Other articles on A&B:
- Prophecies of War review.

- A&B -
Hi Andrew! Welcome on Artists&Bands!
So, if you had to describe what At Hand Production is to someone who has never heard of you what would you say ?
- Andrew Hanna -
AHP would be best described as a multimedia production company that focuses on social topics; everything from history, politics, class struggles, and the like. AHP is not out there to develop productions that pacify people, but to get them excited or concerned about a topic that mainstream entertainment shies away from.

- A&B -
Looking back in the past, what are the origins of At Hand Production ?
- Andrew Hanna -
AHP was an idea that I had when I was a sophomore in college. I recognized then that there were very few, if any, people who were going to promote my music and productions. So I figured why not just start my own company? So I spent my time at the conservatory working on my artistic outlook and musical abilities. After graduating I learned about contract law, promotion, and particular aspects of the music industry.

I remember when I had this idea; many said that there is no way that this company would come to fruition. And others advised me that the only to make it is with is by “producing commercially viable music.”

The other aspect that lead me to making AHP is that I am more of a person that likes to be on the front lines. Also, I think as an artist there is natural path that one wants to see their work begin from scratch and make it to audiences.

- A&B -
Talking about the record Prophecies of War, why did you choose to deal with war? There was a particular event that made you think about this concept ?
- Andrew Hanna -
War is something that every nation and person has witnessed whether they were in battle or has seen the aftereffects – it is something that many can identify with. When I first began developing this production, the details of the theme were vague and I didn’t really know which perspective to present. Then 9/11 happened and it was clear then. I decide to look at war from the political perspective. The other motivating force that made me choose this topic is that America has a history of getting involved in military conflicts that are not needed and served only the few.

- A&B -
You first performed P.O.W. in 2002, between the 9/11 and the war in. What’s your opinion about these issues?
- Andrew Hanna -
Since America invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, it is more than clear that the reasons the American government gave where flat out lies. The American media rarely reports on the situation in Afghanistan anymore and I recognize that we are in Iraq for two reasons – for the oil and military position. America now has a massive black mark for invading two countries that later proved no threat to us. Also, many now recognize that George Bush and his cronies have spun 9/11 to support their claims. Many now question any time his administration makes claims that such-and-such country were part of 9/11. As a country, we have lost credibility with nations throughout the world. And then there is this rhetoric about Iran. If we were to invade Iran as the Bush administration wants to, America will get sucked down to the tenth level of hell. We need to focus on how we are going to repair these countries and repair diplomatic relations with other countries.

- A&B -
Your music is a mix of progressive-rock, jazz, classical music.
Do you mind telling us something about the music that has influenced you in your life and during the making of Prophecies of war ?
- Andrew Hanna -
There is a lot that has influenced me in life. Musically speaking, I’m really inspired by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Igor Stravinsky, and many others. Conceptually, I have been trying to blend the Classical and Jazz. Classical music is about composition – the written music. Jazz is about music in the moment – improvisation. And I am always looking to blend these. Because many composers and improvisers have setup these boundaries where one person spends most of their time composing and then there are others that just want to jam all the time. And I feel that many of these musicians don’t recognize the benefit the other has to offer.

- A&B -
Your performances mix different forms of art, for example visual, music, spoken word. Where does this idea come from ?
- Andrew Hanna -
Well, my first introduction to multimedia artist or collective art performances come from when I was in middle school. At that time, our school had monthly assemblies where inside the auditorium; there were really large screens and speakers all over the place. There were speaks in the corners, on the ceiling, on the wall, underneath our seats and the themes that they would present dealt with issues as “don’t do drugs;” “be safe when having sex;” etc. This idea stayed with me when I got into the conservatory. By the time I went to the conservatory, I had learned about how the arts were presented in ancient Greece. And I learned about Richard Wagner and The Ballets Russes.

In ancient Greece, audiences would see at a performance not only acting, but music, paintings, and the like. Since then the arts became separated and it wasn’t until Wagner, where he started to bring the arts together again. And ultimately, The Ballets Russes took his ideas into a totally different direction.

- A&B -
What about your song writing? How your compositions come to life ?
- Andrew Hanna -
There are several methods in creating my songs and/or productions. Sometimes I will lay my hands on my synth and just create in the moment. Other times I will have a topic on mind that I want to explore whether it is politics or history and I conceptualize how I want to express that theme. But overall, I start with a simple theme and load that into a score writer and add ideas within the computer. But nonetheless I always try every idea at the synth before the band plays it.

If it is a multimedia production, many times I will have an idea that I want to explore and while I am working on the music, I will research the theme that I want to express. And this can entail reading books, talking with others about, and there are many other research methods that I use.

- A&B -
What do you think about music business ? Nowadays music seems to be under the control of the major labels.
- Andrew Hanna -
Well, how I see it is that it is very polarized in the industry. One the one side you have hard-core business execs that don’t know anything about music and they are coming out of business school thinking they know how to make things work. On the other hand you have musicians/artists that don’t know anything about business and they are taken advantage of. And then there is the middle ground, musicians/artists that can be an uncomprising artist and understand business. This is the ground many people have told me that I occupy, but there are others and they have been others that could both the business and artistic stuff. Like Frank Zappa, he is someone that could create his own music and call the shots at the same time.

With all that said, for those that occupy this middle ground, now is an idea time for them to make their works known to the public. Many of the large record labels are killing themselves and as long as they keep doing this, the indie artist will thrive. Within time, the major labels will be part of the museum and the indie artist will be on top . . . as it should be.

- A&B -
Do you trust in Internet as a way of musical delivery ?
- Andrew Hanna -
The Internet is a great place for artists to get their music delivered and recognized. But their efforts need to work in tandem with in-store sales, radio airplay, and the like.

- A&B -
What's in the future for you? Are you going to export your company and your music even outside the USA ?
- Andrew Hanna -
Definitely and we are underway. Currently Prophecies of War is on the radio in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, and it is my intent for it to begin broadcasting Australia by the fall. Also, Prophecies of War is going on tour throughout Canada and the United States starting September 2008.

- A&B -
Thank you very much; we are all looking forward to hear more music from you… Do you want to say something to all our readers ?
- Andrew Hanna -
Anyone who wants to know give us a call, send email or letter, and I or someone else will get back. I like staying in contact with the fans. . don’t hesitate. And thanks so much for doing this interview.