VHF (Vinciguerra / Hoekstra / Franklin) – Very High Frequency [remastered reissue] (2021) *EXCLUSIVE*

Golden Robot Records will properly reissue next Friday “Very High Frequency“, the album recorded by Vinciguerra / Hoekstra / Franklin, also known as VHF, consisting of guitar virtuoso Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Night Ranger, Cher) playing with 8 fingers on guitar, Fretless Monster Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder, Kenny Wayne Shepherd) on bass, and published author, master of the groove, Todd “Vinny” Vinciguerra on drums (the brain child behind the project).
Produced by Joe Floyd, Vinciguerra and Tommy Kessler (Blondie) and mastered by David Donnelly, VHF captures the wood & steel electric vibe of classic, groove oriented trippy hard rock with driving rhythms.
The cool thing about their music is that they build the songs from the drums up, which is a pretty backwards songwriting concept, then Hoekstra & Franklin do their magic with a complete artistic freedom. The results that came from it are really unique.

Hoekstra known Vinciguerra since the two were roommates in Hollywood back in the Nineties. Some time ago Vinciguerra contacted the guitarist and told him he had some drum tracks Tony Franklin had played on and wanted to know if he would be interested in playing on it as well.
The trio ended up with a hybrid mix of cool playing along with some really trippy rocking stuff, more focused on the vibe of the song instead of just the chops.

That first song went so well that Hoekstra asked Vinciguerra about doing an EP. Then Vinciguerra and Tony did a bass and drum song called “All Is Within”, and Hoekstra did a conceptual guitar piece, “Conception to Death (For 8 Guitars)”. They ended up doing seven songs, and the had a full length album.

It’s got a great combination of hard rock, progressive, jam band, space rock and more. Everything here works really well and the whole thing flows like one cohesive piece.
Vinciguerra’s unique sequence of writing starts with the drum composition setting the tone before heading to Franklin for chord progression and underlying groove. Once a groove is established, the rhythm tracks are set in place for guitar virtuoso Joel Hoekstra’s independent interpretation.

The three musicians musicians get to stretch their musical muscle and simultaneously showcase their abilities. ”Shattered Insomnia” opens the album and has an infectious energy; each instrument clearly is audible.
”Whispers of the Soul” is built around a Middle Eastern melody, which is prominent throughout the song. The guitar, drums and bass lay down a constant groove to keep your head bobbing. ”Suspended Animation” is like Led Zeppelin meets a Steve Vai-ish trippy thing going on, mixed in with classical guitar runs.
Then ”Conception to Death (For 8 Guitars)” is another mind-bender, with an incredible guitar work by Hoekstra. The song is a chaotic mix of jarring guitar-driven motifs that open the song and structurally bounce between soft and heavy riffs.

“Invincible Thread” would be a more traditional arrangement, but, again, there are constant changes happening throughout. There is a defining “chorus” that gives listeners a memorable theme on which to latch.
The song with more vocal parts on the album, “Backside Of Your Eyes,” has an eerie Alice Cooper vibe, while closer “All Is Within” starts with a tribal-like drum progression, and Franklin’s fretless bass lays down mammoth sounding accompaniment.

”Very High Frequency” is a trip of sonic explorations, always rocking and always surprising. The record was original released in 2014 with limited distribution.
Now, with a proper mastering, VHF will have a world-wide availability, a refreshing escape from the trappings of the modern music scene.
Highly Recommended

Only at 0dayrox

01 – Shattered Insomnia
02 – Whispers Of The Soul
03 – Suspended Animation
04 – Conception To Death (For 8 Guitars)
05 – Invisible Thread
06 – Backside Of Your Eyes
07 – All Is Within

Joel Hoekstra – Guitars, Vocals (Night Ranger, Whitesnake)
Tony Franklin – Bass (The Firm, Blue Murder)
Todd “Vinny” Vinciguerra – Drums, Percussion

Pre Order
store.goldenrobotrecords.com/browse/vhf/products/vhf-very-high-frequency-cd