Interview with European music journalist, Ronny Elst.
1. Who are the band members?
Tom Hess:
Mark Carozza - Bass Guitar
Mike Walsh - Lead Guitar
Scott Hess - Percussion
Tom Hess - Lead Guitar
2. Where can your fans hear and order the Hess CD, Opus 1?
Tom Hess: You can hear some MP3 files at this site: http://hess.4t.com You can
hear more audio samples via real player at:
http://www.guitar9.com/opusone.html. Opus 1 can be ordered at either of the
links above.
3. When will the second Hess CD be finished, what will it be called and what will it sound like?
Tom Hess: : We are rehearsing new music for our second CD now. It will be
entitled, Opus 2. Recording is scheduled to begin later this year. We are
really excited about the new material. People can expect Opus 2 to be a
more extreme version of Opus 1. The progressive pieces will be more
progressive, the neo-classical pieces will be more classical (baroque) in
style, due to the addition of more carefully composed counterpuntal lines.
The virtuostic passages will be even more virtuostic and the heavy sections
will be even heavier. The dramatic/emotional sections will be even more
emotional. We aren't changing the Hess sound at all, we are simply taking
it further in the same directions with Opus 2. The unique mixture of the
elements I just listed is what made Opus 1 successful, so why change what
works?
4. I know that you have played many concerts in the United States,
will you guys be touring Europe to support Opus 2?
Tom Hess:There has been some talk about doing a small European tour. It is too
early to go into details about this now because nothing has been confirmed
yet, but it is very possible that we will be offered to be the supporting
band for a much more famous guitarist (whose name I can’t discuss at this
time at the request of his management).
5. How did Hess get its distribution deal with Michael Angelo's
record company, M.A.C.E. music? And how did you guys get on Guitar Nine
records?
Tom Hess: Michael Angelo actually approached me about the M.A.C.E. deal. He had
heard our CD and told me that he liked it very much. He called me on the
telephone
and told me that he thought Mike and I are great players. I was speechless
for a long time, I wasn’t expecting such a telephone call, distribution deal
and compliment from him, after all, he is one of the greatest guitar
virtuosos of all time. Michael has been very nice to us and we will
probably be doing some concert dates with him here in the United States.
For Guitar Nine
(www.guitar9.com), I sent a copy of Opus 1 along with a
brief e-mail describing what Hess is all about to Dan M. (president of
Guitar Nine Records) and he liked us so we signed the contract the next day.
Guitar9 has been really great for us, it has dramatically increased our CD
sales, especially outside the U.S., and has led to other opportunities for
us.
6. What about Shrapnel Records or Leviathan Records? I am very
surprised that you guys have not yet been signed by one of these labels,
Hess should be signed to a label like that, if not a bigger one.
Tom Hess: George Bellas (Shrapnel recording artist) and I have discussed both of
these labels and he had encouraged me to submit a CD to these companies, but
I wanted to keep all of the rights to Opus 1, which is typically not
possible with these companies. It is standard policy at Shrapnel Records
for all their artists to surrender all of the music rights to Shrapnel’s
president, Mike Varney. George’s contract is not very attractive and he had
been trying to get out of his Shrapnel record deal. After Opus 2 is
released, we will be shopping it around in search of the right deal for us.
We didn’t send Opus 1 to any companies because we wanted to do the first one
ourselves. Even though we didn’t send it anywhere (other than Guitar9, we
did get some outside label interest, but no deal was substantial enough in
our favor to go forward. We aren’t opposed to the possibility of signing
with a label like Shrapnel, its just something that has to be pursued very
carefully in the future.
7. What happened to the drummer that played on Opus 1 and will
your new drummer and bass player change the sound of Hess on Opus 2?
Tom Hess: Chris Dowgun left the band to pursue his own music comedy project. He
has been replaced by my brother, Scott. Chris and Scott are both excellent
drummers, but their percussion styles are very different because of their
different musical backgrounds. Chris was a very versatile drummer with a
jazz background and was more of a finesse drummer. Scott grew up with
1980’s Heavy Metal and he has the power, speed and refined double bass chops
that Chris lacked. Obviously this change is going to affect the sound of
Opus 2 to some extent, Scott’s drumming style will make Opus 2 stronger and
more powerful. Having Mark in the band is also going to affect the sound,
he brings his style and Berklee education to his bass parts. Another thing
that has changed is that Mike will be using his 7 string guitars on Opus 2,
while I will continue to use my 6 string guitars (Opus 1 had no 7 string
guitars on it).
8. I understand that great guitar music (and great music in
general) is not popular in the United States. You guys are all virtuosos,
how does Hess cope with a music scene that is not very supportive of
virtuoso music?
Tom Hess: It has not been easy, but our popularity and success has been growing
steadily and we are going in the right direction. Our market is relatively
small compared to the mainstream, so we are just focusing on our target
market right now. Considering how small the guitar market is, we are doing
quite well for an independent band.
9. This question is for Scott Hess (new Hess drummer) and Mark
Carozza (new Hess bass player): What and how will you do to add to the Hess
sound on Opus 2 and other future Hess CDs?
Mark Carozza:That's a tough question for me to answer. I'm just going to give it
my best, and hope that my playing adds to the Hess sound. I've been
checking with the guys as much as possible to find out if they like what I'm
doing at practice, and I'm going to do the same when we record. I don't
have much of an ego, so if Tom or anyone else doesn't like a part that I
come up with I won't be offended if they tell me to try something else.
Scott Hess:: I would like to add more thunder to the drums. Find more creative
beats that
utilize double bass.
10. Also for Scott and Mark: What is it like playing in a band
with two guitar virtuosos? Does your playing take a secondary role to the
guitars or is it a primary instrumental playing also?
(Albums or compilations)
Scott Hess: Sometimes it takes the pressure off because most people are focused
on them. But sometimes it is the opposite because theirs a certain level of
playing that must be met. So I wouldn't say it is a secondary role, its
more like an alternate one.
Mark Carozza: I've been enjoying it a lot. It's cool to watch and listen to these
guys play their butts off. I'm definitely not the featured player, but I
don't really feel my playing takes a secondary role. I'm there to lay
something interesting down and contribute to the overall sound so that Tom
and Mike can go off over something that sounds good to them. It's easier to
improvise over something you like, and I hope I can do my part to help the
guys out.
11. How has your formal training and music college and university
experience shaped your music abilities?
Mark Carozza: It helped my technique of course, but I'm more thankful for what it
did for my ears and my taste. I'm better at hearing where phrases need to
go, and what to do to resolve or answer them. I'm also more discerning now
when I listen to music, and that translates into my playing. I'm really
hard on myself, especially when it comes to playing with Hess. I'm playing
with incredible musicians, so I need to step it up.
Tom Hess: I’ve had a lot of music training throughout the years and I am in the
debt of all of my teachers/professors for their intense and vast gift of
knowledge and inspiration. Without them, I would be years behind where I am
now. I wouldn1t have the tools to compose, improvise and play at the level
that I’m doing these things.
12. Will Hess always remain an instrumental band or will you guys
add a singer to your lineup in the future?
Tom Hess:
A difficult question to answer. In general, I’m perfectly content
with writing instrumental music. I don’t like most singers that are out
there, but I do really love some of them. I would be open to the idea of a
singer if we could find an absolutely great, great singer. We are not
actively looking for one, but if the right person contacted us with his/her
genuine interest in mind, we would give it serious consideration. This
subject has recently come up among ourselves, but at this time, no plans to
seek out a singer are in our immediate future. If we did find a great
singer that we wanted to work with, its possible that the Hess band could
split into two separate bands: Hess may remain an instrumental band while a
new band name would be created for the vocal band. Of coarse this is all
just speculation at this point.
13. The Hess sound is very different from the other bands that are
out there, does Hess consider to change the style or direction of it’s
music?
Mike Walsh:
The band feels like we found our sound, and change would be not
necessary anymore. We have already changed our sound from years ago, this
is way more to our liking and playing.
Tom Hess: Its impossible to predict what will happen in 5, 10, or 15 years, but
in general I am very happy with the Hess sound stylistically and I don’t see
any fundamental changes happening, I’m always seeking new ways to achieve
the same result though and I want to take the sound further in the
directions that we are going.
14. Why did you title your CDs Opus 1 and Opus 2? Why not use a
word or phrase title instead?
Tom Hess: There was more than one reason. A title gives the listener a
preconceived idea about what they can expect to hear with regards to style.
Often times, even a good or accurate title is misinterpreted and leads to
false, incomplete or inaccurate expectations. Removing the titles of all 12
tracks on the CD was considered prior to releasing Opus 1, but it was later
decided to keep those original word or phrase titles. Using Opus numbers
keeps things closer to the 19th century tradition (my favorite musical
period).
15. I have read your influences on your web site. Who, if anyone do
you listen to now for pleasure or inspiration or influence?
Tom Hess: : I still listen to a lot of the same music as I have for the last few
years. As far as newer players or bands, Mike got me into Alice in Chains
and I like them. Others include Symphony X and Vitalij Kuprij. I like
Mike’s (Walsh) guitar style a lot and some of his phrasing ideas have found
their way into my playing recently. Mike and I are still very different
players but I think that its natural to be influenced by the people who you
have played with for years.
Scott Hess: : Static-X, Iron Maiden, Metallica respectively.
Mark Carozza: : A couple of bands I've been listening to a lot lately are Stretch Arm
Strong and Jimmy Eat World. They're styles aren't even remotely close to
Hess, but I like to listen to a bit of everything.
Mike Walsh: : For me, I really do not try to listen to players as motivation or
influence of who is out there doing something I would like to sound like.
Right now, I do not listen to much and really listen to more radio only
because my car does not have a cd player.
16. Why does each of you play music?
Mark Carozza: Because I love it. I couldn't imagine my life with out music. It's
been a huge part of my life for over ten years, and I can't begin to explain
how much it's done for me.
Tom Hess: For the same reasons why someone would write in a diary or journal.
For self expression,
self preservation, self understanding. Its a very selfish thing actually.
At times, it can be a sort of secretly coded set of messages to someone or
something else.
Scott Hess: Because it is such a poetic way of releasing your emotions.
Mike Walsh: I decided a long time ago that this is what was making me happy. It
can be confusing in high school what you want to do with yourself, but when
you spend all your free time playing and listening, you get a good idea of
what drives you as a person and what will be fulfilling and
challenging throughout your life. So, I decided to go to college to learn
more about it to become more aware of myself and what was possible as a
player.
17. Why does each of you play in the Hess band?
Tom Hess:
This band gives me the freedom to express myself freely in 3 different
styles at the same time. If I would not be a part of the this band, I would
have to find three separate bands in three different styles to satisfy
myself. I am only able to do exactly what I want to do in the Hess band.
I’m very proud and honored to play with my brother, Mike and Mark, they are
all great players who I have a ton of respect for and its fun to play with
them.
Mark Carozza:
My main reason is for the fun of it, but it's also a good way
for me
to improve my playing. The tunes on Opus 1 are challenging, and Opus 2 is
going to be even tougher. I'm really looking forward to playing on it.
Mike Walsh:
Tom and I have known each other now for about 6 years. He was and is
the most impressive player and writer out there. When I joined the band,
the tunes were not that mature and did not reflect his or the bands ability..
So, I would like to think that with my joining of the band I had some
influence of moving into the new direction and pushing Tom to challenge
himself and me in writing only the best he can. I liked the fact that the
band was willing to listen to me and that it was improving throughout the
years. The new stuff is even better and Tom will someday be looked on as
the Mozart of the 3 coolest styles, Classical, Romantic, and Progressive.
Oh, one more reason, I really like writing solo's over his tunes.
Scott Hess: I love the music and I feel there is great potential.
18. If you could jam with anyone else who would it be?
Mike Walsh: Without a doubt, STEVE VAI. The guy is the most diverse soloist
ever. He can do it all and I would love to get embarrassed in a jam session
with him.
Mark Carozza: I'd have to say John Petrucci. He's got great chops, and he
plays
with a lot of feeling. That's a combination you don't hear very often.
It's usually one or the other.
Scott Hess: Either Static-X or Iron Maiden.
Tom Hess: Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849). If you are taking only about people who
are still alive then I would have to say, Andy LaRoque (from the King
Diamond band), next would be Jason Becker or Marty Friedman (back at the end
of the 1980’s). (I would have included George Bellas to the list, but I have
already jammed with George many times.)
Homepage Url: http://hess.4t.com
Other websites you can be found on: Opus 1 has been featured and reviewed in lots of places, but these are the sites that sell the cd:
www.guitar9.com
www.cdbaby.com
www.angelo.com
www.cdstreet.com
Contact email address: hess@mc.net
Peace to all of you.
~Tom Hess~
