KJ: When and how did you first get into guitar?
IAH: When I was about twelve. I hate to admit it now, but I used to watch the Monkey's TV show and consequently bugged my mom until she set me up with lessons. Why the Monkeys, I really don't know? I was very young and apparently they got through to me, I'd heard the Beatles and the Stones, but didn't really get what they were about. What is really funny, is that they weren't even a real band, though at the time I did not know this.

KJ: Who were your earliest favorite bands, musicians, guitar players? [any reasons, stories...]
IAH: Well I quickly outgrew the Monkey's phase thank God! I do remember getting into Grand Funk Railroad for a while. I think a lot of my early influences as a teenager were a result of going to these weekly dances at the local community center. They would import out of town bands to play, who were pretty aware of what was going on musically. As a result I exposed and exposed to bands like Humble Pie, Bloodwyn Pig, Ten Years After, etc. Around the same time, I was also getting into the blues as well as blues rock type stuff. Traditional players such as all the different 'Kings', Muddy Waters, Chicago blues ala Michael Bloomfield.

I was completely was absorbed with the 'Super Session' Album, in fact it's still one of my favorites. Johnny Winter was some else I got into. Next was the British Rock Blues Invasion. John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck and the New York band Mountain. So you can see I was gravitating towards the heavier, bluesy, bands. The next turning point was Deep Purple. I first heard "In Rock", and was a little unsure of what to think. It was a bit strange to me, I thought the vocals were just odd. Eventually, I think about the time "Fireball" came out, I became a complete Purple junkie. I would learn the guitar solos note for note for the entire album. Keep in mind, that this was before they had transcriptions of solos available! I was pretty much into this mode right up until, I believe the second Rainbow album came out "Rainbow Rising". I was also starting to become aware of the complexities of jazz , and I wanted to expand as a player. I guess I felt at this point, as much as I admired his style, that I'd learned as much as I could from Blackmore. This is when I moved to Boston, started attending Berklee, and getting more into Jazz.

KJ: What were your earliest bands like? Covers? [If so, of what?] Any early recordings?
IAH: Basically, my earliest bands were modeled after some of the bands I used to see play at the community center, that I previously mentioned. Some of my very first bands were three piece, with the bass player and myself handling all the vocals. We played Humble Pie, Bloodwyn Big, Savoy Brown, Mountain, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Wishbone Ash, etc, plus originals. As far as recordings, I do remember for a High School 'independent study project' in my sophomore year, recording several of our originals. We basically did it live in the High School auditorium on a 1/4" tape machine. I think I still have the tape somewhere, though I don't know if I'd care to really hear it now, but at least we were trying to do something creative and working towards that end.

Right after High School, I moved to another town to start a band with this great drummer I had met. I also dragged along a couple of the guys, and with the addition of a couple of other guys from yet another town formed a band. At this point we were very much into progressive rock ala ELP as well as Purple and ZZ Top. Quite a combination! At this point we were pretty much playing statewide. Anyway, we approached a local booking agent for gigs; who in turn offered us a spec deal in their 24-track studio. Unfortunately, the project was never completely finished, so we never got copy of what we did, and the Production Company being on a tight budget, to the best of my knowledge, reused the original 2" tapes. Those would of been nice to have, just for the nostalgia. I do have some of the songs on a tape that we recorded live in the drummers basement, but I also know that some our best material is not on it... oh well!

KJ: You got into Jazz at school? Are you still a jazz fan? And how/why did you get back into rock n roll after that?
IAH: Yes, I still really appreciate and enjoy listening to Jazz. At this point not so much the playing of it, but listening to it. I find it can be very soothing. Unless of course we start talking about Coltrane's later experimental stuff, which can start to sound more like just a bunch of 'Squawks' and noises. But piano trios, such as Bill Evans, I just find very timeless to listen to. I basically got back into rock and roll, because I started to realize that I missed it. I'd been to the edge so to speak, and saw what was on the other side. At least I knew what Jazz was about and where it was coming from, but it wasn't in my blood, my roots, or in my soul. In a technical sense I could play it, but to a real jazz artist this would merely be the vocabulary, the means to an end, but not the essence of it to say something, make an artistic statement.

To become a real jazz player I realized that I was going to have to dedicate my life to it. So I suppose, I was at the crossroad. Did I really love jazz that much to dedicate myself to it, or was my interest in it more for the challenge of it. Did it really speak to me emotionally the way that 'heavy rock and roll and blues' did. I also did not want to be a 'jack of all trades, master of none,' so why not master and follow what was musically in my heart. Who knows[!?], if I'd pursued the jazz I may have turned out like Pat Metheny, who had just started teaching at Berklee at this time.

KJ: What sort of stuff did you do prior to landing in LA? [err, why LA?]
IAH: After Berklee, I moved to New York City and focused on only playing, writing, and recording my own material. We had gotten some interest, one of which was with one of the owners of the Power Station, who had offered us a spec deal. Aside from being one of 'The' top studios in New York at the time, unbeknownst to me at the time, Jon Bon Jovi was working there doing whatever. Unfortunately, we didn't follow through as our vocalist at the time was having a serious substance abuse problem and proving to be most unreliable. With the pressure of a failing marriage, I eventually moved out to Sacramento, CA. I had an old High School friend who had been there for a while and was getting pretty well established. It also seemed to be a very ripe musical environment at the time.

He had been the original vocalist in the band "Steele Breeze" as well as in Jeff Watson's band before 'Night Ranger'. Eric Martin now of Mr. Big was also working around the area with his band, so there was a lot going on in that area at that time. I came out, and we put together a cover band playing all the popular current rock material and were working all over the Northern Cal circuit. We did manage to write some original material, and tracked several tunes with Ian Samwell, a British producer, who managed to get the band Bourgeois Tagg a deal with Island Records. We attracted some interest, but the vocalist had flown the coupe. Knowbody knew what had become of him and unfortunately at the time we were dependent on the band for our livelihood. A very good hustler, this guy always seemed to have a knack for bringing in an dubious outside element, some questionable characters to say the least. This almost resulted in the drummer and myself getting 'knocked off.' Having pulled a similar stunt to, lets just call him, an "investor," whom being very unhappy at not being able to locate this guy, sent his people around to where the drummer and I were staying to take care of business.

That was a scary night! Anyway through the grapevine it was learned that this guy had hooked up with some other "investors" in Vegas, and was putting something else together without us and apparently on the strength of the tape we had done. Gigs had to be canceled and without an income, and not wanting to stay any more in Sacramento, things had to be re-evaluated. I had met one person that was moving to LA to go to Musician's Institute. I didn't really want to go to another music school, but it was a vehicle to get me out of the situation, as the grant and student loan money would help me get set up in LA. And, who knows, perhaps after a year there... I might be able to score a teaching gig, which I did. I had been in LA before, and never was crazy about it, as I have much more of an east coast mentality. So why LA this time? Well I didn't feel ready to go back east, so at the time, it seemed the best means to and end

KJ: What can you tell me about you associations/work with the following>> Bobby Kimball, Jeff Pocarao, Keith Emerson, Paul Shortino, Ray Gillen, Tim Bogart, JL Turner [anything other than Stuart Smith?] Glenn Hughes, [other than Stuart Smith!?] Doame Perry?
IAH: Not to make things seem more than the are, most of my association with these people was either jamming with, sitting in with or they sitting in with me. For instance Glenn Hughes, would come with Stuart to a gig I was doing and sit in. Or at a get together at Stuart's drummer Ritchie Onori's, Joe Lynn Turner, Stuart, and myself would managed to do some jamming together. Jeff Porcaro. I met when I was at student at MI and had the privilege of jamming with and then later going out to lunch together. It's funny because his dad - Joe, taught there at the school and the Porcaro family had at one time lived in the hometown where I had grown up.

Bobby Kimball I got to know through drummer Jimmy Griego, with whom I had worked a lot, and was now working with Bobby. I came very close to being in the band a couple of times. The first time I was supposed to try out, I had learned all the material and was waiting for Bobby to say when. Nobody had any idea when he would set up the auditions, or if at all. During this waiting period, I suddenly came down with this incredible fever that lasted for almost two weeks, and I rarely get sick. When Bobby finally did call, he wanted me to come down that evening. I couldn't even lift my head up, let along pick up a guitar, play or sing. Not wanting to wait, he hired someone else. The other time, it was more of a political issue and band member politics.

The - "I got the biggest stick, so where going to check out my guy!" type of thing. It's funny though, because I did manage to get Jim Austin the keyboardist into the band. Consequently, I've sat in with them a number of times. Actually, now that I think about it, I also got drummer Richie Onori into the band after Jimmy left! Hey guys, how about returning the favor!? Incidentally, Bobby came very close to doing a guest track on this CD. There were financial considerations as well as logistic problems due to him living in Louisiana, plus as much as I loved his voice, I wasn't sure if he would blend stylistically with the other vocalist that I had. Emerson, I jammed with at parties, rehearsals, sound checks and played an encore with when he was working with Stuart Smith in the band they had called "Aliens of Extraordinary Ability." He also sat in with us at the Baked Potato, when I was working with Paul Shortino. Ray Gillan, just before he died, showed up at one a gig I was doing and asked to sit in with us.

The other guys in the band had no clue who he was and weren't particularly interested. I'd met Ray a number of times before, so we were familiar with each other. Obviously, I insisted that we let him join us. In regards to Tim Bogart and Doame Perry, drummer with Jethro Tull, we did some seminars and concerts together at MI back when I was teaching there. Paul Shortino and I actually had a band together and played around LA quite a bit, one of these of which Emerson, as I've previously mentioned, joined us.

KJ: How did you get involved with Stuart Smith? You're only credited with 1[?] track on Stuart's album "Road to Melnibone'] - what can you tell me about your involvement on this track?
IAH: I first met Stuart at these jams in the San Fernado Valley that Paul Shortino was hosting. We eventually got to be good friends, and when he started his Heaven and Earth CD, he wanted to get me involved and help me get some exposure. He had an instrumental that he was working on, which he wanted to call "Road to Melnibone". It was a very nice moody piece, which I love. Stuart had this beautiful haunting melody and asked me to see what I could come up with. Apparently the idea of this song was based around a series of books. I borrowed one of the books and read it so I would have a better overall vibe. After reading the book, I came up with some additional ideas, some of which were used to finish the song. When we recorded it Stuart and I traded off on the melody and solos. Howard Leese was producing /engineering this part, so it was a very cool vibe between the three of us. I feel we came up with a great piece of music. Would love to do it again.

KJ: Have you done anything else with Stuart? Any plans in the future?
IAH: In the band that I had with Paul Shortino, we had it set up so that Stuart could come in and do some of his material. It worked pretty well as it gave us a break and gave him a chance to promote what he was doing. As far as future stuff, not as of yet, but one never knows.

KJ: When did you get the idea/plan to do a solo album? What is the time-frame of it's writing and recording?
IAH: The idea of the CD was born out of frustration with the band members that I was working with and also an apathetic and indifferent A&R community. The problem with the band members was with the limited clout I had and limited resources, it was very hard to get the players I really thought would do the band or music justice, at the same time I was getting very little encouragement from the labels. Basically they keep beating around the bush, saying stuff like, they weren't sold on the singer or something or other. As a result, feeling I was banging my head against the wall with them by doing live showcases, I decided to dedicate it to a recording project. At least in this way I could get players that I thought would compliment what I was doing, to at least commit to the studio.

As far as the time-frame, you must keep in mind that this was done in different stages and times. The older tracks were written and recorded around ten years ago when I was playing around LA with my band Outcaste. I had initially finished these songs up as an EP cassette and was basically using it as a demo, more as a means to an end than anything else. For the next phase, several years ago, I re-entered the studio with some current material that I had just finished writing. After the basic tracks were recorded there were set backs as far as finishing up the over-dubs and finding some one to actually do the mixes. Keep in mind now that I had been sending tapes off to Japan since phase one, where I had been receiving expressed interest. With this next set of tunes finished, I again sent them off to Japan, this time they replied back saying that they were interested in a deal. I was concerned about releasing some of the older stuff, and offered them the more recent material, to which they responded that they wanted to include all of it. Long story short, it helped me decide what to do with the older material. The next step was to configure it in a way that it all worked together, flowed and was cohesive as a whole. Realistically, it should be two separate CDs, which I've debated, but I've had great response on all of it.

Some people like certain aspects of it, such as the heavier more high tech stuff, while others are draw to the moody, bluesier material. Myself, I enjoyed all of it. I feel a song should stand on its own merits regardless of when it was written. So due to financial and time issues, I have to decided to have the re-release include what was released in Japan, with the exception of one song which is a Japanese bonus track. It will also be repackaged with new artwork.

KJ: You wrote all the tracks on your album-what can you tell me about the writing? When these came about? Are any from previous bands? Any inspirations?
IAH: Actually, I didn't write everything, though I was the primary writer. "Distant Memories" was co-written with Jim Viger - the original singer in Steel Breeze, and "Hold On" had some writing contributions by Jennifer James, a vocalist that I had worked with. I believe she helped with some of the lyrics as well as helping out with the bridge. Jimmy Griego even though was only credited for "Steeple Chase", does have to get recognition and credit for really contributing to some of the arrangements, especially intros and endings. I know that this is sort of a gray area in regards to writing credits, and Jimmy probably would not agree with me, but in almost all of these situations the basic song had already been written. So my take on it is, even thought changing an arrangement might enhance a song, it does not necessarily imply that someone has made it a different song.

Unless there are significant differences from the original version, it is not writing but arranging. If on the other hand a song was conceived and put together as a group effort or a vital musical part was added by somebody that makes the song tangibly different and could be considered a integral part, than I would consider this shared writing. With that having been said, these songs were written at different times and mentally in different places. A lot of these songs were written in my band Outcaste, which was the precursor for this CD. Some of the material, such as the instrumental stuff was written at the time we were in the studio recording. I've always been writing, but there is only so far back that I like to draw upon, as I prefer to have the material somewhat more reflective of where I am currently at. Some of the material on this CD I might not have chosen to include, as I felt it may be a bit dated or not current, but AVEX, the Japanese label, wanted to use all the material that I had presented to them. As far as inspiration, essentially I write what I feel and want to express, and lyrically what I know and relate to.

KJ: You also borrowed the James Bond theme songs. Where did this idea come from? I take it you're a Bond fan?
IAH: Well our opening number for the live show was "License to Kill", which is a very high energy tune. I thought that it would be very cool to start with something more moody and slow, and then break into the up tempo opening tune. The James Bond Theme just seemed very apropos, as it was moody and haunting, and also opens up a place for me to improvise in a very free form approach. Plus License to Kill lyrically was about a James Bond type character. I re-used the 'Bond Theme' as an intro to "No Stranger", which I thought not only sounded cool, but also thought would tie the CD together with a re-occurring theme.

You do not know what I had to go through to get permission to use limited amount of this music, about 40 seconds, in a free form style no less, for and over an hour's worth of otherwise original material. Let's just say, it almost ended up on the cutting room floor. As far as being a Bond fan, no not really. I enjoyed the first movies as a kid, and will watch the new ones as they come out, but it was more that I thought the music would complement what I was doing. The theme music is great, and really sets up a mood with the haunting minor/major tonalities that Monty Norman used. It also reminded me a lot of the way I like to play with different modes and textures. I quite often will play with different tonalities at the same time, such as using a major seventh interval over a minor chord to build tension and than resolving to a minor seventh interval to create release.

KJ: "Fallen Angel" has a good cross-section of blues-rock, classic rock with a bit of commercial appeal, fusion-instrumentals. Did you have a vision of how you wanted the album to sound? And what sort of rock fans would you recommend this to?
IAH: I always try to have some sort of vision or concept as to what I want my end result to be. The challenge on this CD, again was from the perspective of evolving as a writing and trying to make it all work together and sound cohesive. So in answer to how I wanted to the album to sound, originally I was looking for a very intense dark in your face no nonsense hard rock. As it progressed, I was looking more to understate things and sublimely just play with emotions. I also wanted to get less high tech, more bluesy and roots orientated. What I ended up with was a hybrid of the two which I hopefully have made work together. I finally ended up approaching it much as you would a movie.

Start with a very intense and strong beginning to capture your attention, which slowly eases down and then starts to builds it self up for the big finale at the end. Just when you think its over you get this reflective epilogue, which makes you sit and contemplate what you've just experienced, and perhaps put things into perspective. I don't know about you, but when I've just seen a movie that really had an effect on me, I'm ready to see it again. So by ending with something moody and reflective and opening up the same way, for me tended to compete the circle and subtly segue back to the beginning, if you wanted to experience it all over again. I've worked very hard at incorporating a lot of elements into this, everything from high energy technical stuff, dark, grungy, bluesy riffs and atmospheric moody pieces, with a taste of some fusion-istic solos, while still trying to retain my own identity. So I would recommend it for all and let them make their own call. I would definitely call it dark, heavy with a bluesy edge, moody, atmospheric but still melodic.

KJ: What can you tell me about the singers you used on your album>>Mike Stone, Paul Shortino [ex of Quit Riot]. Dante Marchi?? {Other bands they were in, worked with, how you were familiar...!]
IAH: Mike Stone, I first met doing some gigs together on the same bill but in different bands. I'd already heard him on a demo tape at MI and was blown away. He had the epitome of the whisky voice, which I love, but with power, range and control. When phase two of this project came up, and being unable to track down Dante, I called Mike in Boston to see what he was up to. As it turned out he was going to be in LA on other business so I set up studio time for when he would be here and knocked out the rest of the vocals. As far as other situations Mike has been in, let's see, Craig Goldie's band "Ritual". This was right after Craig was on his own after being in DIO.

I also know he did some vocal tracks for Paul Stanley, went on the road with Peter Criss, and got a deal with Mercury with his own band "Clover". I believe that he now has his own solo album out, and that it is available on Amazon.com. Paul, I actually had been working with here in LA. We would have Stuart Smith, Howard Leese, and sometimes Glenn Hughes come down to help us out. Getting Paul involved on the CD, was a bit more of an after thought, but there was a loose, improvising and bluesy style that he had, and there was one song I felt that he could do justice to. Mike had already done a stellar performance on it, but it just felt a bit stiff ...dated, which I have to take the credit for as I asked Mike to sing it exactly the way that I had written it, which he did. So with myself not feeling objective enough, being too close to the song as the writer, I basically stood back as only the mediator and let Pat Regan take the controls.

With his the input/ guidance and my final approval we re-did "Hold On" and ended up with a much more modern version and delivery of the song. Paul has been in Rough Cutt, I remember seeing him open up for DIO in the mid '80s, he was in a version of Quiet Riot. He has just released a new CD, and recently working with former Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo. Dante I heard singing at a club in Santa Monica. I just loved his voice, and really wanted to have him do some tracks. He was a bit reluctant as he was into and considered himself an R&B singer. I managed to convince him to give it a try, and with a little bit of coaching on the parts of Joe Seta, the producer/engineer, and myself, I feel we got some great stuff out of him. Even though stylistically it was not his arena, he should be proud of what he did as it showcases him as world class in that genre as well. I'm not too sure of previous bands, but I do know that he has been involved in studio work, you can hear him at the end of the movie "Erasier". A song he did with Trevor Rabin. He's also did some work with former DIO keyboardist Claude Schnell. He does have his own band under his own name that regularly plays around LA. They essentially play R&B and funk material, but if ones in LA, I highly recommend that you check him out, you won't be disappointed.

KJ: How come you did you did not handle any vocals yourself?
IAH: Even though I can sing and hold a tune, I thought it best to bring in the big guns, the guys that really could do it justice. More importantly, this CD was not about what I could do personally, but creating the best product that I could that I had envisioned. Certainly I could sing the stuff, I did write the stuff and sang it on demos in the keys that they were in, but the point is, there were others that could do it much better, so why not enlist them.

KJ: What can you tell me about the other musicians Fallen Angel>> Jimmy Griego, Dave Sutton, Marvin Sperling...??
IAH: Jimmy has been the only cat along for the whole haul. A brilliant, creative but still very technical drummer. He can cover everything from the finesse of jazz to the drive-home feel of Bonham, but still incorporate his own stylistic trademark. Jimmy and I were in the original version of 'Outcast,' which is the band that sowed the seeds for this CD, playing many of the songs live. When I made the decision to resign this to a recording project, I most definitely wanted to keep Jimmy aboard, since I felt that his style and attitude really contributed to what I was after.

Dave Sutton, I met at MI when he was in a rhythm section I was given for this seminar I was giving there. I loved his bottom end, sound and grove, so I inlisted him to do the initial basic tracks. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, he soon got inlisted with The Rembrants, Tears for Fears and Ben Harper, so when phase two started and Dave out on the road, I had to look elsewhere. Marvin I met through a female vocalist that I knew who was using him for some gigs she was doing. I really liked the way he sounded, so got him involved in phase two of the project. After the fact, we actually ended up playing together with Paul Shortino.

KJ: Was Stuart Smith involved at all in the making on "Fallen Angel", as far as helping with ideas, suggestions, etc..?
IAH: Stuart came in after the fact after most everything was done, not that I wouldn't have minded or valued his input, but no, he really had no involvement in that regard. Where he was most valuable was in helping finalize the CD. I was between a rock and a hard place trying to get this thing to the mixing stage. He is responsible for getting Pat Regan involved to finish it up, adding whatever keyboards were needed and doing the final mixing. I can't thank him enough for stepping in and moving this forward. I'm sure when the next project gets under way it will be unlikely if he doesn't have some input in that regard. He definitely has a great melodic and commercial sense about him.

KJ: What can you tell me about some of the songs on "Fallen Angel"> any favorites, stories behind particular tracks, etc,...??
IAH: For me personally, I like Oceans of Time and Moriah. As far as any stories, during rehearsals for phase two, we were working on Tangled Web. Jimmy, the drummer, who I've already mentioned, who is always trying to change something and usually to a good end, kept wanting to speed it up. For me it was not working as the song was becoming something completely different from what I had in mind. Jimmy, I think just had this stomp groove in his head that he just wanted to play no matter what. Not wanting to sacrifice my song to appease Jimmy's interest in only playing what he wanted, I figure why not just write something new based around what he wants to do. I had him play exactly what he wanted, recorded it, went home and a couple of days latter came back with the song Steeple Chase. Of course I gave him writing credit for that one.

KJ: Where do you draw your lyrical ideas from?
IAH: Basically, I write about what I've experienced in life or what I can relate to. I have a bit of a dark nature, so I would not be into writing a happy love song. I like things that make one reflect about things, or hopefully one can identify with and/or relate to.

KJ: "Fallen Angel" is being re-issued!? Where and when is it available? What promo plans are in the works and labels you're dealing with?
IAH: If nothing else, it will be available on my web site as well as through the Artist Underground site. If I get some other distribution outlets, I will post it on the site. I do know that it is available on Amazon.com for around $35.00 dollars, basically because it is a Japanese import, not that I can imagine anyone would want to spend that much for a CD. It is also available through a European I believe German outlet www.aorheaven.com but it still is in the $25 to $30 dollar range, but if there is someone who feels that they can't wait.

You can also get free down loads on the Artist Underground site www.aumusic.com. As far as when, it should have been ready a month ago, but due to repackaging it, there have been unforeseen delays. I know people keep asking and they keep hearing me say, "it should be in a several weeks." Well if everything goes well, which it does look like as all the new artwork is now finished, I would say a month on the outside. As far as labels go, the biggies are mostly interested in what is currently in vogue, which I think we can safely say is not what I'm doing. They're also a bit scary as they could encapsulate you to the point that you could always be in debt to them. The smaller independents, that would have interest in this, the ones I've dealt with anyway, can't seem to get it together. Either they are unwilling to invest the small amount to license it, or one after starting negotiations and presenting an offer, and me countering with a few subtle amendments, apparently weren't even professional enough to get back to me. You'd think that there would be a middle ground between the majors and the small independents.

So at this point, I'm just going to put it out myself.

KJ: Are there any plans to put together a touring band [whom would it include?] and where / when will you be touring?
IAH: At this point it's a bit too early to say what's going to happen. First off most the players that were on this are now quite spread out geographically, so either I have to have the means to get them here, or hook up with them somewhere else. The other thing would to enlist some fresh blood here. There are always a number of possibilities, but unfortunately, it's usually tied to financial considerations. I think the first step would be to do some local shows here in LA, with whomever is available, and than depending on interest, work to expand it to other areas. Another possibility, would be for me to connect with some of the players where they are, such as Jimmy the drummer in Europe and get fill in players to round it out. Right now my main vocal point is to get the CD out and make it much more accessible and affordable, otherwise there is nothing to promote. From there I can focus on a putting together a live band and a strategy to market it. Perhaps, there may be enough interest to actually bring a band over somewhere. As I've always said, if you can line up the gigs, you can always put together a band. I will keep you posted as it unfolds.

KJ: How has response been to the album in Japan where it was originally issued? How has response been from various press and fans overall?
IAH Response has been very good, but I think it would be better if it had been or was promoted more. The downside was that the timing of the release was basically the same time that Japan was being hit with a recession. As far as response from press and fans overall, I've been very impressed with the positive reviews and feedback I've gotten. Now, I just need to make it more accessible.

KJ: So you have plans to record another in the future? Anything different or ideas you'd like to try?
IAH: Of course, but no immediate plans, I really would like to get some mileage out of this one. That's not to say I haven't been working on material and ideas, but I would kind of like to see where this one leads. My initial thought, depending of course on what happens with this one, I would be inclined to head in more of an instrumental direction. I find that I'm gravitating more towards moody, atmospheric pieces. I also think that they have more of a universal and timeless feel to them. You also don't have to be as concerned about being dependent on the right vocalist. I sort of like the actual guitar being the melodic voice and reference point. It definitely is more challenging as you have less to hide behind. It also will depend on what kind of overall feed back I get from people in regards to this CD.

KJ: What other projects are you currently involved in? [ie>any bands, albums...are you involved in Stuart's new album at all?]
IAH: At the present, again my main focus is working to promote this current CD. I actually spent some time this summer working on the road with some bands as a hired gun, and realized when I got back just how much momentum I had lost and just how much I didn't enjoy the music I was playing. I decided then not to waste any more time playing stuff I was not into, and to get and keep my priorities in focus and in order. That's not to say, if the right situation presented itself that I wouldn't be into it. But, first off it would have to be somebody or material I have an affinity with, and secondly hopefully adequate monetary compensation to make it worthwhile.

KJ: What sort of interests do you have outside of recording and/ or music?
IAH: One of my current interests is computer graphics. I've recently taken some courses for Photoshop, and am just amazed at what can be done with it I've always been artistic, even as a kid before I got into music, so it seems it's a nice complement to my music. I probably shouldn't say this as some people may get the wrong impression as human nature is to form stereotypes about what we do, etc, but I actually redid all the new artwork on the upcoming Fallen Angel re-release. Initially, I couldn't seem to find what I wanted for the artwork so I just did it myself, but I also found it enjoyable and fulfilling, I think diversity is a good thing, it keeps our perspectives fresh. Besides, I really feel in this day and age, we can't afford to not be computer literate.

KJ: Can you give a few of your favorite all-time albums? Bands? And guitarists?
IAH: That's a tough one. So many and so little time! Well let's start with albums. In no particular order though I will probably go chronologically and I'm sure will leave some out.
"Super Session" -Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, Steve Stills
"Trio '65"-The Bill Evans Trio
"Second Winter"-Johnny Winter
"Deep Purple in Rock"-Deep Purple
"Fireball"-Deep Purple
"Machine Head"-Deep Purple
"Who Do We Think We Are"-Deep Purple
"Rainbow-"(First Album)
"Rainbow Rising" -Rainbow
"Demons and Wizards"-Uriah Heep
"Tres Hombres"-ZZ Top
"Holy Diver"-Dio
"Last in Line"-Dio
"Blow by Blow"-Jeff Beck
"Wired"-Jeff Beck
"Guitar Shop"-Jeff Beck
"Kind a Blue"-Miles Davis
"Blue Matter"-John Scofield
"Metal Fatigue"-Alan Holdsworth
"Note for Note"-Alan Holdsworth
"Torn Down House"-Scott Henderson

As far as bands, Deep Purple, Mountain, Bad Company, ZZ Top, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Guitar players: Scott Henderson, Alan Holdsworth, John Scofield, Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, David Gilmore & Billy Gibbons I would think it only fair to include my favorite vocalist, which I am more into; Ronnie James Dio, Joe Lynn Turner, Glenn Hughes, Paul Rogers, Eric Martin, Mickey Thomas, Bobby Kimball, Steve Walsh, Tony Martin, Ian Gillan, & Ray Gillan.

KJ: You mentioned being influenced by the likes of Deep Purple, Zeppelin... are you familiar with Uriah Heep? Ever a fan, influenced by, or cross paths with them?
IAH: That's an interesting question, because I remember seeing them a number of times opening up for a number of acts and I used to play a lot of their songs in cover bands. I'm sure more details would be nice, but again you must remember, that this was in the 70s and things from than are a bit cloudy now. What I do remember, is that they were always an opener, but for who, Ten Years After, Edgar Winter, ZZ Top, Jethro Tull, I can't say. At any rate, I thought that they were a great band, who unfortunately didn't get the recognition that they deserved. "Demons and Wizards" is still a favorite of mine. Strong songs, excellent vocals and live... great showmanship. I was certainly impressed enough to start buying their albums. The only person that I've met from the band was the original keyboardist, Ken Hensley. This was at some of the NAMM shows, he was than working for St Louis Music, who distribute Washburn Guitars.