The technical chameleon and guitar virtuoso, Paul Gilbert, today announces his new album, WROC, which will be released on February 27 via Music Theories Recordings. To celebrate, he has revealed the music video for “Go Not Thither”, which you can watch below.
WROC, which stands for “Washington’s Rules Of Civility,” could very well be the guitar superstar’s most outlandish offering to date. Using George Washington’s Rules Of Civility as a conceptual homing beacon, Gilbert has dared himself to think outside the box and use an etiquette guide dating back to the late 1500s as his main source of inspiration.
He may have wielded a cordless power drill for supersonic tremolo picking and used a slide to summon the voice of Ronnie James Dio in the past. Still, this latest recording is the sound of a musician defiantly broadening himself into new uncharted horizons for his first vocal album since 2016’s”I Can Destroy.
“Go Not Thither” pairs throbbing vibe pedals with regal harmonies, classic metal riffage and ZZ Top boogie blues. Talking about the song, Gilbert muses, “Hundreds of years ago, everyone must have been walking around kicking the earth. They kicked the earth so much that a rule had to be invented to put a stop to it! Another rule in the song, “Play not the peacock,” is more difficult to follow. I know this, as I can’t resist playing guitar solos while wearing a tricorn hat.”
The idea for the album came to him on the flight home from the last show of Mr. Big’s final tour, where the group bid farewell to a packed house at Tokyo’s Budokan Arena.
“I don’t know why it came into my head,” he shrugs. “But I love using lyrics to build melodies. I think I was looking for my own Bernie Taupin – who writes all the lyrics for Elton John. Neil Peart is another example, as he wrote the lyrics for Rush, while Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee composed the music. I wanted to find my own Bernie or Neil, because while lyric writing is something I’ve certainly done, it’s not really my favorite part of the process. So, I got George Washington to be my Bernie Taupin!”
On further investigation, it became clear that the first president of the United States of America had simply copied an English translation of the “Rules Of Civility & Decent Behavior In Company And Conversation” as a school writing exercise, inadvertently becoming its most widely credited author. Its lineage, however, can be traced even further back to a 1595 French etiquette manual written by the Jesuits.
As someone who has vividly shaped the role of the electric guitar in rock music, Paul Gilbert knows a thing or two about which rules to follow — and when to break them. In Mr. Big, he was responsible for pioneering pop rock anthems that saw the group top charts and headline arenas around the world. In Racer X, he pushed the electric guitar to its furthest limits, in a more metallic direction, leaving listeners and audiences mesmerized by how his compositions could be so technically thrilling and tastefully musical at the same time. As a solo artist, he’s traversed both instrumental and vocal-led sonic landscapes that have crossed over from blues, classical and jazz to straight-up rock.
So, for Gilbert, there was palpable excitement in resurrecting these 16th-century guidelines for the hyper-advanced social order of today’s world. “I’ve never had such a good time writing songs in my life!” he admits.
The album was recorded live over four days at The Hallowed Halls in Portland, Oregon, with Nick D’Virgilio on drums, Doug Rappoport on guitar, and Timmer Blakely on bass. Paul recorded additional vocals at home to sweeten the tracks, but the core energy comes from the live band jamming face to face.
It all kicks off with “Keep Your Feet Firm And Even,” which is based on a Washington rule that Paul finds personally challenging. The hook-laden “Speak Not Evil Of The Absent,” saw Gilbert molding unique phrasing to deliver a rule that’s now 430 years old. “Some of these rules are easy to follow, and others… I don’t know if I could ever do them! But it’s certainly aspirational to think about them,” says Paul.
“I’m really excited to play this music live and see how people enjoy it,” adds Gilbert. “I would say WROC is one of the most musical and listenable albums I’ve ever done. It’s much more than just guitar licks that came from my fingers. The music came from my sense of melody. I’ve been enjoying that pure connection more and more. I feel like this is the most successful journey I’ve made to my Inner Melodic Generator… thanks to the inspiration from George Washington and those who went before him. They were my Bernie Taupins. Overall, the process was so enjoyable, and you can hear that joy in the tracks.”
Pre-order the new album, and stream “Go Not Thither”, here. The video for the single can be found below.
Tracklisting:
“Keep Your Feet Firm And Even”
“Show Not Yourself Glad (At The Misfortune Of Another)”
“Maintain A Sweet And Cheerful Countenance”
“Go Not Thither”
“Orderly And Distinctly”
“If You Soak Bread In The Sauce”
“Let Thy Carriage”
“Speak Not Evil Of The Absent”
“Turn Not Your Back (To Others)”
“Conscience Is The Most Certain Judge”
“Every Action Done In Company”
“Spark Of Celestial Fire”
“George Washington Rules”
“Go Not Thither” video:
(Photo – Sam Gehrke)
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