Conducted By Karla Ash
If he should become famous, singer/songwriter Edward Heppenstall
would have one of the most difficult to spell - if not pronounce
- last names in rock & roll. But that's only adds to his
uniqueness. No, don't get me wrong; Heppenstall is not some sort
of musical iconoclast. It's just that nobody is really doing
that mid-'80s styled Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) anymore. Maybe
Heppenstall is not conscious of it, that his record sounds like
it was 20 years old without feeling dated at all. His voice,
masculine and raspy, can certainly fit in with today's non-quirky
male solo artists. Let us invade the mind of the man called Heppenstall
- what exactly is in there?
Karla Ash: Your album is enveloped by pretty enigmatic
pictures of yourself, but then you open up the CD booklet, revealing
you with a goofy smirk. How would you describe your sense of
humor?
Edward Heppenstall: My sense of humor depends greatly on where
I am, or who I am with. That said the "goofy smirk"
photo represents me more so than the other photos.
Ash: The album is under your name; however, it doesn't
sound like a "solo project," if you know what I mean.
Where did you find the other musicians on this record and will
you be continuing on them in future records?
Heppenstall: I do know what you mean and I agree. This project
was truly collaborative. It began as a handful of songs that
I had been working on. Frustrated with my own poor attempts at
recording the material I went looking for an engineer/producer
to help.
I originally met producer/guitar player Henning Pauly at a local
music store. He and I were both customers, but he knew infinitely
more about a piece of equipment that I was looking at than the
salesman did. A month later I was at his studio recording. Henning
and I reworked most of the songs that I had and started from
scratch with some additional material. Aside from the drums and
bass solos, Henning and I play most of what you hear on the record.
Most of the bass tracks, keys, and all guitar solos are Henning.
He and I split rhythm guitar duties. I would do another record
with Henning in a heart beat.
Ash: Interpret the lyrics to "The Parts That Hate
Me."
Heppenstall: The song "Parts That Hate Me" is a
conversation with oneself about fighting your own demons and
mistakes. Not necessarily winning or losing.
Ash: Were you in groups before? If so, briefly describe
the experiences that you had.
Heppenstall: Yes I was in groups before. I was primarily a
bass player and back-up vocalist. I grew very tired of other
group members flaking out of rehearsals or other responsibilities.
However, I loved being in a band. There are only a few things
better in life for me than a handful of individuals getting together
and creating music.
Ash: The words on the album seem to come from deep within
you. Would you describe yourself as an introspective person?
Heppenstall: Yes, to a fault.
Visit Edward Heppenstall at: http://www.edwardheppenstall.com
