Artist – Hollan Holmes

I was first introduced to ambient or environmental music by a dear college friend. Back then listening to these contained yet vast, modern yet other-worldly combinations of sound was fueled by a bit of rebellion against the daily opera grind.  In fact, I was so moved by shows like  Hearts of Space I created an audio presentation of such progressive subtle sounds for my Twentieth Century Music History class, for which I got an ‘F’ and had to do an immediate do-over. Yes, it still irks me! Twenty years later and much, so very much, has changed. Thank goodness! Like all new, progressive art-forms, the Ambient has been accepted and is now taught in colleges throughout the country. Its composers are studied and lauded with appreciation and praise.

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It goes without saying that it came as a delightful surprise to  me that such an up-and-coming creative composer was right under my nose. I grabbed the opportunity to ‘pick his brain’ in between talking shop about texturing (Mr. Holmes is an exceptional artist as well!) and this interview is the result of his kind patience with me and my inquisitiveness.

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Now, when I say ‘up-and coming’ I mean it! Interviews of Hollan Holmes and reviews of his album “A Distant Light” appear at sonicimmersion, discogs, Steve Roach, and many other sites. Each day more music sites are talking about his work. His music plays on the highly acclaimed program Hearts of Space. I am honored to have this opportunity to sit down with Hollan and chat about his songs, his creative process, and the ever-increasing popularity of his music on the internet.

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HH: Well, actually, this is my first fully completed music project. It is my first CD. God willing, there will be many more. I’ve wanted to do this since I was in high school, but I concentrated on my art mostly. I could just never shake the desire to make it happen and I finally committed to it in 2005.

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HH: My fascination with ambient first took hold in 1989, when I discovered Steve Roach, Richard Burmer, Robert Rich and a few others. It was unlike anything I’d ever heard. Before that, though, I had fallen in love with Tangerine Dream and Jean Michel Jarre, so I was already leaning heavily toward the electronic/synthesizer aspect of music. Ambient, however, just opened up this incredible world of possibilities for me. It was wildly inspiring and totally different from the music to which I had become accustomed. I remember “blowing” my ’87 tax return on a Korg DSS 1 sampling synth and a four-track recorder. That was the beginning of my first real explorations into electronic music. The real ambient journey did not start until 2005, when I built a small personal studio and decided to start taking things much more seriously.

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HH: Like my art, I’m passionate about the creative journey. First and foremost, I make my music for me. While I’m influenced and inspired by many, I strive to maintain a very honest effort to make my music mine. I don’t want to sound like anyone else, but I do acknowledge that many other artists serve to inspire and influence me. I’m motivated by the joy of creating. The thrill comes from the process of carving out these unique sounds, rich complex harmonics and compositions that move the emotions. I also can’t deny the thrill of sharing my music with others and having it well received. I guess I’m a bit of a Narcissist–

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HH: –but I have to admit, it is part of what motivates me. Sound creation, however, is the biggest driver, I think. It isn’t unlike mixing colors while painting. A successful painting happens when the colors are effectively used to capture the light, form and mood of the subject. No different with sound and that is what I try to do.

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HH: It’s a toss-up between ‘Inevitability’ and ‘Twilight’. Both are very emotional for me and both deal with the point at which our lives draw to an end. Both songs were written when my mother was  in decline, so these emotions are always right there when I listen to these songs. I embrace it, though, so it isn’t necessarily sad for me, but it definitely helps to remind me of the fragility of our existence and the precious nature of the here and now. Our lives are little more than a flash in the pan,  on the grander scale.

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‘Wellspring’ speaks of this bottomless vessel of ethereal energy that feeds the creation of my musical ideas. I never know when or from where I get an idea for a song, but that wellspring, that intangible place, is sacred to me and I hope I can draw from it to the end.

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The ‘Arrival’ is about the transition from death to whatever is beyond. I imagine it as a very peaceful journey and one that marks the end of Earthbound pain and hardship, where suffering vaporizes and the next phase is undertaken. Inevitability deals with the departure from our Earthly existence.

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HH: This entire CD was created in Reason 4.0 and mixed down in Cubase 4. To be clearer, it was entirely created within the computer. I relied heavily on effects processing, such as reverbs and digital delays, to create the sense of the vastness of space and environmental ambience. I used the three software synths built into Reason as the sound sources. Every single sound on this CD is custom. I try to never use off-the-shelf sounds. I love the creative process of taking a few simple sound waves and turning them into something unique and evocative. Sound creation is definitely an art form.

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HH: Yes! My music is how I channel my energy, both positive and negative, and how I purge my demons; it is how I meditate and how I lament. It is my escape and it is my artistic expression. I often listen to my own music, but many others’ works as well, to fall asleep or just chill while reading or while I’m painting. At my day job as a digital texture artist, I have this sort of music running most of my day.

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HH: Confession time. Not a single component in any of this CD’s design is truly mine, except for one. All were created by others and used with permission, save the image on the back with the liner notes and track listing. The lunar module, starfield and Jupiter images are courtesy of NASA and the Wright Flyer is courtesy of Louis P. Christman. I did draw the image of Galileo, but even the inspiration for that was borrowed from an old public domain lithograph. I’ve yet to determine the artist’s name. All of these images, though, were perfect for the theme I wanted to convey and that was the pioneer explorer spirit of man and the story of his past and continuing journey. I was very particular about the color scheme. The deep blues and greens are my favorite colors. I find they produce a sense of tranquility and peace.

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HH: Eno created what, to me and many others, is true ambient music, where he captured real-world sounds from specific locations in the environment. While my music has none of that, I do attempt to take the listener to otherworldly places and unknown sonic landscapes. Steve Roach has been a formidible inspiration to me and a hopefully not-too-obvious influence on my musical direction, as has Richard Burmer, Tangerine Dream, Vidna Obmana, Mark Seelig and many others. They all forged the initial path for the rest of us, but I am trying very hard to travel my own path and no one else’s.

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HH: It depends. Sometimes I’ll get an idea based on a melody that comes to me. Sometimes it’s an emotion or feeling I get that inspires me to create a certain sound. Often, I’ll create a song based on a sound that I come up with that lends itself to a certain mood or feeling. Sometimes songs seem to almost write themselves, they come so easily. On occasion, it can be a grueling experience. Most often I’ll create an idea for a song, get the basic structure fleshed out, then back away from it and move on to something else. This way, I can come back to it fresh, ears rinsed out, and decide where to go from there. I can’t count how many ideas get tossed when coming back to them and wondering what the hell was I thinking. I always archive them, though. If I come back to it and I feel like I’ve captured the passion when I created it, I’ll see it to completion.

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HH: I was in a rock band when I was eighteen. In it’s last year, we practiced in my mom and dad’s garage, because it was all the band had for a location. How my mom and dad made it through that year is, to this day, unbelievable to me. They bought me a keyboard stand for Christmas that year and it was a huge gesture. All they cared about was that whatever I was doing that I did my best. They fostered my art and music every step of the way. I always had their support. I was incredibly fortunate to have had that. Sadly, they passed on before I could share the fruit with them. My mom did get to hear some of the music before it was mastered and before she passed on. I’m thankful for that.

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HH: Thank you very much! I’m overwhelmed at the positive feedback I’ve received so far. It is definitely encouraging, so I’m really looking forward to sharing future work with everyone.

 

 

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HH: I am working on a new CD, which should be out sometime near the end of the year, no dates nailed down yet. All the songs are nailed down, I’m just working out the mixes, levels, etc. I’m incrementally adding new software, instruments, effects processors and such, so I’m constantly in learning mode, but I always make an effort to save out successful experiments. I’d like to put out one CD every year, but that’s pretty ambitious for someone who has a full-time job and also wants to draw and paint. There isn’t enough time in the day or even in a lifetime for everything I want to do. I need a dozen lifetimes, at least!

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HH: You can follow my work and buy all my music via my website at hollanholmesmusic(dot)com

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HH: Just that I’m very thankful that so many people have taken the time to give my music a listen. I am truly honored. I look very forward to sharing my future work.

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