To say that David Moore has lived a life would be something on an understatement. After a 20 year hiatus away from music, David was drawn back into the fold and made a welcome return with the 2022 album, Seventeen and since then it’s been very much full steam ahead with the 2024 Zeppelin-inspired tribute Get The Led Out! being a definite highlight. Latest album A Wink Is As Good As A Nod To A Blind Mule (recorded in tribute to life long friend Jim Patterson) finds David further honing his brand of thoughtful rock and reaching a creative peak. So, it seems like now is the best time to sit down with this unique artist for an exclusive chat.
Can you tell us about the origin of your project?
The current project I am working on, of which Mysteries Of Life is part of, is a fourteen song album titled A Wink Is As Good As A Nod To A Blind Mule. I have wanted to do a tribute album to my good friend and writing partner Jim Patterson, who passed away in 2013. Jim was an extremely talented guitar player; well beyond my abilities, so the desire to record a tribute album remained a seed until a fortuitous meeting in late 2024 when I was introduced to Jay Michael Smith, guitar player for Stan Lynch’s new band The Speaker Wars.
What are your musical influences?
Pretty much all the music coming out in the late 60’s to the 80’s. Led Zeppelin was very influential because A) I loved their music B) their sound grew over time C) guitar has always been my favorite instrument, and of course Jimmy Page was one of the best, and D) I carefully studied the way Page produced their music which is probably why I enjoy producing and mixing like I do.
Can you tell us about your local music scene. Is it supportive? Are there many places to play?
I quit playing music when I got married to work and support my family. I kept all my gear, planning to start playing again when I retired. In 2018 I did retire, and my wife and I moved to rural northwest Texas. I had lived my entire life in the city and I was ready for a change. So in answer to the question, there is no music scene where I now live. Honestly I don’t know what it is like in Dallas where I am from because I quit playing club gigs in the 90’s. Austin, Texas has a very good music scene. 6th Street is a well known area of clubs, plus every year Austin hosts the SXSW music festival.
What’s the best and worst thing about your local scene?
The best thing is the peace and quiet with no traffic. Musically speaking, the worst thing is there are no venues to play. We are over an hour drive from any city which would have places to play.
Can you tell us about the your discography (demos, singles, albums).
After taking over 3 years of practice and learning my DAW, I finally released my first album titled Seventeen in late 2022. Before I got married I had done some recording on an old Fostex DMT8, which was an 8 track digital hard drive recorder, so I had quite a few tracks which were digital. Most of the songs on the first album were recorded in the 90’s and I just remixed them…in fact much of the guitar work was recorded by Jim Patterson. The second album titled Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow was released the following spring. It was quite a rush job and I plan to go back and remix it next winter. The third album was released a year later in spring of 2024 titled Get The Led Out!; my first two albums leaned heavily into more of a folk-rock sound and with the third album I wanted to explore more into my roots of classic rock. I then released a couple of covers….You’ve Been A Friend To Me by Bryan Adams, and Bad Moon Rising by John Fogerty of CCR. I also released an original single titled I Wish. At the beginning of 2025 I started work on A Wink Is As Good As A Nod To A Blind Mule. I have released six singles off the album with another to release sometime in April. Then I plan to release the rest of the album with seven previously unreleased tracks in late spring or early summer. It has an overall sound heavily residing in classic rock.
How do you feel you’ve evolved musically throughout your career?
I don’t feel my style has really undergone much change because I have always enjoyed writing in various genres. Technically I am a better player…I think much of my growth has occurred on the other side of the glass…in the production and mixing of my works.
Can you tell us about tours you’ve completed. Any war stories you’d like to share?
Other than playing the local club scene in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area in the 80’s and 90’s I have never been on the road. I was working a job at the time, and the pay far exceeded anything I could have made touring.
Will we see you on the road anytime soon?
I am currently content to work in the studio. Perhaps I might play a one nighter if I were to meet some local guys who would be interested, however it is not something I am looking to put together.
What’s next for David Moore & Westridge? How do you plan to reach the next level?
As an indie artist who is retired, I release music as a creative outlet and something I just enjoy doing. Fortunately I am not trying to make a living at it…in today’s music industry it is a most difficult thing to do even as a signed artist. I spend more of my time doing what I call “administration” work than I spend in the studio. Promotions, copyrighting, getting the catalogue into all the various sites (My PRO, Sound Exchange, MLC, etc.), artwork….all of the things which go into being an indie artist. I’ve been asked why I don’t just release music, and my answer to that is that I have a very competitive nature, and I don’t want to say to myself later in life “did you do your best”?
Finally, what’s the one question (and answer) interviewers never ask but you wish they would?
[laughs] Well, I guess it would be about my cats. We rescue cats and currently have 16 in the house, 2 outside, and 1 in the shop. I never would have believed this many cats, most of whom are not related to each other, would get along so well. Rescued animals never forget the help you give them, and they don’t realize that we are the ones who get the most from them.
