1. After "Opus 1" now "Opus 2". I guess your third record will be titled

 "Opus 3". Why do you use so simple names for your records?

<Tom> It is for many reasons that I title the CDs by Opus number. Word titles

of  CDs could be misinterpreted, I don't want preconceived ideas in a

listener's mind before he/she has heard the music. I had even considered not

giving each track on the cds word titles, I could have used a numbering system

for that also, but I didn¹t take it that far. Another reason for using an

Opus number is it implies that each track on the cd is part of the whole work,

not just a collection of unrelated pieces that are on the same cd. Opus 1

and Opus 2 are concept albums and the music is related to the concepts.

The titles Opus 1 and Opus 2 better serve that purpose compared to a word(s)

title.

 2. What about the single "Nexuses"? It's not the typical way releasing a

 single in this kind of music - and without a record deal?

<Tom> It makes no difference whether we are on a major label, an independent

label or on our own label. The purpose of designating a single track to

be the "single" of the album is to better control which track from the CD

will be most often used for radio airplay. As you know from listening to the

Opus 2 CD, our music is very dynamic and there are many moods, emotions,

styles etc. on the CD. Because of these facts, some tracks from Opus 2 are

a better representation of the "overall" HESS sound than other tracks may

be. So when radio stations play a track from the Opus 2 CD, we want the

 listeners who might be unfamiliar with us to hear the track (or tracks)

that best represent our overall sound/style. For those who may hear our music

for the very first time via radio, "Nexuses" is probably the best track to

use for representing the band. Of course one will not fully understand

the depth of the Opus 2 cd by listening to only one track, but "Nexuses" is a

good place to start. Opus 1 did receive a good amount of radio airplay on

some specialized radio stations and internet radio stations in many

countries, and I made the mistake of not designating a specific track to

be the first single. What happened was radio stations just choose whatever

track they wanted to play first and that was not the best way for us to be

introduced to the world. Please don¹t misunderstand me, I don't

necessarily think "Nexuses" is the best track on the CD, just the best

representation of what we sound like overall.

 3. Do you have a special relation to Poland?

<Tom> Yes, indirectly. I am an American and none of my ancestors were from

Poland. However I married a woman from Krakow, Poland. She has a house

there with a lot of land that is overlooking a beautiful valley. So we

go there every summer (if we can). I have a desk there that is in front of

the large windows. I can see the entire valley when composing. Poland,

and Europe in general, is a great place for me. I am very inspired to

compose there. The United States is very boring, there is very little

history, no really old cathedrals to go to, no castles to visit. And

where I live (near Chicago) the land is very flat with no hills or mountains, no

valleys, etc. And when I am here in the USA, I am always so busy managing

the HESS band, taking care of the label aspects (promotion and cd

distribution, etc.), plus teaching music. When I go to Europe, I leave

all of that behind and my only work is to compose without the stresses and

busy schedule of normal life in America.

 4. What about the symbol for infinity about Hess logo on the artwork?

<Tom> The infinity sign represents things that I don't really want to discuss

in words, but is everywhere in the music I write.

 5. Again no reactions from Shrapnel or Magna Carta or was it your

intention to do a self produced release again?

<Tom> We are not signed with another record label because we don't want

to be signed to a label at this point. That may change in the future, but right

now, I actually enjoy the music business side of things and running my

label. And besides, if you have ever seen the terms of a Shrapnel or

Magna Carta contract, you might have a better understanding of why we

don't want that. In this genre of music, it is possible to make more money on one's

own label than it is on many labels.

 6. Two guitar players in one band - is there sometimes a kind of

 competition?

<Tom>  Never. Mike and I are a team, not rivals. Neither of us has an ego

problem so their is no attitude or competitive feelings in the band. Our

styles are quite different so it is fun to play together.

 7. Why do you mention in the booklet who is playing the several parts of

 each song?

<Tom> Because our fans want to know who is who and have asked us about this

after the Opus 1 CD. Its pretty clear to hear the difference of style and tone,

but many people wouldn¹t know which one of us is the player of one style

or the other. I remember listening to Cacophony and really wanted to know

which player was which. I didn't know this until Jason Becker and Marty

Freidman released their solo cds, then I could hear things easily when

listening to Cacophony again.

 8. How does it come to the running order of the tracks?

<Tom>  The track order for Opus 1 and Opus 2 was decided on two factors, the

concept of the albums and by how the flow of the moods are from track to

track. However for Opus 3 the track order was predetermined before I

began composing a single musical note, the reason for this will be very obvious

to all when the cd is finished.

 9. Do you think about adding a keyboardist and / or a lead singer?

<Tom> A keyboard player wouldn't be able to play all of the orchestral lines on

Opus 2, because he would need more than two hands to play all of the

simultaneous parts. We may work with a keyboard player in the future,

but there are no plans to look for a keyboard player now. As far as a singer

goes, we might work with a singer in the future, but probably not with the

HESS band, it would more likely be a separate project.

 10. There are some moments on the new record when I think these are

keyboard sounds.

<Tom> That is because some of the sounds are keyboard sounds and some aren't.

Both methods sound good in their own way.

 11. How would you describe the development between the new record and the

 record before?

<Tom> Musically, Opus 1 established the musical direction and styles for the

HESS sound. Opus 2 is basically a continuation of that sound, but slightly

evolved and simply better in every way. It is the next logical step.

 12. What do you think about exchanging music as mp3 via the internet? A

financial problem for independent artists in the same way as for major

record companies?

<Tom> I think every artist (or label) should have the right to decide that for

himself/herself/itself. I personally do not like my music to be stolen by

people who are making illegal (and immoral) unauthorized copies of it. If

another band doesn't care about their music being stolen, that is their

right to allow it to happen or not. I am strongly opposed to it with the

HESS music.

 13. Is each member of the band absolutely satisfied with each song of the

 record?

<Tom> In the context of the expressive goals of the music, I think so, yes. I

suppose if they were not happy with the music they would probably have

quit the band.

 14. How much is your kind of writing songs influenced by what people

expect?

<Tom> None of it. Other people's expectations is not a factor. That is one of

the benefits of releasing the cds on my label versus another label. The only

expectations that we are concerned about are our own.

 15. Why did you decide not to work with electronic editing after

recordings?

<Tom> Because we wanted our recorded performances to be authentic, to be real.

Almost all cds now are heavily edited and altered to correct bad performances and mistakes. We spent the time to get the recording to sound exactly how we wanted

without all the post production editing that is so typical of most other cds made

today. I am an idealist, so it is just part of my personality to think this way.

 16. Are you interested in the contemporary progressive rock scene?

<Tom> Yes very much, I like artists like Dream Theater, Symphony X, George

Bellas, etc. They are great musicians and very interesting to listen to.

I would like to see this style of music become more known and appreciated

around the world. In the US, only Dream Theater has a pretty good amount

of popularity.

 17. What about Hess and playing live?

<Tom> HESS has not played any live shows in the last 2.5 years. We were in the

studio for 18 months during that time. Also our other guitarist, Mike

Walsh was in the studio with his other band SAGE, so there was no time to even

think about live shows as a band. Now that Opus 2 is released, the band

is rehearsing a live set now and will be playing live shows in the USA beginning

in Spring.