John Andre Herrmann

What gets your creative juices going?

Catching rattlesnakes. Believe it or not, it's a real rush! You really have to pay attention to detail, just like producing music.  First time out I caught a snake, it struck at me a couple of times...and they are quick... but I really respect the animals and try to stay very focused.  It's such a primitive instinct to hunt – feels great! It gets your soul back to reality.

Also turmoil in relationships sometimes gets the creative juices going, but the most important thing is to be prepared for when it does come to you. The other night I woke up and a song came to my head and I called my own phone to record the song because I didn't have a tape recorder.  You never know when something will come to you. The hope of making it big in the music world also stimulates me - it's a catalyst for working hard to be creative.

What do you like most about being a musician?

What's the worst thing about being a musician?

What does your music say to people?

What do your fans get from listening to your music?

What's the state of the music world in your opinion?

Well the Internet is a great blessing for artists - the music industry has run this business for many years, and it's a wonderful thing to be able to get your music out to the World. The Internet is great as a medium and transfer vehicle, but I think the musicians who continue to be popular are the one's that can play live - the one's that can turn on an audience and keep their attention.

Machines can mask and enhance a performers' music, but their live performances are what people really want.  Art is so much more accessible now. The cost of music has come down so that it can be distributed to anyone in the World and that has really helped the independent artists out there.

What has been your biggest musical influences?

My older brother has been a very important influence. He played drums for a drum and bugle corps called the Troopers, so there was always lots of rhythm in the house. He also introduced me to the Beatles, my all time favorite songsmiths. My father played mandolin.   The melodies and songs he played would stay with you long after the strings had stopped vibrating and the mandolin had been put to bed.  The songs about love lost or children frozen to death in the song "I traced little footprints in the snow" were hauntingly delicious melodies and stories.

What countries or cultures have influenced you the most?

I would have to say South America and Indonesia.  In Paraguay, I was in my early teens and had a motorcycle, which afforded me the luxury of taking off in any undetermined direction to explore.  I loved the countryside, it was expansive, bright and alive. Colombia for its darkness.  I witnessed death in that country and extreme poverty and wealth side by side.  Being ten years old, it was a scary and very impressionable time for me.  In Indonesia I was a teenager in high school.  It was exotic and very musical; the tropics invoke mystery and a sense of timelessness.  I am grateful to my parents for introducing me to so many countries and cultures.  I believe it is an integral part of my music.

If there were 3 people in history you could meet whom would they be and why?

I would actually rather like to meet someone from the future to see how human beings have faired and if we had learned to take care of the earth or had grown spiritually.   But I digress...

Carl Jung for his insights into the human psyche would be a very interesting man to meet.  Jesus or Buddha.  I would like to just hang out with them.  See what they do on a day to day basis.  I remember a lyric from a Kate Bush song asking "if you thought Jesus had a beautiful smile", that sums it up nicely.    Thirdly I would like to meet a family member…like a great grandfather or great great uncle for a better understanding or perhaps some insight into the who, what, when, why and where of my family.

You had success in France and Poland with the band "All Quiet" – tell us about that part of your career

All Quiet was a speed of light education into the dark elements of the world, drugs, business and greed.  The brighter side was a lesson of loyalty, working my songmanship, performing and recording.  I realized during this time that music could be a viable means of keeping body and soul alive so I'm grateful for the time spent in All Quiet.

What situations are uncomfortable for you while touring?

I enjoy touring very much..my ass on occasion gets a little uncomfortable after "butt walking" for 5 or 6 hours in the car in order to get to the next show on time.  I do feel uncomfortable just prior to performing;  its more like an anxious nervous feeling that goes away after a song or two.  I used to be quite uncomfortable with peoples' accolades and on occasion their stories but not any more.   I respect people who are comfortable enough with themselves to compliment or share a story with me. 

Is touring everything it’s cracked up to be? Yes.

So John, take us through the songs on the new CD…

 There’s a very eclectic mix of music happening on this cd...There's a love song with a not so happy ending. It's written from a third persons perspective. It's about a couple who are just great together, but the poor girl just isn't ready for the commitment but believes "one day her love will bring them back together." The young man is thinking,"I don't know if the world works that way/it might/it may."

 There’s a song about judgment, which is a questioning, longing tune of me trying to understand how people can hate one another. Why we cannot accept each other for our cultural differences . Even though it's now 2001!

 I’ve also been inspired by the NASA channel, a program dedicated to astronauts and their progress on the international space station.  I have the highest regard for these people in the space program – it enthralls me – they have the ability to see the world from way up there... “High above us all/ the astronauts they linger/they must have the perfect view /from where they’re perched they see the world in all of her wonder/they see no borderlines /no boundaries recognized and no ones fighting over religious points of view”

 There’s a song called “Am I alone” which questions some people’s behavior – child abuse, homicide, savings and loans scandals etc... I mean what does it take for someone to actually pull the trigger of a gun and kill another man? I think as our lack of respect for the earth grows so does the crime rate, there’s a definite cause and effect happening here.

 There’s a song called “Trembling” – About first experiences that we can all remember having– all the unknowns and yet you look forward to it – like a first kiss, or the first time you got on an airplane; exciting but yet a little unsure of what’s going to happen next.

 What are some other themes you have on this album?

 There’s the theme – what you plant so shall you sow. The song “I Can Tell" is a comment about what some people are willing to grow in their gardens. Some people are born to sow some pretty ugly things – taking positive things and turning them into negatives - I question what becomes of the thousands of people who get laid off because some corporate stockholders want bigger dividends at the end of every quarter. All that’s growing is greed.

Ken Nelson: A company that needs to improve its image needs to hire John to help change their viewpoints!

John: It’s a constant daily struggle to weed your garden – the critical thoughts, unkind weeds, the dishonest critters and I’ve only got a small plantation!  

“Somewhere in Adelaide” – a story about friendships and what they mean to me – it all boils down to the relationships in your life – that’s all you have really– relationships. Relationships with your music, with the earth, with your neighbor. When I was young I thought I wanted to be totally independent. Not to ever have to rely on anyone. But that’s just not possible. I need people and the gifts we give one another. A caring word in a time of struggle, some support and a helping hand. "Adelaide" is my thank you song to those friendships that have helped me through some of the tough times.

 Then there’s a playful song about everybody in my town having a CD. How everyone in my town is a musician.  It starts out by poking fun of some of these muso's who I felt weren’t quite ready to start recording CDs, but by the end of the song I come to the realization that everybody has the God given right to express themselves in whatever way they can. No matter what you create or how technically adept you are with your instrument, if you do it truthfully, honestly and openly, there will always be someone out there who will appreciate it.  It may not be my cup of tea, but on a cold winters night, a hot cup of tea is a hot cup of tea.

 This body of songs represents for me the few years that have gone by since Elephant Country and it’s nice to encapsulate them into a form of music, it's not unlike going through a photo album, and seeing how much really has gone by in the space of a few short years.

 How have you changed as a songwriter since Elephant Country or have you?

 I feel I’ve matured in terms of my playing. My sensibility to lyrics, my awareness of the never ending scope and possibilities for a specific song – the subtle differences between instruments, voicing, tonalities, the technical aspects – these are all things I’ve become more aware of.  More in tune with...As an analogy – learning to cook – most of us start with a pot of water, we throw in some spaghetti, pop open the can of tomato sauce, and after cooking a few pots of spaghetti, we become very aware of the spices (or lack of spices) that go into making a good meal. I always start out with the basic ingredients, like melodies, rhythms, lyrics but what I've become more adept at is how these aspects of a song communicate with each other.   Instead of just using salt and pepper I may elect to throw in a Chapman stick for example instead of using a regular bass.

 Another aspect of my maturity as a songwriter is my understanding that a song doesn’t have to have a structure of verse, chorus, middle eight, chorus, etc. It could be one long verse with segways into tributaries that take you down a different path, – like capillaries coming from the main artery – or the song may want to just stay as one big chorus--even though on this album I’ve kept to the song structure that most people have become accustomed. There will be a day when I will write a song the way it asks to be written, a song with no obvious verse chorus structure ...

 The number of people who appreciate your music has grown over time – what do you attribute this to?

 I believe I sing and write from a very personal space – my own experiences and vulnerabilities resonate with people who can relate to some of these common experiences.  People can hear a song and say "Yeah, I’ve been there." I’m grateful that the songs coming out of my head are leading to a pleasant listening experience for the people who have been so supportive of my music.  I also put on a pretty good live show, I entertain. I like for people to know that I'm sailing with them on this boat upon this great big sea.

 Overall, what’s the main difference between Elephant Country and the new album?

 This is a more playful album for me. I've allowed myself to break out my candy apple red electric guitar and do some solos. I'm not taking myself as seriously as I have in the past and I'm not being so concerned with the outcome. I figure if it’s coming from me and I like what I'm hearing then there will be others who will like it as well. But I haven’t strayed so far from what originally attracted listeners to me in the first place – it’s still me.  In general it's a more upbeat album.  More experimental, a richer sound texture and I've had the honor of working with some very talented musicians that have brought a wider scope to this album.

 How about you Ken, what differences have you experienced musically since playing on Elephant Country?

Ken: Artistically one difference was that Elephant Country was a first album, and I had to figure out how to fit the pieces together and how my playing style fit.  Now that we’ve played together during various live performances, I know John and feel more comfortable with this project because the personal relationship has grown, we’ve become friends.

 Have you changed the way you play music since the last album?

Ken: I generally leave a lot more space now and don’t need to fill up the space with fancy notes – I’m trying to incorporate more sensitivity – sometimes the spaces you leave mean more than the notes that you could have played. 

 What has music done for you in life?

Ken: It’s allowed me to realize that it doesn’t come to us through the same channel.  We all have our own way of thinking about it and doing it, and when you put people together to make music then it’s the same as a community.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.  Music has taught me that it’s a process, and you need to respect people’s way of getting to the music – it means different things to everyone.  Bottom line is that music is better if people do it together.   Music has taught me how to live with people by virtue of that fact.  Everything I do is filtered by music. 

 You have a very active performing schedule with different groups, how has that enhanced your feel for music?

Ken: I have to learn the style of music that the group plays – I get hired because I play a certain way, but once I learn how the style is played I incorporate that style into another group or another project.  The cumulative effect is what you hear today.

You have a strong Jazz background - what does Jazz mean to you?

Ken: The type of Jazz I play is real straight ahead Jazz – simply songs that have become standards through one means or another, but that are interpreted differently by different people, for example, how the melody is played, or how the inversions of the chords are inserted.  Another is the improvisation of how it’s played – its those things that are unique to Jazz – play the same song different times and it comes out different each time.   I use my bag of tricks, every time I reach into my bag of tricks there’s something different that comes out.  In Jazz, guys will take those chord changes with substitutions to create different voicings, every time you change one thing it changes the harmonic possibilities of the music.  If I choose to play a chord differently at that point it changes the harmonic possibilities of the whole song. 

John, if you had an unlimited amount of resources (like Neil Finn has or Sting) would you have approached the album differently?

Definitely, I would have collaborated with a producer in a very expensive tropical setting. Someone not so close to the music, with an outside perspective, but with an understanding of what I’m trying to express. Most big name musicians obviously started out by being great performers or bands, but the recording of their music became the hurtle, which is sometimes difficult to jump when you are the producer, musician, engineer and agent. Most great bands have a great producer behind their music. U2 has Steve Lilywhite and Daniel Lanois. Lillywhite has most recently worked with Dave Mathews, and Peter Gabriel.

Sting and the Police had Hugh Padgham, Tchad Blake worked with Neil Finn and Sheryl Crow, and of course the ultimate producer was George Martin who produced the Beatles. In my humble opinion, all these musicians would not have reached their level of success had it not been for the visionaries we call producers. Another difference is budget – when working on a limited budget I must utilize the talent available to me in my immediate area. I don’t have the luxury of pulling in a session musician like Tony Levin or Omar Hakim. This would make a huge difference in the quality and direction the music could take. It’s the difference between 100 hours in a home studio, as opposed to 100's of hours in a million dollar studio, with fantastic talent and even better recording gear.

But even if you throw millions of dollars at a project, the essence of the music would still be the same, but I would love to have the chance to work with one of the big boys in a studio where you sing into a microphone that costs the same amount as my entire budget did for this album.

Tape ran out…more to come later…thanks guys…