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So
Flows the Current:
TWPT Talks with..Patrick O'Hearn
©2000-2005
TWPT
TWPT:
When was it that music became a major influence in your life and how
did you go about pursuing that interest back then?
PO: I
was born into an artistic family, both parents being musicians,
aunts, uncles and grandparents whom were actors, artists and
musicians. Music was always being played in the home, both live and
recorded, every get-together or holiday was an open invitation for a
jam session. So, music was from my earliest childhood memories a
major influence. I was encouraged to grab any instrument I could
produce a favorable sound upon and join in. If I expressed interest
in an instrument that we did not already have around the house or
that was unavailable through the public school band department, my
parents would make an effort to aquire it for me.
TWPT:
What were some of your earliest influences by other artists of the
time period?
PO: My
Mother's taste in music, although a good jazz pianist herself, was
classical music. My father on the other hand, leaned toward jazz and
R&B, so between them, I found influence and enjoyment from the
records they were playing by the likes of Copeland, Ravel,
Stravinsky,Debussy,Bartok, Satie, Barber and others, to, Miles Davis,
John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Duke
Ellington, "Big" Joe Turner and others.
TWPT:
Tell me about your first taste of success as a performing artist?
PO:
My first taste of success was in
playing bass in my Mother's nightclub combo. I had a good ear, had
learned alot of "standards" and was beginning to be hired
by other groups in town as a sub. I soon gave up my paper route,
forgot about former summer jobs such as picking fruit and vegetables,
joined the musicians union and was on top of the world at age 15.
TWPT:
Tell me about your time spent as a jazz player. In what ways did it
contribute to the music that you now create?
PO:
I came up in learning music through the jazz school. Listen carefully
to everything else that is going on musically around you in an
ensemble setting, go with the flow, or take the lead and re-direct
it, total interplay. A good jazz musician knows what notes will
enhance the other musicians, a great jazz musician knows what notes
the other musicians or soloist they're accompanying may play before
they're actually played! intuitive ESP.
My jazz backround has not contributed much of a
part in most of my solo work. Although I believe that is slowly
changing. Jazz is about being on the edge musically, and by
that I mean feeling completely comfortable in walking the highwire
without a net. Nothing to hide behind. You step out and bare
all. Most of my solo work has focused more on writing and arranging
rather than the improvisation of jazz.
TWPT:
Some folks may or may not be aware of it but you were a member of the
80's group Missing Persons. Did you consider this to be somewhat of a
pinnacle in your career thus far and were you happy with what you
were doing?
PO: Missing
Persons was fun, for the most part, while it lasted, but I didn't
consider it a pinnacle. I don't think any of the band, save for
front-woman Dale, would have. It was more an opportunity to play
music and travel the world with good friends and musicians. Prior to
Missing Persons I had been recording and performing with jazz
musicians Tony Williams, Charles Lloyd, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon
and had spent two and a half years as bassist in Frank Zappa's band
as well as co-founded Group 87 along with Mark Isham and Peter Maunu
in which we had recorded for CBS records. Although Missing Persons
was an excellent band, these other efforts I would have to considered
more a pinnacle, at least from an artistic standpoint.
TWPT:
I'm curious as to what it was like playing with Frank Zappa's band.
What kinds of experiences do you take away from a unique band such as Franks?
PO:
I was a member of Frank's Group for 2 1/2 years, and in that time
learned a great deal. Although a taskmaster who knew what he
wanted, Frank was a most open minded man as well. He was perhaps the
last of a breed of composer, and I would cite Duke Ellington as an
example as well, who used a large ensemble of fine musicians as an
instrument. This of course is done today with midi, but if one
has the luxury of having live musicians on hand to interact with and
direct, the developing results are far more intriguing, not to
mention faster, than that from a computer. Frank was an
iconoclast, no doubt about it, and the rich experiences I gained from
that period I'm greatful for. I miss him and his wonderful
sense of humor.
TWPT:
How does someone go from doing 80's pop to ambient music? What were
some of the reactions that you got from fellow artists and fans of
your pop work to your new musical direction?
PO: The
music I was playing in Missing Persons had a very direct effect on
the music I begin to compose on the side and which would be the
beginning of my solo career. In 1984 the band was straining from
internal tension, primarily the crumbling relationship of then wife
and husband team, Dale and drummer Terry Bozzio. Rehearsals, which
were nightly, became very stressful and I would return home afterward
to my apartment where I had a small project studio, and would begin
improvising and recording musical ideas that were deliberatley far
afield from what I had been doing earlier with the band. Reaction to
this material from other musicians was very favorable, although some
fans may have been taken aback at first by this very different sound
from what they generally associated me with.
TWPT:
What was your first release in this new phase of your career and how
was it received by fans and industry alike?
PO:
Ancient Dreams was my first solo album, recorded in late '84 and
released in mid '85. When I recorded it, I wasn't sure anyone would
care for it. My musican friends enjoyed it, but would anyone else?
The beauty of those days was that I could have cared less. I loved it
and that was all that mattered! A healthy artistic perspective that
I'm now proud to say I've regained.
As it turned out, it was very well received by
fans and industry alike. The times were ripe for new innovation in
radio format as well, and Ancient Dreams got alot of airplay
considering it's different sound and all instrumental tracks. The
album also benefited sales-wise from it's exclusive Compact Disc
release, as not alot of music was then available in that new medium.
TWPT:
There are quite a number of names floating around for the types of
music that you do, what do you call your music and how do you
personally define the genre of music that you make?
PO:
Categorizing of my music has been a major problem since the late
1970's Group 87 days I mentioned earlier. If you're a versatile
musician/composer, comfortable in many cross genres and whom draws
influence from a broad pallet, you've got trouble when it comes to
classification. "Contemporary Instrumental"?.....what
happens when you add voice? "New Age"?....that brings a
whole metaphysical philosophy into play.
"Ambient"?....perhaps the closest and indeed an area of
music near to my heart. I personally gave up trying to type it years
ago. I'm currently listing the files I upload to mp3.com as
"mood" music. Sounds funny and a bit retro, but it just may
be ambiguous enough to fit the bill.
TWPT:
Could you give me the names of the ambient artists that have most
influenced the work that you do and why they are important to your music?
PO: I
can give you a list of ambient/experimental musicians whom I have
very much enjoyed listening to over the years. However, I would not
venture to say to what extent they may or may not have directly
influenced my own work. These fine fellows would be, Brian Eno, Jon
Hassell, Daniel Lanois, Mark Isham, David Torn, Peter Maunu, Steve
Roach, Robert Rich, Vidna Obmana, Jeff Pearce and Michael Stearns.
Then there is all the interesting electronic music that has come out
of England in the past 6 years, not to mention the wealth of
experimental music which flourished in Germany in the 70's &
early 80's. But for me, the afore mentioned chaps continue to knock
me out with their creative work. I'm sure I could well extend the
list of names given enough thought. But again, it's not that these
people have so much influenced my work, but that they continue to
feed the pool of available recorded music that we can all enjoy.
TWPT:
With each new CD does it get easier or harder to create the next one?
PO: It's always different.
TWPT:
How does the creative process work for you as you go from initial
idea of a new project to finished CD?
PO: The
process itself is usually simple and sometimes swift. I will get an
idea or theme, grab hold of it and within 2 months the final
selection of material will be evident and the album complete.
However, this is not always the case and some albums will take
longer, sometimes alot longer to formulate and take on shape. It can
even become frustrating at times especially if the subjective sphere
of ones mind decides to leap "center stage" into the
act. The trick there is to make every effort to help the creative
muse of intuition prevail. Otherwise, it's the dreaded "paralysis
from analysis", a hamster wheel, or darken alley that most
all artists fear and hope to avoid.
Sometimes, making electronic oriented music
itself can become a laborious process. Taking great care to sculpt
sounds just so can require alot of time. But, eventually you know
when the project is complete and that it's time to let go and move on.
TWPT:
When you reach a road block in the creative flow what do you do to
break the block and get back to work?
PO:
Move on to another composition, or if it's severe, tend to other
details that need attention, play with the kids, go for a long walk
in the woods or some peaceful place. If it's critical,..cut a
load of firewood with a chainsaw, split and stack it..that'll do it
for sure!
TWPT:
Did you know after your release of Ancient Dreams that you had found
your niche and that you would be working in this genre for quite some
time to come?
PO:
No, those thoughts did not occur to me at that time, or even 2
or 3 albums down the line. In fact, by my 4th album, Eldorado
(1989) I was ready to try something altogether different and directed
my efforts to finding film score work.
TWPT:
Does it still stimulate you artistically even after the release 10
CD's to approach the next project?
PO:
Yes, very much so. I read an article back in 1992, whereby 4
prominent artists of independent fields were interviewed, paint,
film, music, literature, the subject of the piece was the so
called "7 year cycle". They all agreed that important
personal creativity often moves in 7-10 year cycles. I agree as
well, so perhaps one is stimulated artistically to different degrees
during this period. I feel excited about what I'm currently
doing and about future projects in the works, which is good! I
would hate to have boredom rear it's ugly head.
TWPT:
Tell me about some of the equipment that you use to create these
wonderful soundscapes and how long has it taken you to master some of it?
PO:
Most of my equipment I've owned for some time now. The
mainstays of tone creation would be: PPG 2.2 synthesizer, Studio
Electronics Minimoog, Analogue Solutions custom modular, Akai S6000
sampler, Lexicon PCM 90,80,70's,42's, Eventide H3000 Harmonizer,
Doepfer Shaltwerk and MAQ 16/3 sequencers, API eq's and mic pre's,
Neve eq's and mic pre's. Mic's are Neumann, AKG and Shure......the
afore mentioned is the core and for the most part simple and
intuitive, although the Doepfer's and Lexicon 90 & 80 will allow
you to dig as deep as you may wish to go...the time most unfortunatly
spent would be that of PC's, computer software, sync and
interface....time bandits all,...wish I could do without any of
them,...but I can't.
TWPT:
Are you thinking of using the DVD format as it exists now or perhaps
the in progress DVD audio format to expand your music to the realm of
surround sound?
PO:
For now I'll be going with the audio portion of a DVD-Video, dolby
digital encoded for a 5.1 surroundsound mix. Too few DVD-Audio
players exist at present and there are still backwards compatibility
issues for going 24/96. The high-fi aspect of DVD-A is very
interesting, however, DVD-V still gives you 16 bit red book standard
CD quality, or actually even better with 20 bit, 48k sampling and a
DVD player with 6 discreet analogue outputs. However, There just
isn't enough room on the audio portion of a DVD-V disc to have 6
channel PCM music,or so I've read, so encoding in dolby digital on
the V disc is how I intend to start off with, and the material will
play on all DVD players....(or so they say)
TWPT:
I found Mix-Up to be an interesting CD in the overall landscape of
what you had done to date. What brought that CD about and what kinds
of reactions did you get to its release?
PO:
Everything from "love it" to "what an utter crock of
sh** "... That record circa 1990 was the brain child of the
A&R dept. of Private Music. They wanted a new release and I
didn't have one. I had just finished 23 episodes of T.V.
scoring and was not in a music making frame of mind...or any sane
frame of mind for that matter. Re-mixing was becoming en vogue and
they thought that they could break into the club scene with such a
project. When they posed the idea, the agreement was that the
music would be tested in some european dance clubs, If it clicked
there, it would be released in the U.S., if it fell flat, it would be
abandoned and no one the wiser. Under that agreement I said ok,
sure..give it a try.
The next thing I know, it's in the local record
stores! Direct from pressing plant to retail as a new Patrick
O'Hearn album! No testing whatsoever. I was taken aback. I did
make some good friends with two of the producers I met that were
involved. Joe "the butcher" Nicolo and David Barratt,
both very fine and talented chaps. Overall, I enjoyed the
outcome, but some of the stuff makes me cringe to this day. Oh well,
consider the time period I guess. It's like platform shoes pukka
shell necklaces.
TWPT:
Here's a loaded question but one I thought our readers might like to
know about. What are your feelings on the MP3 controversy? I know
that you have some material available for listening on MP3.com but I
was curious as to your feelings about the battle between the record
labels and those who say that there should be no restriction on
information on the web.
PO:
I support the idea of an mp3.com. That is, if artists wish to
make available their own material for streaming or download and are
credited or compensated for it if they so desire. I don't
however support the Napster model whereby anyone can upload or
computer network any copyright protected CD by anyone for massive
swapping. I thought that author Stephen King had a clever
idea. He wrote a four part novel and as he posted each section
online for download from his web site, all he asked is that the
person downloading it send him a $1 and that they not make copies to
freely distribute to others. It was an honor system experiment and I
wonder how it turned out? The goal I guess, is to somehow find
a way around the "big business" filter that keeps alot of
art from being discovered by the public.
The major record labels have all settled their
lawsuites with mp3 and napster and some now have vested interest in
these maverick's. They can now tame and utilize the beast to
push their own product and grab a piece of the pie. It reminds
me of early 1950's Las Vegas, albeit a passive version.
The internet is very interesting indeed and overall I ere on the side
of "no restriction", but lets not make anyone's
intellectual property the victim of piracy.
TWPT:
What kind of impact would you say that the web in general has had on
the ability of small ambient and electronica labels to reach their
intended audience?
PO:
It's been a potencial God send. To promote music both
audio and visual to a global audience for the price of hosting a web
site is nothing short of amazing. That is, if the audience can
be made aware of the site. There's the trick.
TWPT:
What kind of future relationship between music and the web do you
see a few years down the road?
PO:
Good question! I have musician friends who are eager for the day
when their music is delivered entirely via the web. Perhaps I show my
age, but I'm not so sure about that concept, at least for the time
being. Anyone who has up or downloaded even small 6meg files
with a 56k modem knows how painfully slow that can be. Although
networking music live has been around for 10 or more years now, it
still remains the extreme exception and not the rule....as wonderful
a prospect that it is. However, technology will keep moving forward
and perhaps in a few years we'll all have access to very high speed
internet connection and that will open many possibilities for the
musician, the web and computer world.
TWPT:
I know that your new site at patrickohearn.com was is not your first
entry onto the web. A few years back you had another site and but at
one point it just vanished. What happened with that first attempt to
enter the web?
PO:
That was deepcave.com. It came online not long before our
distributor went bankrupt. When that happened the label was put
into a holding pattern void. Much time passed before I secured
arrangements with another distributor and it soon became apparent
that this new arrangement wasn't going to work either. With no
new music to be relased under these conditions and no new information
to post that would be of interest to the public I decided to take it
down rather than leave a static page hanging there which could only
serve to frustrate repeat visitors.
TWPT:
Was it my imagination or were your CD's hard to find during this
same time frame? Was there something happening behind the scenes that
caused the music to disappear for awhile?
PO:
Yes, the going out of business of my distributor and subsequent
unsuccessful efforts at finding a suitable replacement meant that my
Deep Cave titles were soon no longer available in stores. About
the only place you could find them were at online power-house,
amazon.com., and this being only possible in as that I deal directly
with them. They're the only major online merchant, to my
knowledge, that deals directly with artists and small labels. I
suppose that had I more focus and enthusiasm at that time, 1997, I
would have moved to setting up my own sales and fulfillment directly
online from my site, as so many artists are now doing, but,
such was not the case. Deep Cave is gone now but I intend to
keep those titles "Trust" and "Metaphor"
available through my new site.
TWPT:
I was reading through the newsgroups a couple of months ago when I
first saw that you had returned to the web with patrickohearn.com.
Tell me about your new website and how you'd like to use it to
promote your work and stay in touch with your fans.
PO:
I've now returned to web with an artist-centric name and site which
will avoid any confusion that an label-centric site might
create. At patrickohearn.com, I can develope a page that gives
insights into my music, studio, instruments and method of working
rather than a label page that promotes it's releases and branch's off
from there to artist info. Having my own name.com will also
make it easier for fans of my earlier releases to find me, those that
may never have been aware of my deep cave titles, that is, once the
search engines finally pick up on me. I think the most
challanging thing to my new site will be in continuing it's
developement and keeping it fresh with new content. Not an easy
task for a man that takes as much time to make records as I do.
TWPT:
Once at your new site I was gratified to learn that a new CD was
soon to be released entitled, So Flows the Current. Where did the
title for this release come from and what meaning does it hold for you?
PO:
The cover for this new album is a photo of my son that I took
several years ago at a waterfall near our home. He's much grown
now from the time when this picture was taken. I'll sometimes
sit beside this stream to relax and often lose myself in though about
the concept of time while watching the water pass by. The title
to me is a metaphor of growth and the cycles of life.
TWPT:
Tell me about what we can expect to hear on this new CD and how it
reflects any changes you've gone through over the last few years.
PO:
This album took along time to make. This is by no means to say
that it is some master piece that was years in the making, it simply
just took far longer than any previous album I've done to date.
It's a nice melding of ideas and mood and I think
it shows a maturing over my earlier records. It's not modern
en-vogue cutting edge material, anyone expecting that would be
disapointed, It's just the particular album that needed to be
made at the time it was made. It has more a "live-played"
feeling about it, I guess because I ditched the sequencer and all
playing was live, and that's a change for me. There's nice
performance contributions from guitarist Peter Maunu, cellist Pat
Johnston and percussionist Robin Tolleson. Overall, I'm well
pleased with it.
TWPT:
You also have many film and tv scoring credits on your resume, how
does it differ in process to create music for a film or tv show as
compared to writing and composing a new Patrick O'Hearn release?
PO:
Writing for film, when a gig does come my way, is easier for me than
writing records. With a film, you are presented with an already
defined template, that being the narrative, plot or story line.
You read the script or watch the rough cut of the film and the ideas
start rolling. It's like a good session player that comes in,
listens to the track and knows right away what is needed to take the
music to another level. Much different than pulling an album
out of thin air and the challenge of keeping it cohesive. The
intense deadline pressure of film scoring also works well for
me. You have only a few short weeks, or in many cases, days to
deliver the goods. There is no time to second guess your
instincs as there is in most record making.
TWPT:
Looking back over your career to this point in time, what do you
think that you have learned about the music business and yourself as
a musician?
PO:
With respect to the music business overall; try not to live
too far beyond your means, the realm of art's and entertainment
is clearly a world of peaks and valleys. In regard to being a
musician; stay true to your own voice and look not to others for
praise or criticism.
TWPT:
Are there any projects in the works that we should be looking for
from Patrick O'Hearn in the short term? Any touring ahead for you in
support of the new release?
PO:
No plans of touring at this point, as much as I would love to play
out. I have started work on my next record, which by no means
will take 4 years to release, I also have made plans with Peter Maunu
to record a duo album this year, and, I hope that this will be the
year that Steve Roach and I finish our album that we started back in
'97. I am hopeful that I can get this surround sound version of
So Flows The Current done soon, although just where to release it
remains a mystery, and I look forward to releasing the Simpatico
score before too long as well.
TWPT:
Any final thoughts that you would like to share with your fans who
might be reading this interview?
PO:
Just one, thanks to any and all that have found interest and
enjoyment in the music that I make.
TWPT:
And thanks to you Patrick for taking the time to talk to us and for
creating such wonderful music that has brought a lot of enjoyment to
those who have listened to you over the years. Good luck with your
new release, So Flows the Current, I'm sure it will be another
classic Patrick O'Hearn release. |
