“I am not somebody who’s particular about gear” Cory Wong on why the nearest guitar to him was the best for his latest album
Many artists wear multiple hats when they’re making music. Cory Wong accesses different parts of his brain.
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He’s best known for his rhythmic chops on Fender Stratocasters, whether he’s performing his own music or serving with the jovial funk-soul outfit, Vulfpeck. But his artistry goes much further than the fretboard. On his latest album, Lost In The Wonder, he accessed his producer brain, which has a few more goals within the process, other than nailing instrumental parts:
“A producer’s got several jobs. One of them is getting this thing finished and delivered. One of them is being a good casting director, “ Wong says. “I have a whole Rolodex of musicians that I draw from, and that I wanted to work with for this album.”
12 vocalists contributed their voices to Lost In The Wonder. Wong brought in established talents such as Taylor Hanson, one of the three brothers behind the 90s pop trio, Hanson. Cody Fry of American Idol fame did some crooning. So did Benny Sings, who was featured on Rex Orange County’s modern classic, Loving is Easy. In his producer brain, Wong built songs to support their contributions, and his guitar was a tool for doing so, but it was still his music.
“Another side of the producer is bringing the artist’s vision to life, helping the artist discover more about themselves, and express themselves in new and different ways,” Wong says. “In this case, because I am the producer and the artist, I have to separate those things. My artistry comes before my guitar playing. My guitar playing is a byproduct and expression of my artistry, so I think of my artistry as being more important.”
Image: Harry Levin
Background Actor
And yet, by removing the guitar from the forefront and giving himself a larger overview of the body of work, he still ended up recording what he considers some of the best work on the instrument.
“As a producer, I’m thinking about the writing and how to treat the production of it, knowing that the artist is a guitar player, knowing that the artist is collaborating with a bunch of people, and that the artist is a band leader and arranger. Splitting my brain into different pieces,” Wong says. “Those things are fun on the producer side because then it shapes a little more easily what is being asked of the guitar.”
Throughout the album, Wong selects precise moments for his playing to shine through. Some of them are powerful solos, but others are more reserved instances that demonstrate his deep understanding of what is called for within the song.
The electrified dance jam, Tongue Tied, is fertile with these diverse applications. In the pre-chorus, Wong gracefully fills the spaces between Stephen Day’s syncopated vocals with light, glitchy strums. Then, when the chorus comes in, he doubles Day’s more expressive flares to give them that extra bit of sonic emphasis.
On Better Than This, Wong goes one step further to emphasize the guitar without the instrument dominating the song. At two different points, he delivers detailed guitar melodies, which he emphasizes with creative tones. The first has a gritty crunch from the Beetronics Vezzpa pedal. The second is an exercise in crystal clear picking.
“It’s not solos, but it’s definitely like, ‘Here’s a moment for the guitar.’ Here’s how to incorporate the guitar as a featured instrument. You listen to Stevie Wonder, there’s a vocal melody, and instrumental hooks,” Wong says. “The producer brain of mine gave the guitar a lot of those instrumental hooks, and the artist is a guitar player, so let’s do some weird, cool, interesting tone.”
One of the moments Wong does step into the forefront with a solo is also on Tongue Tied. In it, he has a run he describes as “somewhere between Daft Punk and Eddie Van Halen.” After a career of nearly two decades, his ability to play impressive solos is common knowledge, but this one is as functional as it is flashy.
Instead of building these titanic peaks and valleys like a Comfortably Numb or Stairway to Heaven-style flex, he keeps the 16th-note rhythm consistent throughout, using the quickness to slide between different arpeggios. This technique also serves to maintain the momentum of the song, leading into the grand key change at the conclusion of the solo. He shows off his skills without sucking up all the attention.
“This tune has been featuring vocals the whole time. How does anybody know that the guitar player is part of this?” Wong says. “The song is now asking for the guitar player to step up to the plate, and the producer needs the artist to step up to the plate and be represented.”
Image: Harry Levin
Tools Of The Trade
On that solo, Wong represented himself with an Epiphone Riviera with some custom modifications. Throughout the rest of Lost in the Wonder, he used his standard tools like his Strat and his Archetype Cory Wong X plugin. He also ventured out into his Music Man Stingray 2, as well as some different pedals, including the JHS Pedals Artificial Blonde.
However, he frankly doesn’t remember most of the instruments he used. At the time of our interview, he didn’t know which Epiphone he used on Tongue Tied. It just happened to be next to him in the studio when it was time to record.
“It was just what was right there, so I just grabbed it and used it. Didn’t even think about it,” Wong says. This was the case for many of the songs as he traveled to various studios around the world to collaborate with the different vocalists. “I am not somebody who’s particular about needing this gear, this thing. I want something that gives me inspiration.”
Whatever was there, in arm’s reach, ended up on the album (as long as it fit the vision he saw in his producer brain).
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