Andy Hearn – An Interview by OP Callaghan

Andy Hearn, an interview with OP Callaghan.

I have a four year old daughter, who is basically my shadow on the weekends.  A busy life during the week often robs us of quality time together, so I try to make it up to her on my days off.  We usually try to get to the museum or the library, as it’s always a good lesson in being quiet and developing self control.  She is very energetic, loves music, drums, singing and dancing, but knows that the library is supposed to be a calm, peaceful place.  That is, until Andy Hearn shows up.  We were just entering our local library, when we heard the faint sounds of The Old Time Dance Band, who were performing a special show that day.  My daughter’s eyes lit up, and she ran for the entrance, and began to jump and dance in the hallway.  The band played great; especially Andy, who used various percussion instruments, rim shots and cymbal chokes to give it that authentic sound.  When they finished playing, my daughter crept a little closer, and informed me that the drummer was playing “sparkly silver”.  I recognized Andy from seeing him play multiple times with The Tom Healy Band, as well as Charlie Smith.  He’s a great player, and I really love his playing.  Andy manages to sound precise, appear loose, and drives without being overbearing.  And, he’s the drummer for one of my favorite new bands, The Hawthorns.  So let’s hear it for Andy Hearn, the only drummer I know who doesn’t get “sshhh’d” at the library!

RRX:  How did you get your start on the drums?

AH:  I grew up in the small town of Stratford, NY where I joined the school band in 4th grade. There was an older kid named Scott Allen in the percussion section who played tritoms in the marching band. I would watch him play when we marched and thought he was the coolest. Then a few years later our school combined with Dolgeville Central where Glenn Ceglia taught.

Glenn could really play and knew about all the great drummers. He was a fantastic teacher who took the time to inspire me and help all his students develop strong fundamentals.

RRX: Who were some of your early influences?

AH: Through friends, I was listening to bands like AC/DC, KISS, Foreigner, The Cars, Motley Crue, Metallica and Rush. The drums always stood out to me when listening to those bands. At the same time, my parents played a lot of music at home. They had records by the Beatles, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, Michael Franks, Robert Cray, Carole King, James Taylor and Chuck Mangione so I was definitely influenced by Ringo, Steve Gadd, Russ Kunkel and the other drummers who played on those albums. I also checked out Tommy Lee, Lars Ulrich, Jeff Percaro, Ginger Baker, Bonham, Chris Layton….my influences were sort of all over the place.

RRX: Tell me about your first band, first gig.

AH: I jammed with some friends in high school but didn’t really form a real band until college. There I met some guys from the Long Island area and we formed a group that played parties and bars. It was a great band to play with….we did covers from Phish, Kansas, CSNY, Black Crowes, Eagles, some blues, etc. We have messaged each other recently, kidding about a reunion. It would actually be fun to get together with them to catch up and play.

RRX: Talk about some of the bands you’ve been in, and who you’re playing with now.

AH: I’ve been fortunate to play with some nice groups over the years. The Tom Healy Band was an absolute blast. I’m a blues fan and Tom chose great songs. I just loved playing the song Five Long Years with him….he killed it! He also was a strong writer and put out two CDs. I played on the first one called Pearl Street. Jason Ladanye, Adam Graham, George Deveny and sometimes Keith Pray were in the group around that time. The gigs were musical and really fun….Tom and Adam especially knew how to have a good time and get the band smiling and laughing.

Arc was another group I was in for several years. Jack Nemier was the song writer, however, we all made creative contributions with our parts. Jack is a creative songster with an eclectic mix of styles. Arc wrote and recorded 3 CDs, played live on WEQX a few times, had some songs on local radio and opened for some national touring bands. The highlight for me was opening for King’s X at Northern Lights. Their drummer Jerry Gaskill liked our band and took some time to chat with us.

Local blues legend Charlie Smith hired me to play drums on and off for the past 25 years. He recently passed….RIP. It was an education and a pleasure to play with Charlie.

Most recently I have recorded drums on the last 4 CDs for Tas Cru (SubCat Records based in Syracuse). Each one has been a great experience! Tas lives in the Lake Ontario area and tours internationally. He has some touring drummers that go on the road with him but has been very kind, inviting me to play on his albums. Living so far apart has changed the creative process. Instead of getting together several times to play and write, he records himself singing and playing guitar, adds a description of what he’s looking for in each song and sends the recordings to me. In the weeks before the recording sessions, I listen to the songs and imagine different ways that I can play to support his vision. We then do a couple of rehearsals as the sessions draw near to make sure the grooves and arrangements are solid. This last album was especially rewarding because Bruce Katz was the piano/organ player. He has played with many great bands including Delbert McClinton and The Allman Brothers Band. It was a thrill to work alongside him and hear how he created his parts. Tas’ music is played regularly on XM Satellite

Radio (BB King Bluesville station). I love being involved in the making of his CDs.

Aside from those projects, I also love playing jazz. That genre is deep with a rich history. I’m a regular drummer with Katalyst (formerly Jon LeRoy Trio), The Dave Fisk Quartet, and the John Savage Quartet. Between those groups and freelancing I’ve been getting out to play pretty often.

RRX:  Any upcoming gigs where we can hear you?

AH: Yes!  The Hawthornes at Helderberg Mountain Brewing on June 10, and I’m at 9 Maple Ave on Jazz Fest weekend in Saratoga June 23 & 24th. The first night is with Katylist and the following night with the Dave Fisk Quartet. Come on out!

RRX: What’s your favorite gig story? Horror or otherwise.

AH: Ok, I’ll go with the horror story! Several years ago, I was on the road with a traveling theater company in Europe (my good friend Chad Ploss got me the gig). We were in Lisbon, Portugal for about a week. Everyone wanted to go out and have a good time while we weren’t playing a show. One afternoon a bunch of us went to the beach and laid in the sun for hours. I’m a pretty fair skinned guy and the sun was intense that day. I got a bad sunburn and before we returned to do the show I drank a fair amount of tap water. Anyway, later that evening I was feeling nauseous at show time. We didn’t have a sub for me and there was a large audience waiting. The pit was not very low at this theater so I could see people and I imagine they could see me too. I needed a bucket next to me in case I got sick and well…..yup I did get sick between songs and felt pretty awful. That was a long and embarrassing show!