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Patrick O'Hearn
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I have attempted to over the years open myself up to as many new musical avenues as possible. Thankfully, with friends and family with many varied tastes, as well as a wonderful pool of music found here on this very site, I have been able to do just that. In fact, it was one of my family members, fellow TAPper Dw. Dunphy, that would introduce me to the wonderful instrumental music of keyboardist, bassist, film score producer, visionary Patrick O'Hearn.
It was around 1995, a time when my musical canvas consisted primarily of heavy metal bands such as Queensryche, Dream Theater and Iron Maiden, with a dash of Yes, Rush and Marillion thrown in for spice, that I had my initial taste of O'Hearn's work in his excellent 1991 release Indigo. It was not long after this that I would pick up his just released album Trust, followed by Metaphor in 1996 and beyond. Here I was, a longhaired, Sepultura t-shirt, devil horns flashing metal guy, settling down into winsome aural tapestries and deceptively simple musical passages. To say that O'Hearn's work had left a small imprint on me would be an understatement.
More than simply an idle tickling of the ivories, O'Hearn's dynamic bridged gaps in my music palette, combining keyboards, jazzy bass, Turkish drums, and more. His latest, Beautiful World, continues to strip away the superfluous and extraneous while continuing to be wholly listenable; beautiful music for a beautiful world and most certainly a candidate for a top five albums to chill out to list should I ever decide to write one.
Man, is it me or do I sound like James Lipton? Enough of this, on with the interview!
MUSICTAP: How old were you when you first starting playing music? What were some of your early influences, not just musically but in life in general?
Patrick O'Hearn: I'm told by my mother that I had a strong interest in music by age 2, playing on our piano and fooling around with rhythm instruments. My first formal training began around age 5 on piano, then moved to cello at age 7, then on to many other band and orchestra instruments in following years. I've always been more interested in the family of instruments as a composer rather than as a soloist.
MT: While I would never call your style "busy", one thing I immediately notice on Beautiful World is that it feels a lot more subtle and organic than your work in the 1990s. What has caused your style to shift in this way?
O: I have been making a conscience effort toward reductivism in my music over the past few years, trying to further distill and refine the elements, to simplify. I have also become re-enchanted with the period of "abstract expressionism" in painting, and have tried to project some of that minimalism into my music.
MT: Tell me about the writing process for Beautiful World, and for your music in general. How did the songs come to be? What inspired their creation? Do you feel this is your best work to date?
O: Pretty much same as usual, I start building ideas and songs until the collection reaches about 12 to 20 sketches. As they are further developed it becomes apparent which compositions will form a core for the album and a firm direction then takes shape. The inspiration varies, I always keep my ears, eyes and mind open. Best work to date? Well it's my most recent so it's fresh and enjoyable, but I'm afraid I'd have to make a selective compilation drawn from all my work to achieve a "best of" going back to Ancient Dreams, circa 1984.
MT: What were the reasons for leaving longtime label Private Music in the mid-90s?
O: Private Music founder, Peter Baumann, sold the label to BMG at that time, and the direction they, Private's management, wished me to proceed musically was not of interest to me, nor was my sound and direction in music any longer of interest to them.
MT: The time between So Flows the Current and Beautiful World was relatively short while there was a five-year silence between Metaphor and So Flows... What were you doing during that "time off"?
O: Time off would have been very nice, but such was not the case. I was busy with a great deal that had nothing to do with music, as well as composing and recording a lot of material that never seemed to measure up to what I was seeking at the time.
MT: What made you decide to self-release your last two albums as opposed to releasing them under the Deep Cave moniker? Do you find a greater sense of freedom gained in doing so?
O: Deep Cave went into mothballs after being hit by three prominent distributor bankruptcies between 1996-1997; shortly thereafter Deep Cave called it quits. After sitting it out several years, by 1999 I thought it was safe to enter the water and have another go, so in 2000 I formed the patrickohearn.com label to release So Flows The Current, only to have my new distributor unexpectedly collapse in bankruptcy within the album's early release. This led to a licensing deal with a label, which shall remain name-less, of my two Deep Cave titles, Trust and Metaphor as well as So Flows The Current. This deal also proved to be a waste of time and money, and only recently have I regained the legal rights to my own work from those "hosers". It's a difficult time to release music the old fashioned way.
MT: The artwork for Beautiful World was created by your children; when were those drawings from? What significance do you find in using your children's artwork for the album?
O: I have always given my children art supplies from the time they were old enough to hold a brush or pastel. I keep all or most of their work and am particularly fond on the age 2 to 5 year old period where subjective thought and judgment has yet to spoil or interfere. That's the period of [the] Beautiful World cover; 4 kids, artwork from between 1984 and 2003, brilliantly compiled and arranged by art director, Amy Hill.
MT: What initially drew you to a solo career as opposed to working within the confines of a group?
O: I worked as an ensemble player for many years with many groups, when the opportunity to emerge as a solo artist presented itself, I was well ready for the change; the idea of being self reliant was most appealing at the time.
MT: Have you ever performed your solo material in front of an audience? Where have you performed if yes? If not, would you ever consider performing live?
O: It's been a long while and I'm hoping to play out live again behind this new release. But, yes I have toured with a band performing my music, mostly west coast concerts, going no further east than Texas. Hopefully, that will change.
MT: What's currently taking up the most space in your music rotation? What are some of your most treasured albums/artists?
O: Miles Davis is my single most important musical influence. As far as listening goes, lately I've been listening to Miles' "Bitches Brew" boxed set, Jack Johnson, "Sketches Of Spain" as well as the fantastic Bill Laswell re-mix CD of "On The Corner" and "Get UP With It"... also I've been enjoying some early Weather Report, particularly "Sweet Nighter", my favorite of their recordings.
MT: You wrote two soundtracks in the early-mid 1990s. Did you find the process of writing these much different than writing an album? Have you been approached to do one since?
O: I have done about 9 feature film scores. I don't have an agent, and it's not all that easy for Filmmakers to track me down. I enjoy film composing , you have no time to second guess yourself and that's healthy for me.
MT: I recently picked up a copy of Between Two Worlds (1987) and noticed immediately a difference between it and even Indigo, the other earliest album I have by you. What, in life and in general has contributed to the evolution of your music over the last 15+ years?
O: Life itself, my friend.
MT: Thank you very much for taking time out to speak with us, Patrick, we greatly appreciate it!
And if you would like to learn more about Patrick O'Hearn's music, as well as the man himself, head on over to www.patrickohearn.com!
