Spotlight: James McKendrick of Void Of Vision
The new EP, Chronicles II: Heaven, is out now
JAMES MCKENDRICK
HAILS FROM: Naarm/Melbourne, VIC
PLAYS IN: Void Of Vision
SOUNDS LIKE: Sensually charged digi-core
LATEST DROP: Chronicles II: Heaven (EP out now via UNFD)
What’s your current go-to guitar?
My live guitar is an ESP LTD SCT607B. I think I came across it because at the time, it was the only baritone seven-string I could find that wasn’t the typical pointy metal guitar. I’d also never owned a Telecaster at that point, so I guess it ticked that box for me. I love it because it just sounds great, despite me sweating all through it over the years – and it’s very road worn, so it just feels more personal to me.
How did you initially fall in love with the instrument?
I’d always listened to guitar-driven music, whether it was the more contemporary music my parents would play, or the rock and metal that I gravitated towards as I got older. My first guitar would’ve been one of those random brand “starter pack” red Stratocasters. There’s not much of a story behind it, other than it being the victim of many botched Red Hot Chili Peppers riffs.
What inspires you as a player?
Dave Grohl is the reason I play music, his tenacity has always stuck with me and my playing. I’d then say Jeff Ling of Parkway Drive really shaped how I played and wrote guitar as a metal musician, and Jonathon Deiley of Northlane has been a big influence recently in my career. I think he uses the guitar in such a different way to lots of modern metal guitarists.
Are you much of a gear nerd?
I definitely used to be, but since we’ve been digital live for a while, I’ve kind of moved away from that. We run Kempers live, so we let our producer, Lance Prenc, take the reins on the guitar tone/amps and go from there. I like messing around with his pedals when we record, but lately I’ve been messing around more in-the-box when I’m writing.
Do you have any ‘white whales’?
I’ve never been one for super expensive music gear, but I’ve always wanted a nice off-white American Fender Stratocaster. An OG Block Letter 5150 would be pretty cool to own, too.
What would your signature model look like?
It’d have seven strings, a 28-inch scale length, an EverTune bridge, locking tuners, a Superstrat shape, a maple neck with a streaky ebony fretboard, a mahogany body with a maple top, and a contemporary inline headstock, upside down. Colour-wise, it would be matte black with a black pickguard… Can you tell I’ve thought about this before?
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If you could jam with any guitarist, dead or alive...
Very basic, but I’d cry if Dave Grohl let me play ‘Everlong’ with him.
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Ellie Robinson is an Australian writer, editor and dog enthusiast with a keen ear for pop-rock and a keen tongue for actual Pop Rocks. Her bylines include music rag staples like NME, BLUNT, Mixdown and, of course, Australian Guitar (where she also serves as Editor-at-Large), but also less expected fare like TV Soap and Snowboarding Australia. Her go-to guitar is a Fender Player Tele, which, controversially, she only picked up after she'd joined the team at Australian Guitar. Before then, Ellie was a keyboardist – thankfully, the AG crew helped her see the light…
- Ellie RobinsonEditor-at-Large, Australian Guitar Magazine
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