HEAVEN AND EARTH – “Heaven is a place on Earth” Interview with Stuart Smith.

M.I : Give us a brief bio of the band, for younger and new fans.  Introduce the band members.

S.S : Heaven & Earth was originally formed by me back around 1994.  I had formed a band called “Midnight” with Kelly Hansen, Jay Schellen, Ray Rodriguez and a bassist called Hart Palmer.  We started rehearsing and writing together and somewhere along the way we changed the name to Heaven & Earth.  Apart from coming up with some good songs, nothing really happened with that line up although we did get offered a deal from a record company formed by John Colletta who used to manage Deep Purple.  Ultimately John didn’t get the financing for the label so our deal didn’t happen and the band sort of dissipated.  After that I formed the “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability” with Keith Emerson and Richie Onori which was really meant to be a band to go out and have some fun and get our chops together as Keith was going out with the ELP/Jethro Tull reunion tour and I was going to be the guitarist for the reformed Sweet but unfortunately Brian Connelly died so that didn’t happen.  At one of the gigs with the “Aliens” we were approached by Samsung who had opened up a label and wanted to sign us but as we had prior commitments we turned them down.  About three months later I was jamming with Teddy Andreas, (the keyboard player from Guns n Roses), and his band the “Screaming Cocktail Hour” at the Baked Potato and the A&R guys from Samsung happened to be there that night.  After hearing me play they came back to my house for a late night drink where they heard the old Heaven & Earth material and offered me a solo deal on the spot.  I signed with them and went into the studio with producer Pat Regan and recorded the debut CD which featured vocal performances by Joe Lynn Turner, Riche Sambora, Glenn Hughes and Kelly Hansen as well as many other musicians.  I licensed the rights for this album to Pony Canyon for Japan and Frontiers Records for Europe.  Frontiers did well enough with it to offer me a deal for a second album so I dropped my own name from the title, kept Heaven & Earth as a band name and recorded “Windows to the World” with Kelly Keeling from Baton Rouge singing.  We went out and toured to support this album and even started writing for a third album but it wasn’t really working out with Kelly so we decided to take a break.  Our drummer Richie Onori started work on a solo album and as some of you know I met and started writing and recording with an female singer named Doah which turned out to be a complete waste of time for myself and everyone involved. After that Richie and I decided to open our own label Black Star Records which, I think, brings us up to the present.
 
You’ve got a new EP out, an album in the pipeline and you just re-released your awesome debut.  Give us some more insight on all those projects. Was the debut OOP?  Especially tell us about the status of your forthcoming album and give us some more info about it.  Is Paul Shortino gonna be the only vocalist on that one?  Are you gonna get a permanent vocalist?
 
The EP was brought out solely to sell at a show we played to 40,000 people on July 4th here in Woodland Hills.  We had hired Paul Shortino to sing on four tracks and decided to add four more songs from the debut CD so that the people there could get an idea of what Heaven & Earth is all about.  After the show we had quite a few copies of the EP left and as there was a lot of interest from various online distribution companies like AOR Heaven, we decided to make them available to the fans as a collectors item. 

When we opened up our own label we decided to re-release the first CD with two bonus tracks, one with Bobby Kimball from Toto singing and the other with Joe Lynn Turner singing a heavier version of Gary Moore’s “Still Got The Blues.”  This release is really aimed at the U.S. market as it was never officially released over here but was available as an import.  We’ve gone full out to promote it over here including national distribution, a full time publicist, radio promoter and a major advertising campaign.  It will be for sale to fans in Europe but we will also make the bonus tracks available on iTunes, Napster, Musicmatch etc., for those who already have the CD and don’t want to buy a whole new CD to complete their collection.

The debut Heaven & Earth CD is officially now out of print.  Frontiers and Pony Canyon no longer have the right to press it and anyone who is is doing it illegally and we will come down on them hard.

As far as the next Heaven & Earth CD goes we will start recording it very soon.  We’re just incredibly busy at the moment with running the record label as we’ve also just signed Howard Leese from Heart/Paul Rodgers to record a solo album for us.  We have quite a lot of ideas for the new album and just need to find the time to get in our studio and whip them into shape.

We are no longer working with Paul Shortino and don’t intend to in the future.  We have been out and playing some shows with Kelly Hansen which have gone really well so it looks like Kelly will be the permanent vocalist for Heaven & Earth.
 
M.I : Is H&E your personal outlet/project or do you envision it as a group? I mean you dropped your name from it.
 
S.S : It started out as a solo project simply because apart from Richie Onori, I didn’t have a full band at the time I was offered the deal with Samsung but it is definitely more of a group thing now which I am much happier working with.
 
M.I : What equipment do you use? Strats I guess?
 
S.S : For my electric guitars I use the 70’s model Stratocasters with the large head stocks which I modify quite a bit.  I replace the machine heads with locking Sperzals and for the nut I use an Earvana which helps with the overall intonation.  I have the fret board scalloped which allows me more control of the actual note and I use special pick-ups designed for me by Seymour Duncan which give me the single coil sound but also have the classic Humbucker sustain.  I remove the middle pick-up as it just gets in my way and I have the three way selector switch wired so that in the middle position it’s both the neck and bridge pick-ups together although I hardly use that sound.  I also change the standard bridge with a 90’s issue one that just has the two screws to help with keeping it in tune when I use the tremolo and replace the saddles with Graphtech, “Ferraglide” saddles which also help with the tuning.  For strings I use Dean Markley Blue Steel strings.

As far a cords go, which are really important as a cheap cable will screw up your sound every time, I use something well built like Monster Cables.  I run the guitar through a Seymour Duncan Pick-Up Booster for that extra bite when playing lead solos and a Chandler Digital Echo unit which has the same sound as the old tape echo's but without all the breakdowns and I control it with a Morley Switching Pedal.

My amplifiers are exclusively Marshall.  I split the signal from the guitar and run one into an old Marshall Major which I overdrive using a Morley Jerry Donahue JD10.  The other signal I send to a red Marshall 50 Watt Lee Jackson mod which Howard Leese gave me.  Occasionally if I’m playing a small show I’ll just use a Marshall DSL 2000 50 watt.

For my acoustic guitars I use Taylor Guitars.  I have a Leo Kotke 12 String and a new Taylor Classical and again I use Dean Markley strings.

M.I : You've also set up your own company, were you not happy with Frontiers ?
 
S.S : We opened up Black Star Records as the financial distribution with most labels is very unfair towards the artist, it’s just the way things have always been and we want to change that.  We are a label run by musicians for musicians so the artist will start receiving their royalties much sooner than with a regular label.  Frontiers are a good label for what they do in Europe but once they’ve made their money back and turned a profit they don’t do too much to push the artist after that.  We intend to get our artists out touring to support their CD’s.
 
M.I : You 're a classic rock guitarist, writer and you 've managed to collaborate with some of the most prestigious names in the genre.  How do you feel, which was the most gratifying one and is there someone you'd like to play with?
 
S.S : It’s a great honor to have played and worked with some of the musicians that I’ve shared the stage and studio with.  As far as which was the most gratifying, they’ve all been a blast to work with but I would have to single out playing onstage with Ritchie Blackmore, also with Keith Emerson and of course Heaven & Earth.  I’ve pretty much played with everyone I wanted to but I’d love to jam with Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck.
 
M.I : What are your inspirations, and influences. What prompted you to become a musician. Who are are your favorite guitarists and why ?
 
S.S : I have so many inspirations and influences it would be impossible to list them all but I’d have to say Bach, Beethoven, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Cream, Robin Trower, Queen, Free, Bad Company, AC/DC, Foreigner, Humble Pie, the older blues artists and Gypsy Flamenco music.

What prompted me to become a musician?  I wanted to be a jet fighter pilot like my Father but I am red/green colour blind so when I found out that I couldn’t fly I decided to become a guitarist as it’s something that I loved and had already been doing for years.

My favorite guitarists are Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton, Paul Kossoff, Dave Gilmore, Jimmy Page, Mark Knoffler, Angus Young, Brian May, Robin Trower and Jimmy Hendrix.  I like these guitarists because in my opinion they are masters of their craft as they play with feeling and thought and to compliment the song as opposed to blazing mindlessly up and down the neck.
 
M.I : You're classically trained!  How important do you think tuition is?  There are good guitarists that are "hacks" and some trained ones, that somehow don't convey much feeling.
 
S.S : I think the proper training is very important at the beginning any craft you intend to study or make a living from.  You’ve got to know the rules before you break them.  I agree with you that there are some players who may not have the greatest technique but have a developed a sound and style that is instantly recognizable and convey incredible feeling.  Paul Kossoff from Free would be one of those.  Ritchie Blackmore taught me it’s not what you put in but what you leave out.  I feel that a big part of music is the space between the notes.
 
M.I : The debut had quite a few covers, on what basis did you choose them?
 
S.S : There are a lot of songs out there that I really enjoy playing, in fact I have a blues rock cover band on the side of Heaven & Earth whereby myself and a bunch of musicians in town get together and go and play at a pub or party just so that we can play these songs.  On the first CD I did a version of Deep Purple’s “When a Blind Man Cries” which I always thought was a beautiful song that never got the attention it deserved.  On the “Windows to the World” album we covered the Humble Pie version of “I Don’t Need No Doctor” which I just thought was an incredible rocking song.  For the re-release of the debut album we did a version of Gary Moore’s “Still Got The Blues” which although it’s not really old enough to be a classic, is a song I’ve played for years and has a lot of personal meaning to me right now.  One day I would love to record an album of my favorite songs by other people such as “Heart of the Matter” by Don Henley, “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart and an acoustic version of “I Surrender” by Rainbow.
 
M.I : What do you think about the current state of the music scene and where do H&E fit in it ?
 
S.S : Music out here in America seems to be in a state of change right now which I hope is a good thing.  I feel people are getting tired of the same old thing like rap music and the alternative sound and are looking for some new well played guitar driven rock and roll.  A lot of the problem has been the Classic Rock radio stations out here who play the same tired old songs and refuse to add anything new to their playlists and there is a lot of good new “Classic Rock” sounding material out there.  Now with the advent of Satellite Radio they’re either going to have to get with the program or go the way of the dinosaurs.  With our new record label “Black Star Records” we hope to start bringing out some good music they can’t ignore.
 
M.I : Can you be antagonistic to the more established major player that gets lots of airplay ?
 
S.S : I’m not sure I understand this question but if you mean should I shut up and not say anything when no talent rubbish like Ashlee Simpson gets major press and T.V. coverage simply for no other reason than the fact that she has a famous sister then, yes!!
 
M.I : I read your statements on the site. Are you a political person ? There have been some songs scattered on the 2 albums that sort of touched some social and political issues.
 
S.S : I generally don’t speak out about political issues but I felt at the time, and still do, that George Bush is a bad choice for President.  If I feel strongly about something I tend to speak about it through my music but in this case I made an exception.

M.I : What do you think about the current state of affairs
 
S.S : I think the world is in a big mess right now, we’re in a war that we should not be in.  We’re not in it for the right reasons and we’re in it without the support of the rest of the world.  This government has managed to alienate most of the allies we have.  When we went into Afghanistan after the attack on 9/11 we had a reason and we had the support of the whole world.  When we invaded Iraq there was no provocation from Saddam Hussein or the Iraqi people.  If the U.S. government wanted him out of power so badly, the time to oust him was during the Gulf War when he invaded Kuwait and gave us a reason but George Bush Sr. dropped the ball on that one.  My feeling is that we’re in a situation right now which could easily become the next Vietnam or escalate into a world war. 

As far as the entertainment scene goes it’s just as big a mess.  People are being signed to movie and record deals because they are related someone famous or have gained a certain notoriety in a different field and have a high visibility but no talent.  Hence we get stuck having to watch and listen to complete rubbish and this reality show thing has got completely out of control.
 
M.I : What do you think about the internet as a way of promoting your music and what are your views on file sharing/the MP3 issue.
 
S.S : I’ve always thought the internet was a great way to promote music, I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.  The file sharing/MP3 issue is one I certainly feel is getting better with advent of iTunes and Napster going legal.
 
M.I : Which was your finest and your darkest hour?
 
S.S : As with anything in life there’s always highs and lows, I just think that as an artist in this business you experience higher highs and lower lows.  The last two years have had some great moments and some darker ones.  The year before last was certainly one of my darkest yet and I really wondered if I was going to be able to carry on but this last year on a career level has been incredible for me. 
 
M.I : Where do you see your self 10 years from now?
 
S.S : 10 years older I would think.  I hope to still be playing the music I love and to have Black Star Records as a well established label.
 
M.I : Are there plans for a tour once the album is out?
 
S.S : Yes, we are working on that right now.  We hope to get out on some kind of tour of the States in the new year to support the new release and also have the next Heaven & Earth album out.
 
M.I : Are there plans for a DVD?
 
S.S : Again this is something that is in the works.  There is a lot of studio and live footage from when we recorded the first album laying around and when we get some time we’ll put it all together and bring out a “Making of Heaven & Earth” DVD.
 
M.I : Is there anything you 'd like to add?
 
S.S : Thank you for sending me some interesting questions, I had fun answering them. 
 
M.I : Salute our readers.

S.S : Thank you for all your support and we hope to see you all in the new year.  Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

By Demetrius “Rockavlon” Fatouros