Vernon Reid’s new solo album, Hoodoo Telemetry, is a vortex of fearless distortion, city psychedelia, and wondrous eclecticism. Wielding disparate recording platforms and rhythms, Reid makes guitar enjoyable once more. Right here, he talks about reclamation, guitar hoodoo, and taking part in a Black Sabbath profit.

Hoodoo Telemetry is dense however spacious. What had been you considering?
The report is a mixture of reside, reclamation of outdated tracks, and real-time tracks. It’s in every single place however has a unifying mentality. In 2021, I misplaced a significant individual in my life – critic, guitarist, bandleader, and mental Greg Tate. We’d been associates for a few years and he modified my life in so some ways. We had been co-founders of the Black Rock Coalition. I believed to myself, “I want to make the form of report that Greg would love.”

I had a whole lot of nice singers on this album, like Rachid and Kevin Webb; I sang “Effigy” after Greg and my spouse inspired me to. Initially, Residing Color was a trio. I’m a “maintain the tune” sort singer – I can barely make the observe (laughs). I obtained some encouragement, so I lastly did it on this report. It was a technique of all of the various things.

There’s a lot occurring; creating it should have been overwhelming at instances.
A part of it was having a tremendous engineer like Ivan Julian. He’s a legend in his personal proper and was one of many few black punk innovators who performed guitar with Richard Hell and the Voidoids again within the CBGB days. Residing Color got here in by means of the punk facet door, and performed the identical venues. He was extremely encouraging, affected person, and at all times discovered a method to make issues work. It’s very a lot an underground report as a result of we recorded the primary tracks at Tremendous Giraffe Sound, and I did my overdubs at my studio. I might make primary tracks then take it dwelling. Our combine engineer, Scotty Onerous, did an outstanding job. I had stuff in every single place – samples, drums, and a hodgepodge of approaches. Ivan and Scott made a unified entire out of it.

Did you employ your Reverend Vernon Reid guitar?
Reverend makes a number of the greatest passive pickups. I’d been an EMG man for years, after which Reverend got here out with these Railhammers. They’re nice; pinch harmonics, maintain, or something with overdrive, distortion, or fuzz. They clear up extremely nicely. They’ve all the required rhythm sounds they usually did an unbelievable job.

On the album, I used my outdated Hamers, Parkers, Paul Reed Smiths, and my Reverends. I additionally used an odd Gibson someplace in there. I’m a giant fan of the Line 6 Helix, however I additionally used some Eventide and Digitech stuff. I used Electro-Harmonix and a few Boss guitar synth stuff. On a number of the earliest tracks I used a Roland VG-99 V multi-effects processor.

What’s the take care of you and distortion?
(laughs) I’ve at all times liked that sound between fuzz, overdrive, distortion, and preamp distortion. With digital results chains, you are able to do all types of achieve staging. I really like the thought of getting pinch harmonics, overtones, and issues like that. Some folks say there’s an excessive amount of achieve or too little achieve. It’s a sound I’ve liked since I obtained my first Professional Co Rat. Earlier than that, it was the Large Muff Pi, the MXR Distortion+, and the Ibanez Distortion. On the albums, I’ve mixed that with modulation and wah, which is a traditional factor.

Your traces have a singing high quality.
That’s associated to being eager about free-jazz saxophone gamers, Sonny Sharrock, Carlos Santana, and all these firebrand guitarists. When Hendrix obtained the Fuzz Face, the guitar grew to become a unique animal at that quantity. With three Marshall heads and a Fuzz Face, he turned the world inside out.

Is gear a bottomless pit?
(laughs) Guitar is the province of people who find themselves married to an OCD in so many alternative methods, and that’s one side of it. It’s one thing to get caught up in. However there’s a approach when the guitar goes proper, the overtones are proper there – however there are a whole lot of totally different sounds. I really like the Helix Ground, the HX Stomp, and I really like the truth that Line 6 made a platform that applies to all their pedals. That’s fascinating to me.

What are your reminiscences taking part in on the Again to the Starting profit live performance with Black Sabbath?
To see “Conflict Pigs” for the ultimate time with the complete viewers realizing all of the lyrics, was insane. Tom Morello needs to be recommended for what he did as music director. That was an insane factor to drag off. However most of all, there was a whole lot of love. – Oscar Jordan

This text initially appeared in VG’s December 2025 concern. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.