Kevin Moore

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Kevin Moore
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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Alias = Chroma Key
Born = birth date and age|1967|5|26
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Origin = Long Island, New York, U.S.
Instrument = Voice and keyboards
Genre = Electronica, Ambient, Psychedelic, Progressive metal, Industrial metal
Occupation =
Years_active = 1985 - present
Label =
Associated_acts = O.S.I., Chroma Key, Dream Theater, Fates Warning
URL =
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Notable_instruments =

Kevin Moore (born May 26, 1967) is a keyboardist, composer and founder of the Chroma Key music project. He is also a former member of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater, co-founder of the progressive rock supergroup O.S.I. and creator of Turkish film soundtracks. Throughout his career, he has become known for his emotional music and lyrics Fact|date=September 2008, nomadic tendencies, and unique use of spoken-word samples.

Biography

Early days

Moore, who was born on Long Island, New York, began his music career in Kings Park, Long Island, learning piano at the age of six and writing his first song at the age of 12. After graduating from high school in 1985, Moore briefly attended SUNY Fredonia, where he studied classical music, before returning home to form the band Majesty with childhood friends guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung, who had recruited drummer Mike Portnoy (a fellow Long Islander) during their short enrollment at Berklee College of Music. Singer Chris Collins handled vocal duties for Majesty, but he was subsequently replaced by Charlie Dominici (and eventually James LaBrie) and the band was renamed Dream Theater.

Dream Theater

Dream Theater's debut studio album was 1989's "When Dream and Day Unite", which earned the group comparisons to well-known progressive rock bands such as Rush and Queensrÿche. Their big breakthrough, however, came in 1992 with the album "Images and Words", featuring the band's highest charting single to date, "Pull Me Under". The song, which included lyrics by Moore, reached #10 on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Following their relentless touring in support of the second album, the band also went on to release a live album, "Live at the Marquee", and a video, "". The video's extensive documentary footage would subsequently introduce many fans to Moore's sarcastic sense of humor.

In 1994, the band released its third studio album, "Awake", which was the band's highest charting album to date with Moore, reaching #32. (2007's "Systematic Chaos" reached #19 on the Billboards). The album featured Moore's signature song, a haunting piano-driven ballad called "Space-Dye Vest", which describes a heartbroken man flipping through a magazine and falling in love with a stranger modeling a vest. But shortly before the album was mixed, Moore announced to the rest of the band that he wished to concentrate on his own musical interests and would be quitting Dream Theater. According to Portnoy, Moore had grown distant with the other members and was more interested in the independence of working on his own as opposed to the compromise of a band environment. Although Dream Theater has since invited him to play reunion shows, Moore has said he prefers to move forward as opposed to looking back. He also declined to take part in the official Dream Theater biography titled "Lifting Shadows".

During his time in Dream Theater, Moore wrote the lyrics to songs on each of the band's albums and also to some of the band's demos and b-sides. On "When Dream and Day Unite", he wrote "Light Fuse and Get Away" and "Only a Matter of Time." On "Images and Words", he penned "Pull Me Under", "Surrounded", "Wait for Sleep", and parts of "Take the Time." On "Awake", the songs "", "Lie", and "Space-Dye Vest" all featured his lyrics. Demos with his lyrics include "Don't Look Past Me," the final verse of "To Live Forever '94," "A Vision," "Vital Star," and "Two Far."

Chroma Key

After leaving Dream Theater, Moore moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and started writing material for his solo album. Moore's first solo project was demo tape called "Music Meant to Be Heard", and the songs included many spoken-word samples from interviews Moore recorded with strangers during his cross-country travels. Most of these songs were later released in 1999 on a limited-edition CD called "This is a Recording".

In 1998, Moore released his first solo album, "Dead Air For Radios", under the name Chroma Key on his self-created record label, Fight Evil Records. Mark Zonder and Joey Vera of Fates Warning served as his support musicians for that record. The album featured a dark, ambient sound, closer to Peter Gabriel and Tori Amos than the complex and intricate Dream Theater style. In hindsight, Dream Theater fans noticed that Moore had subtly explored this style of composition in "Space-Dye Vest."

In 2000, Moore moved to Los Angeles, California, where he recorded the digitally-themed "You Go Now". The line-up for that record was Moore, David Iscove (guitars) and Steve Tushar (loops, programming). During his westcoast stay, Moore briefly attended California Institute of the Arts, where he created a little-known documentary called "Octember Revolution", which depicted a Southern California gated community intervention. He then moved to Costa Rica, where he worked for Radio For Peace International, producing a bi-weekly activist radio program. In fact, some of Moore's work on Radio for Peace International was later released in an internet-only album called "Memory Hole 1".

In 2004, Moore scoured public domain films looking for one that exuded a certain mood, intending to write a pseudo-soundtrack to it. The film he chose was "Age 13", an educational film from the 1950s, originally for use in schools. He took the existing film, slowed it to half speed, and let it dictate the moods, textures, and even running times of the songs he wrote to it. The resulting album is titled "Graveyard Mountain Home", which included a DVD containing the movie set to Moore's music.

O.S.I.

In 2003, Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos invited Moore to work with him on a new musical project. Moore had worked with Matheos before, appearing as guest keyboardist on Fates Warning's 1989 album Perfect Symmetry, 1997 album "A Pleasant Shade of Gray" and 2000 album "Disconnected". The new project involved Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy and Cynic bassist/stick player Sean Malone. This would be the first time Moore had worked with Portnoy since leaving Dream Theater nearly 10 years earlier. The band that was formed was named O.S.I., and they released the album "Office of Strategic Influence". Musically, it can be described as a mixture of Chroma Key's dark, melodic focus with the guitars and heaviness of Fates Warning and Dream Theater. Moore assumed vocal duties.

In April 2006, Moore and Matheos released a second O.S.I. album called "Free", a collaboration made easier by Moore's temporary relocation to Montreal, Canada. The album once again featured Portnoy on drums. Unlike the first O.S.I. album, which was based on an information-spinning faction of the U.S. government, "Free" was about the personal relationships in Moore's life. Shortly following the album's release, O.S.I. also released an EP that included remixes of three "Free" songs and a video of the title track. In the spring of 2006, Moore and Matheos alluded to possible tourdates in the support of the album, but nothing ever materialized.

In September 2008, Moore announced on his website that he had been working for several months with Jim Matheos and drummer Gavin Harrison (who will replace Portnoy) on the third O.S.I. album.

Film soundtracks

In 2004, Moore relocated to Istanbul, Turkey, and composed the soundtrack to the horror film "Okul" ("The School") which was subsequently released as a solo record titled "Ghost Book". The music contained many traditional instruments stemming from Moore's stays in Costa Rica and Turkey. In 2006, Moore once again teamed up with Turkish producers for another soundtrack project. The film, "Küçük Kiyamet" ("The Little Apocalypse"), tells the horrific tale of a family who decides to rent a summer house by the seaside. No plans have been announced to release the soundtrack as an album, as was done with "Ghost Book". Both films, "Okul" and "Küçük Kiyamet", were based on books written by Turkish author Dogu Yucel.

Latest news

In March 2007, Moore played an hour-long concert, which was held at Turkey's Balo Stage on March 23. It was described as a try-out to "play some songs for a local crowd...with longer, more elaborate shows planned for the future." In April 2007, Moore announced plans to produce the debut album of Turkish industrial rock band Makine [http://www.chromakey.com/video/kmmtv.mp4] to be released in the spring of 2008.

On 4 September 2008, Moore announced on his website that he had been working with Jim Matheos and Gavin Harrison (of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree) on the third O.S.I. album.

Influence

In an April 2007 interview, Sonata Arctica keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg revealed that he was really influenced by Moore when he (Klingenberg) began playing rock music.cite web|title="Paid In Full" - Sonata Arctica keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg dreams success for fifth studio album "Unia"|author=Morgan, Anthony|publisher=Lucem Fero|date=2007-04|url=http://www.lucemfero.com/sonataarctica042007.php|accessdate=2008-05-06]

Discography

* With Dream Theater:
** When Dream and Day Unite (1989)
** Images and Words (1992)
** Live at the Marquee (1993)
** (1993)
** Awake (1994)
* As Chroma Key:
** Dead Air for Radios (1998)
** Colorblind - single (1999)
** You Go Now (2000)
** Graveyard Mountain Home (2004)
* As a solo artist (released as Kevin Moore):
** This is a Recording (1999)
** Memory Hole 1 (2004)
** Ghost Book - Soundtrack to the film Okul (2004)
* With OSI:
** Office of Strategic Influence (2003)
** Free (2006)
** ep (2006)
** Untitled Third OSI Album (?)
* As a guest performer with Fates Warning:
** Perfect Symmetry (1989)
** A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997)
** Disconnected (2000)
* As a guest performer with Ken Andrews' band ON
** Make Believe (2000)

Gear

* Images and Words
** Roland JD-800 - used for piano, distorted organ, synth pads and chimes and lead solo sounds on the intro Learning to Live.
** Korg DW-8000- used for solo sounds for songs such as Take the Time and Pull Me Under
** Korg DSS-1 - used for samples
** Roland D-50 - used mainly for string sounds
** An acoustic piano was also likely used on the sessions, replaced with JD-800 piano live.
* Music In Progress Tour
** Roland JD-800 on the bottom tier of the Apex two tier stand
** Korg DW-8000 on the top tier of the Apex stand
** Korg DSS-1 on the stand on Kevin's right
* Awake
** Roland JD-800 - used for piano, synth pads and most notably the "Wailing Guitar" solo sound used on 6:00, Erotomania and Scarred
** Korg DW-8000- used for solo sounds for songs such as 6:00 and The Mirror and for pipe organ sounds.
** Kurzweil K2000- presumably used for string sounds
** Acoustic Piano- used on Space Dye Vest
** A rack sampler was also used during this album, most likely an Akai

* OSI/Chroma Key/Solo

Kevin switched to using mainly soft synths. He still used his Kurzweil K2000 and an acoustic piano. A Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand can be heard in songs from his solo debut Dead Air For Radios . On the OSI album Free, he used an OpenLabs Neko workstation.

References

External links

* [http://www.chromakey.com Chroma Key official site]
* [http://www.kevinmoore.jp/ Japanese Kevin Moore site]

Related bands:
* [http://www.osiband.com OSI official site]
* [http://www.dreamtheater.net Dream Theater official site]
* [http://www.fateswarning.com Fates Warning official site]