Steven Hess (Locrian, Pan American, Innode, Haptic)
SPB: What appeals to you most about collaborative projects as compared with working with your regular band?
Hess: The challenge of creating music outside of my comfort zone, as well as the opportunity to work with other musicians and artists that I might not normally get a chance to work with. Each collaboration is a different journey, and learning process. You might think in advance, "I know exactly what I'm going to do with _____", but as any musician that has worked on a collaboration knows, what you have mapped out in your head at first is not what you always hear in the finished material. Collaborations are also a a way for me understand and overcome any boundaries and limitations that I might be experiencing at that particular time. You are always wanting to reach further and expand on your creativity, playing, and song writing, and with collaborations this is the perfect chance to do just that. Maybe, and hopefully, do something that you would not normally do in your "regular band". In the end it's all about the challenge, learning, expanding my improvisational skills, and creativity.
