News (2019)

Dec. 6, 2019 - Moore makes a guest appearance on new EP by Desperate Machines

Experimental rock group Desperate Machines has released a debut EP featuring Kevin Moore. The keyboardist contributed guest vocals and lyrics to the EP's three tracks – "Complete," "Old War" and "Plan B" (original demo) – and provided additional drum samples and synths to the latter track. All three songs are available for download on the band's Bandcamp page.

Desperate Machines features musicians John Dillon and Jake Rosenberg, who are the duo behind the experimental rock group In Progress. Moore previously contributed programming, textures and background vocals to three songs on In Progress' North Atlantic Echoes album, which was released in 2014.

"We are excited to share our first singles with everyone as well as make available the original demo for 'Plan B,' the track that ultimately kicked this thing off several years ago (and the final, considerably different version of which you'll hear soon)," Desperate Machine said on their Bandcamp page. "Download the EP and stay up-to-date with the latest news about the project. There is more music to come throughout 2020."

For visit Desperate Machines' Bandcamp page, click here: https://desperatemachines.bandcamp.com/releases

Aug. 20, 2019 - Moore shares 19th CK demo, "Levitate," on Patreon

Kevin Moore has posted a new 3:17 demo song, titled "Levitate," through his Chroma Key Patreon campaign. The campaign, which launched in 2015, invited fans to pledge an amount of their choosing to help fund new music.

"Here is the final version of 'Levitate' (formerly 'Paint Cost Money'), now with vocals and synth bass," Moore said in a post on Patreon. "I extended the song, and the mix has changed a bit. Hope you like it..."

The tune is available in MP3, FLAC and M4A (Apple Lossless) formats with lyrics and patron names embedded in the files. In addition, Moore said he is still planning to release a bonus track for Chroma Key Enablers ($5 pledgers), and multitrack stems and production notes for Chroma Key Collaborators ($10 pledgers).

To visit the Chroma Key Patreon page, click here: https://www.patreon.com/chromakey

Sept. 17, 2019 - Moore posts YouTube video for Chroma Key demo, "Landslide"

Kevin Moore has created the first official video for one of his new Chroma Key demo songs. The keyboardist posted a video on YouTube yesterday for the demo song, "Landslide," which he initially released in April 2018 as part of his Chroma Key Patreon campaign. The campaign, which launched in 2015, invited fans to pledge an amount of their choosing to help fund new music.

The video footage for "Landslide," which runs for 3:59, appears to be taken from a moving train and was created using the software Cathodemer.

"Here's the final video for 'Landslide,' which I've uploaded to YouTube," Moore said in a post on Patreon. "The fist half is modified a bit - thanks for all the great feedback. The YouTube video is unlisted right now now, so the only people who see it will be those who get the link from you guys. Feel free to post it on social media or anywhere you like. I will be announcing it on my Facebook page in the next couple days."

The idea, Moore said, is to create simple videos for all of the Chroma Key demos so that YouTube viewers "have something more to look at than just the song title." He has previously posted videos for seven new Chroma Key demo songs using just the song title and a static image.

To view the video for "Landslide," click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHFuCuhLEBU&feature=youtu.be

Sept. 8, 2019 - Moore shares 18th CK demo, "Nobody Said Anything," on Patreon
Kevin Moore has posted a new 3:45 demo song, titled "Nobody Said Anything," through his Chroma Key Patreon campaign, which invited fans to pledge an amount of their choosing to help fund new music.

"Here is the final (still instrumental!) version of the new demo, 'Nobody Said Anything,' formerly known as 'Streep,'" Moore said in a post on Patreon. "This song started as a few different guitar riffs I played on an acoustic and recorded on my phone, then recorded and arranged in Ableton. I made a lot of changes to the mix and mastering since the preview version. Most notably: drums up, piano up, extended intro, modified outro. Hope you like it!"

To visit the Chroma Key Patreon page, click here: https://www.patreon.com/chromakey

Aug. 20, 2019 - Moore shares 17th CK demo, "War Comes Home," on Patreon

Kevin Moore has posted a new 3:31 demo song, titled "War Comes Home," through his Chroma Key Patreon campaign, which launched in 2015 and invited fans to pledge an amount of their choosing to help fund new music.

"I finally managed to finish the vocals on this track (formerly 'Cold,' now 'War Comes Home'), finalized the mix, and tagged all the audio files,'" Moore said in a post on Patreon. "Thank you for you patience - I hope you like the final result. This song started out with just a Rhodes piano sound (you can hear in the intro) and a programmed beat, and became more monstrous as time went on."

To visit the Chroma Key Patreon page, click here: https://www.patreon.com/chromakey

Aug. 15, 2019 - John Petrucci discusses Moore in "Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?"

Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci discussed his childhood friendship with Kevin Moore in a recent segment of Loudwire's "Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?" In the segment, Petrucci talked about how he and Moore were inseparable in their younger years and his emotions when the keyboardist shared his decision to leave the band prior to the release of their 1994 album, Awake.

"He was my best friend growing up," Petrucci said of oore. "Every guy probably has a friend that they just do everything with together. We literally did everything together. Our families were friends. We lived right around the corner from each other. Every day we were just hanging out, playing music, doing everything. Then obviously our band became successful, which was the dream we both had. We were touring. We had everything going for us. We were doing the Awake recording and he was like, 'Yeah, I'm gonna leave.' And I just was like devastated. I was like, 'I don't understand.' So, for me personally, it was very heartbreaking."

To view the full segment on YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU3027fuZBE

July 15, 2019 - Moore posts YouTube video for CK demo, "Strong"

Kevin Moore has posted a 5:06 video on YouTube for "Strong," which is one of 16 demo songs released so far through the Chroma Key Patreon campaign. The demo was originally shared with fans in September 2017. "I just posted one of the new Chroma Key demos 'Strong' (Nov 2017) on YouTube," Moore said in a post on Facebook. "You can download all the new demos and support the return of Chroma Key at patreon.com/chromakey. Thanks!"

Moore previously stated that the song features guitar parts by Fates Warning and OSI guitarist Jim Matheos, who also appeared on the Chroma Key demo song, "Broke Antenna."

"This song ['Strong'] started as a synth riff I played on drum pads of the Maschine. (I didn’t know what notes I was playing, which was kind of liberating.)," Moore previously said. "I performed the drums on the drum pads as well. The intro riff and all the synths pads were played on the Diva synth. The Rhodes is played on the Lounge Lizard. All of the melody sections are also on the Lounge Lizard – they’re sounds based on electric piano, but tweaked into synth sounds. The bass synth was played on Massive. There is much more synth layering going on in this song than I’ve ever done before. Somehow the sounds all fit in their own space." He also added, "There are a couple more samples from my brother’s 'ecstatic dance' gatherings thrown in there in the beginning."

The other Chroma Key demos that can be heard on YouTube are "Mission," "4-Track," "Bonewalk," "Broke Antenna" and "Somewhere Better." Those videos came after the keyboardist polled his Patreon patrons about making the demo releases available to stream online to help promote the new music, with an overwhelming majority of the voters in support of the idea.

To hear the streaming version of "Strong" on YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qTo6Emwrtg&t=184s

June 12, 2019 - Moore shares 16th CK demo, "Fader," on Patreon

Kevin Moore has posted a new 4:10 demo song, titled "Fader," through his Chroma Key Patreon campaign, which launched in 2015 and invited fans to pledge an amount of their choosing to help fund new music.

"Here is the final, tagged version of 'Fader,'" Moore said in a post on Patreon. "I ended up making a lot of changes to the mix. Aside from just sounding better overall (clearer highs, less muddy, more controlled bass) you will notice that the drums are louder and have more variation, and (spoiler alert) there is a menacing synth bass line that comes in towards the end. I also spent more time getting the loudness and EQ right in mastering."

To visit the Chroma Key Patreon page, click here: https://www.patreon.com/chromakey

May 5, 2019 - Moore shares 15th CK demo, "Get Us Home," on Patreon

Kevin Moore has posted a 3:06 demo song, titled "Get Us Home," through his Chroma Key Patreon campaign, which launched in 2015 and invited fans to pledge an amount of their choosing to help fund new music. The song includes an upright piano, which he said is the first one he has ever owned.

"Here is the final mix of 'Get Us Home,'" Moore said in a post on Patreon. "This song features my new upright piano (the first piano I've ever actually owned!) Hope you like the new track. Thank your making it possible."

To visit the Chroma Key Patreon page, click here: https://www.patreon.com/chromakey

April 11, 2019 - Avandra frontman discusses Moore's work on "Derelict Minds"

Avandra vocalist/guitarist Christian Ayala talked about Kevin Moore's contribution to the band's new album in an interview with the website Prog Zombie. Ayala, who is the founder of the Puerto Rico-based progressive metal band, discussed Moore's solo in "Derelict Minds," which is the seventh track from the band's forthcoming album, Descender. The album will be released through Blood Music on April 26.

"I feel his solo adds a lot of depth and feel to the part where he plays it," Ayala said. "Makes it more interesting. Kevin has a good ear (obviously) for where to phrase what and what sound to use when doing so, and he did not disappoint. Working with him was quite easy. We emailed each other a couple times. He nailed it on the first try, so there wasn't too much back and forth between us in that respect. All in all, everything flowed well."

Ayala also shared how Moore's music has inspired him through the years.

"To say I'm a fan of Kevin's is an understatement, to be honest," Ayala said. "He has shaped my musical creativity in a way that few others have. As mainly a guitar player, one would think that [John] Petrucci had the biggest influence on me out of all the members of Dream Theater, but it was actually Kevin who inspired m the most. He is what made Dream Theater the mystical experience I had when I was a young kid and first hearing the, at the age of 14, granted, the first album I ever listened to from them was Falling Into Infinity, but it wasn't until I heard Images and Words that I would never be the same again. After I learned of his departure (he had already done so like five years before I had my first DT experience), I kept up with is work. Even though I like OSI, Chroma Key was what continued the KM experience for me, especially Dead Air For Radios and You Go Now. It was like hearing the ambiance and emotion I loved about Dream Theater, but stripped from its cumbersome technical approaches."

Other guest musicians on Avandra's Descender album are Richard Henshall of Haken and Daniel Schwartz of Astronoid, who also mixed the album. Avandra's other band members are Adrián Arroyo on drums, Luis Javier Rivera on guitars, and Gabriel Alejandro Rodriguez on bass.

To read the full interview, click here: https://progzombie.blogspot.com/p/interview-with-christian-ayala-april-11_10.html

March 3, 2019 - Moore guests on new song by Puerto Rican proggers Avandra
Kevin Moore has made a guest appearance on a new song by Puerto Rican progressive metal band Avandra. The keyboardist appears on the 7:27 tune titled "Derelict Minds," which is the seventh track from the band's forthcoming album, Descender. The album will be released through Blood Music on April 26.

"Derelict Minds is about fighting through the anxiety of a world so interconnected that one can feel completely adrift and alone, and reach that moment of individuation and understanding with oneself, calming the storm of thoughts and turning them into a calm sea," said the band's founder, guitarist, vocalist and synth player Christian Ayala Cruz in an announcement through Prog magazine. "The album deals with a myriad of issues, though a central theme is language and its poietic (poiesis) power through concepts that can either realize potentials within each of us or oppress them."

Other guest musicians on the album are Richard Henshall of Haken and Daniel Schwartz of Astronoid, who also mixed the album. Avandra's other band members are Adrián Arroyo on drums, Luis Javier Rivera on guitars, and Gabriel Alejandro Rodriguez on bass.

To view the lyric video for Avandra's "Derelict Minds," click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7b0m_iJ_kw

Feb. 29, 2019 - Dream Theater's Petrucci discusses Moore's current career

Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci recently discussed the current career of the band's original keyboardist Kevin Moore during an interview with Two Doods Reviews. Moore left the band prior to the release of Dream Theater's third studio album, Awake, in 1994.

"Rumor has it that he's some sort of doctor or something, that he got into holistic medicine," Petrucci said in the interview. "I have not talked to him in ages. We actually grew up together. We were best friends. And after he left the band, he just went his own way. Early on after the split, we kept in touch a bit, but I have not heard from him in a long time. The only reason I know this is because some of high school friends and stuff stay in touch and our parents, we literally grew up together, our parents were friends."

To hear the full interview with Two Doods Reviews, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdg7EeQzmkc

Jan. 27, 2019 - Moore posts YouTube video for CK demo, "Somewhere Better"

Kevin Moore has posted a 4:03 video on YouTube for "Somewhere Better," which is one of 14 demo songs released so far through the Chroma Key Patreon campaign. The demo was originally shared with fans in September 2017.

"Getting back on track uploading past demos to YouTube," Moore said in a post on Patreon. "I just put 'Somewhere Better' up and added it to the playlist. Please share! And maybe even post a comment on YouTube..."

Moore previously said that the song is a "stretched out groove track that probably wouldn't have been out of place" on Chroma Key's 1998 album, Dead Air for Radios.

"I started messing around with recording guitar loops and riffs into Ableton Live," Moore previously said. "I wanted to write something with a riff that just kept driving on, so it becomes kind of hypnotic (kind of like a Neu! track). The main guitar part is just eighth notes on an A. For the verses I added some Wurlitzer chord progressions to work a vocal melody over. The washed-out synth pad that runs over the whole track is a Behringer DM12 polyphonic analogue synth."

The other Chroma Key demos that can be heard on YouTube are "Mission," "4-Track," "Bonewalk" and "Broke Antenna." Those videos came after the keyboardist polled his Patreon patrons about making the demo releases available to stream online to help promote the new music, with an overwhelming majority of the voters in support of the idea.

To hear the streaming version of "Somewhere Better" on YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alKFgdvQLZI

Jan. 20, 2019 - Moore shares 14th CK demo, "Rain Hail Snow," on Patreon

Kevin Moore has posted a new 4:44 demo song, titled "Rain Hail Snow," through his Chroma Key Patreon campaign, which launched in 2015 and invited fans to pledge an amount of their choosing to help fund new music. The song features session musicians on guitar, bass and drums from Fiverr, which is an online marketplace for freelance services.

"Here at last is the completed version of "The Equality Complex," now called "Rain Hail Snow" (unless you have a better title?)," Moore said in a post on Patreon. "I've added vocals and had session musicians track some guitar and drums. The arrangement and mix have also changed. Hope you like it!"

To visit the Chroma Key Patreon page, click here: https://www.patreon.com/chromakey