Dear Chris hi. Thank you for speaking to our webzine and congratulations for your endeavor with "Reflections".

It is my pleasure to speak with your webzine. I'm happy to see "Reflections - An Act Of Glass" making its way into the world through this medium.

Can you tell how do you assess the reception of the album? Are you satisfied with the reviews and the acceptance by the audience?

ProgRock Records president Shawn Gordon usually sends me reviews as they are published, along with various playlists from broadcasters. I can see that the record is being received by a good many music lovers, and I am very satisfied with the results. Most of the reviews I have seen are overwhelmingly positive, even as reviewers realize this is not a typical release by an established band. Generally the reviews focus on the music, which keeps the articles objective. As far as audience acceptance, I've had several people write to me about how the music speaks to them, and expressing thanks that Andrew's music was released as a proper album. Many have become "fans" of his work and wish there was more to come!

Is there something (positive or negative) in press reviews and audience comments that you hadn't thought at all while making the album?

On the positive side, people comment that the overall flow of the record seems to work as if it was recorded by a band in a single studio. I expected a final product that was somewhat disjointed, but the opposite seems true to most observers. On the negative side, the collection of music has been seen as pop-oriented, which is true on some level. But as player and producer, I experienced the intricacies of the odd times, demanding solo sections, and the complex "feel" of the music. To me, Andrew was always a prog-rock composer, but that is not so obvious to some listeners.

After the death of your brother, how hard was in psychological terms to start with this project? Where any specific stages that was much harder for you to carry out?

There was no difficulty at all in starting the project. Even as the family gathered for Andrew's funeral, I knew I would somehow preserve his musical legacy. As the only other musician in the family, it fell to me to do this. Some have told me this was a form of grieving - and indeed, Andrew was never far from my mind as I worked through his songs. The hardest part of the work was getting the various players involved, and getting the scheduling to be convenient for everyone (myself, players, studios). That process took the most time to complete. Also, there were rejections from prospective artists I contacted. It was hard to have someone in mind for a part, only to be turned down for various reasons.

What was the testimony that your brother Andrew left to you? I mean how complete was his ideas regarding the final outcome?

Andrew wrote a lot of material, but never recorded it in a true professional environment. He opted for keeping it simple with a four-track machine in his home studio. Of course, this affected the quality of the ideas. Some passages were difficult to hear on degraded 15-20 year old four track tapes. He had music in various forms of completion - from finished songs to small melodic themes. We chose songs that were entirely complete, and our finished product is very faithful to the original work.

How much these tracks were evolved with the contribution of the guest musicians? How did they approach the whole project?

I had a general guideline for myself and the other musicians - 70/30 percent original ideas vs. artist embellishments, respectively. I didn't want to lose the essence of Andrew's music, but I did want the players to infuse their personalities and strengths into the work. There was little change in the arrangements, though some parts were played with the aim of improving on the original performances, which were all played by Andrew (except the acoustic drums). The musicians instinctively understood what I was trying to do, so their approach was to defer to me for any musical decisions - they wanted me to "produce" them.

Can you give us an insight on the invitation of the guest musicians? How did you handle the selection of these gifted guests and why you assigned them different tasks than those they are known for?

Over the years, I had developed relationships with most, but not all, of the players. In today's world, artists are more approachable than one might think. Contacting them was fairly straightforward, procuring their involvement was a matter of hope. I believe the music and my professionalism appealed to the players. For the selection process, I basically imagined the players on various Andrew tracks by being familiar with their past work, and understanding where they might fit. Most of these artists are multi-talented and versatile, so I chose tasks in which I knew they would excel, though they are better known for other skills.

Can you tell us a few things about the cover design? What it depicts and how is related to the story behind the project?

The cover design was done by Thomas Ewerhard, who has done several releases for other artists, including Spock's Beard. I gave him a few directives, all with Andrew's artistic sensibilities in mind. We wanted something that contained elements of glass, water, and the color blue. From these he crafted the layout, which I liked instantly. The depiction of the ocean setting was especially satisfying, because Andrew loved anything related to beaches. He was a true water baby. The layout does tie in with the title, evoking a "reflections" theme. The title of the record has the most meaning from the past. Of course "Reflections" tells of the remembrance nature of this work, while "An Act of Glass" is something I did for Andrew. He had a fascination with glass, and the word showed up in song titles, lyrics, etc. At one point, he self-released (to family and friends) a cassette tape of music called "Glass Act". I named this record with that title in mind, and I like the final play on words in our full title, as glass certainly has a reflective property.

How did you come to agreement with ProgRock Records for the release of the CD? What are the benefits of such choice?

Shawn Gordon (president of ProgRock Records) deserves all the credit for picking up "Reflections - An Act of Glass". Shawn heard about the CD and contacted me directly. He was intrigued with the work, understood what I had done in preserving Andrew's legacy, and basically liked the music. The CD is getting vastly more exposure than I could have ever achieved on my own, so that alone is a great benefit. I'm seeing the CD for sale in places all over the world, especially in Europe. I have to believe my original vision of getting Andrew's music into the world has been accomplished through ProgRock Records.

Do you mind if I ask you a personal question before closing? What are your personal music activities? Can you give us a few details about them?

No problem… I currently live in the Seattle area. I do some studio work and play with several groups to stay busy. One of my favorites of these is a Yes tribute band called Parallels. We've had the pleasure of having Alan White sit in with us for a couple of performances (he lives in Seattle). Parallels has started reviewing original material from both "Reflections - An Act Of Glass" and fellow member Randy George's band Ajalon. We hope to perform songs as a complete original set at some West coast prog festivals in coming months. It's a new goal for us, so we'll see how it progresses.

How different is your personal sound from the one in "Reflections"?

If you are speaking of drum sounds, I'd have to say my sound is generally consistent, especially when recording material where I have some say in the production. Most of my recordings have been on rock-oriented music, so I like drum sounds with a lot of presence, achieved with a large room sound. I like mixing in ambient microphones that are placed in the "sweet spots". If you are speaking of music that I write, it is vastly different from Andrew's work. First off, I feel Andrew was given the true gift of songwriting - I am at best an eternal student of the craft. My music tends to be more instrumental, like new age or fusion styles.

Dear Chris, this is the end of our conversation. I really thank you for the interview and of course for the beautiful music you took care of and released. I wish you all the best.

I am pleased to have had this opportunity to communicate to music lovers via your webzine. All the best to you and your readers!