumental genre, the new record sees him collaborating with a number of vocalists to create something different from his previous solo releases – an album of two halves, if you will, with six of the songs featuring guest vocalists and the remaining six being instrumental versions of the same tracks.

Moore has been a member of UFO since 2003, and this new direction is definitely part of his game plan for what is to come once the band complete the last of their farewell shows. UFO were completing their final tour when singer and founder member Phil Mogg suffered a heart attack in October 2022, resulting in the cancellation of the last few dates.

Double Exposure is a change in direction in terms of your solo work, isn’t it? 

“Yes. I definitely want to head in the direction of more of a band-type situation, and I thought this concept was a good gateway to lead people to where I’m headed. It’s certainly much easier to get airplay with a vocal track compared to an instrumental. As soon as you release an instrumental you’ve almost automatically cut your audience down to guitar players. [Laughs]”

What came first, the plan to feature vocals or the idea to do the songs instrumentally?

“I started this during the lockdown. I wanted to stay busy, so it was originally going to be all instrumental. I thought I’d do six songs and maybe make an EP. As I was going through the demos, I started to hear vocal ideas in my head. I started to sing along, and then I realized all of them would lend themselves to having a vocal track. That was when the idea of doing two versions of each song came to me.”

Who is doing the singing?

“I’ve got four different friends – Keith Slack, who sang with Michael Schenker Group; Ed Terr; Mike DeMeo; and Brian Stephenson, and I also added some backing vocals. I did demo many of the vocal approaches myself, and the four singers brought some of their own ideas. I’m not sure how things will pan out for live shows, but I’ll definitely have a vocalist in the band.”

The album cover shows you with a Gibson SG, which is a guitar you aren’t normally associated with. Did you use it much for the record?

“The SG is a recent discovery of mine, and I can’t believe I’ve never owned one. I didn’t realize how cool they were – I’ve got two now – they’re both Epiphones. One has the soapbar pickups and the other has two humbuckers. I didn’t use it a whole lot on the album, just a few solos and melodies, but it was a great addition to the guitars I usually play.

“It just so happened that when I was doing the photoshoot for the album cover, I took that guitar and a Kramer Pacer for the shoot, and I liked the pictures with the SG best. It certainly has become a bit of a talking point, though, which I guess is a good thing. [Laughs]”

There is a strong Southern rock vibe on a number of tracks, particularly Still Waters and Hummingbird.

“Definitely. I grew up listening to that stuff and I was in a cover band that played so many Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and Allman Brothers songs that it was almost inevitable that it would come out. I also did a tribute to [late Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist] Steve Gaines on my last album, Shapeshifter, called Gainesville Station.”

Paid My Dues has a big dose of Jimi Hendrix in the mix, wouldn’t you say?

“Yeah, there’s definitely some of that Spanish Castle Magic vibe going on in the riff. Hendrix was actually a huge influence on a lot of the tracks on this record. I used a Strat on the neck pickup and a Uni-Vibe-type effect from Fulltone called a Deja Vibe. I was going for something like the live Band of Gypsys album where the dynamic would shift from loud to quiet in a lot of the songs.”

Where do things stand with UFO at the moment? I know you were doing some final shows, but plans went on hold due to Phil’s health issues. Are there more dates still to come?

“It’s a wait-and-see situation to see how Phil’s physical therapy goes. I do think he wants to go on and do more shows, as he felt things ended on something of a sour note with having to cancel dates, so I think he’d much rather we went out on a high. He’s definitely in very good spirits, though.”

Have you firmed up what your plans are once UFO come to an end? Are you going to concentrate on solo work, or would you join another band if you were asked?

“I’d definitely like to get a band together with a vocalist, based on the idea behind this record. I’d certainly consider a band invitation, depending on what it was. I haven’t received any offers so far, which could be down to people thinking UFO is still waiting to complete our shows. I’m certainly open to offers.”

• Double Exposure is out now via Mind's Eye.