Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela Moore.
Hi Pamela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Seattle and discovered my passion for performing early on through theater. In high school, I joined the music program and taught myself to play steel-string acoustic guitar and piano. In the early 1980s, I released my first two albums, ‘Take a Look’ and ‘You Won’t Find Me There’. The music was soft pop and well-received, but problems with the record label put my recording career on pause. Still, I kept at it! Continued performing with club bands and did voice work and jingles for radio and TV ads. In 1988, Chris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate heard a jingle I recorded for a popular Seattle music store, Guitars Etc. They both wanted to find “that singer”. Soon after, I became the voice of Sister Mary on Queensrÿche’s concept album Operation: Mindcrime. The album was a big success and led me to perform live with the band. For the next 25 years, I worked with them on and off, recording, performing, and collaborating throughout much of my career.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In 2013, Queensrÿche had a very public and difficult split with singer Geoff Tate, right as my ‘Resurrect Me’ album was about to come out on Rat Pak Records. That was a hard time for me, emotionally and personally. I was close to people on both sides and felt caught in the middle. I put my energy into my album, which did well even with all the attention. In some ways, releasing it helped me get through that period. I haven’t spoken to any of the members since, but I hope that will change someday.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Solo career
In 2006, I released a full-length album called ‘Stories from a Blue Room’. I wrote all the songs with Benjamin Anderson, who played guitar for Rorschach Test and later started Walking Papers. Neil Kernon produced the album. We recorded it at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, Texas, and at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle. Terri Nunn, Jeff Loomis, and Michael Wilton joined as guest artists.
On May 14, 2013, I announced ‘Resurrect Me’, a modern metal album inspired by my time with Queensrÿche. I teamed up with Michael Posch from Radakka for this project. Guest artists included Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, Germany) on ‘Sky is Falling’ and background vocals, and Jeff Loomis (guitar) on ‘Awakening.’ Aury Moore, Patrick Moore, Brenda Kashmir, Randy Piper, and Scott Bowen also added vocals. We put out a video for ‘Paranoia’ on May 8, 2013.
On May 1, 2018, I released ‘Behind the Veil’ with a great group of musicians: Rudy Sarzo on bass, Casey Grillo on drums, Michael Posch on guitar and orchestration, and newcomer Craig Church also on guitar and orchestration. Special guests included Ralf Scheepers, Randy Piper, and Elliot Anders.
On June 19, 2018, Billboard magazine premiered my ‘WiFi Zombie’ video. Christa Titus from Billboard wrote, “With images in the video of zombies staggering about clutching phones and cars careening out of control, the dark humor is underscored by real-life footage of people committing potentially fatal blunders while distracted by their phones, like falling into cellar doors on city streets and wandering into traffic. To signify the damage that smartphone-related diversions create, Moore adds, “WiFi Zombie poses the very real, absurd obsession we have developed with our smartphones and devices”.
Queensrÿche
I performed with Queensrÿche many times, especially on “Suite Sister Mary” from their 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime. After the album’s success, I began performing live with the band, first joining them on the 1990–1991 Empire tour. I also took part in the filming and recording of Operation: Livecrime, and later appeared on 2002’s Live Evolution and 2006’s Mindcrime at the Moore. In the studio, I returned as Sister Mary for the 2006 sequel album, Operation: Mindcrime II.
I also performed with the new Queensrÿche, now fronted by Todd La Torre. In 2013, I recorded a duet with Todd on the song “A World Without” on their self-titled album. At the album’s release party, I was invited to perform “Suite Sister Mary”, “Eyes of a Stranger”, and “Silent Lucidity” with the band.
I am proud of everything I’ve accomplished, big or small. When I faced struggles, I let myself feel them, then tried to see them as challenges to overcome and learn from. I kept working through whatever lesson I needed to learn. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s important to remember that and to take a moment to breathe!
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’m happy with where I am in life and grateful for everything I’ve done and where I’ve ended up. When I wasn’t touring, I started offering vocal lessons and stage performance training, which has been really rewarding. I’m thankful to give back by helping others grow, learn, and hopefully inspire them to follow their dreams. I offer both online and in-person coaching and host a Student Recording Sessions workshop for motivated students who want to learn more about the industry. It’s been a success.
Right now, I’m working on a live show called “The Pamela Moore Project”. It features singers, musicians, costume changes, light show, media and a mix of my own songs along with covers of songs that have inspired me. Can you guess which covers I’ll play? (smile)
Pricing:
- Rates and packages available. All inquiries send email to: pamela@pamelamoore.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pamelamoore.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelamooremusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamelamooreofficial/
- Twitter: www.coach4vocals.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pamelamooremusic
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/MooreVocalCoachMentor/
