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TILES Interview
with Chris Herin of TILES
ROCKNATION ISSUE 23
Hello Chris Herin of TILES and welcome to Rocknation . Please tell us about your “ Off the Floor 02 ” release and how it came about . “ Off the Floor 02 ” is a live album we released in 2014 and is the second volume of live songs we recorded to celebrate our 20th anniversary – and also bridge the growing gap between studio albums . But rather than set up recording gear in a club we invited a small group of fans to join us at a soundstage . This gave us a controlled environment where we could focus on the musicand take our time engineering the recordingswithout worrying about show preparation or juggling performance logistics . The first volume , “ Off the Floor 01 ” was released in 2012 . Overall , we selected songs we typically played in our live sets over the years and tried to represent the highlights from each of our albums . Everything was recorded over three separate sessions and we divided the songs up knowing we would release two separate albums . Admittedly , there was a bit less pressure than a typical performance , but it ’ s all live – there ’ s no overdubbing . We did , however , do a few of the songsover again if we felt the first run-through could be improved . The first pressing of “ Off the Floor 02 ” is actually a limited edition double album that includes a second disc of live tunes from our appearance at the “ Rites of Spring Festival ” in 2005 . We chose songs that weren ’ t already included on “ Off the Floor 01 ” or “ Off the Floor 02 ” so there are no repeats . The bonus disc has the only recording of the 17-minute song “ Window Dressing ” – which we actually only performed twice . So it ’ s lucky we have a multi-track recording of that show ( although we only mixed about 35-minutes ofit for the bonus disc ). We also included two videos from the “ Off the Floor ” sessions .
You have worked with famed producer Terry Brown ( Rush , Dream Theater , Fates Warning ) again on this album . How has that helped the band over the years ? Certainly , Terry ’ s pedigree and name recognition have helped bring attention to Tiles and his connections have opened some doors for us . The most obvious example is introducing Alex Lifeson ( Rush ) to our music and facilitating his guest appearance on our “ Fly Paper ” album . Also Terry brought artist Hugh Syme on board for “ Presents of Mind ” and we ’ ve worked with Hugh ever since . Certainly there have been many other situations where Terry ’ s name has lent a bit of extra credibility to the band as we communicate with other people in the industry . Of course , the most important reason we continue working with Terry is because of what he contributes to our songs and albums as producer and engineer . We ’ ve developed a great working relationship and can trust him to always do what ’ s best for the song , whether it ’ s getting the best performances in the studio , building arrangements , or working on song structures during pre-production . It ’ s always a sensitive issue having someone critique and suggest changes to songs , but having outside and objective input makes the music better . However , it is much easier relinquishing some control to someone of Terry ’ s caliber ! For a band like Tiles it ’ s important to work with someone like Terry who brings a wealth of experience and technical expertise yet isn ’ t influenced by passing fads that aren ’ t “ musical ”. We want our music to have variety and dynamic range . So many albums these days have over-compressed fake sounding drums – like you ’ re slapping your hand on a pillow . Or a huge wall of guitars that are too distorted and indistinct . Nowadays the kick drum is the loudest instrument and practically drowning out everything else . Too many bands have the same sound and their albums lack character . Although Terry ( and we ) knows we need to keep up with the times , we are unwilling to follow these trends ; but some people do criticize us for this approach …
“ Off the Floor 02 ” was nominated for a 2015 Detroit Music Award . How rewarding was that accomplishment ? It ’ s certainly nice to get recognition from our musical peers in our hometown . We ’ ve always enjoyed generous support from the Detroit music scene and have had a few other albums get nominated : “ Presents of Mind ,” “ Window Dressing ” and “ Fly Paper ”.
If you had to tell someone what your band sounded like , what bandswould you mention ? Musically we seem to exist in a grey area between progressive hard rock and melodic rock with some metal tendencies thrown in . The easiest reference has always been Rush , or maybe Dream Theater or Porcupine Tree ; but obviously we don ’ t sound exactly like these bands – nor do we want to ! We try to keep an open mind about experimenting and trying new approaches to composition and arranging . All of us have a wide range of musical interests and we ’ re willing to try almost anything in hopes of finding something new and interesting . We all listen to jazz , classical and a variety of rock , pop and metal bands and this diversity finds its way into our music , at least to some extent . Some of my main influences are Jethro Tull , Elton John , Kansas , lots of jazz and classical music , Joe Walsh , Rush , Blue Oyster Cult , Radiohead , etc … Some newer bands I find inspirational are Haken , Leprous and Burnt Belief . Drummer Mark Evans is influenced by ELP , Buddy Rich & other jazz drummers , Yes , Led Zeppelin , Rush … Bassist Jeff Whittle ’ s influences come from Iron Maiden , Metallica , Yes , Frank Zappa , King Crimson , Dream Theater … and vocalist Paul Rarick ’ s are Judas Priest , Iron Maiden , Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , Queensryche and Alice in Chains . It ’ s interesting how all of us have significant jazz influences – which I think comes through in the feel of our music and our approach .
You just released ‘ Pretending 2 Run ’ in April 2016 . How has the response been from the press and fans so far ? So far , feedback is very good – thankfully ! The reviews and enthusiasm for “ Pretending 2 Run ” have been overwhelmingly positive in both the US and Europe . We are getting quite a bit of internet airplay and also seeing “ Pretending 2 Run ” in a lot of “ Top 20 ” lists in magazines and websites – including a number of “ picks-of-the-month ”. So we can definitely feel a groundswell of positive momentum .
What plans do you have for 2016 ? Promoting “ Pretending 2 Run ” as much as possible ! We need to keep getting the word out and cultivating interest in the album . We ’ re actually finishing up a week of Midwest and Northeast shows to coincide with the CD ’ s release and are planning additional touring in the US and Europe .
Thank you for taking time for this interview and last words to the fans ? Thanks to Rocknation for the interview and your support over the years ! Considering it ’ s been eight years since our previous studio album “ Fly Paper ” was released , we have to thank people for remembering us and for the enthusiastic response ! We also appreciate the positive reception from music fans who are new to Tiles and have been giving “ Pretending 2 Run ” a chance . See you soon …