“He’s not doing any of the lead work he’s known for. He came up with 10 tracks of textures and atmospheres”: His main band went on indefinite hiatus. Now this cult prog guitarist has enlisted Alex Lifeson and Peter Frampton for an all-star solo album

When Detroit prog rock band Tiles went on indefinite hiatus in 2018, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Herin started writing new songs to keep himself busy.

At first, Herin had no intention of recording a solo album, but as months turned to years and his catalog of new songs grew, he began working with longtime collaborator and producer Terry Brown.

Over several years of on-and-off work, the two assembled Hiding in Plain Sight, a musically diverse record based on the battle Herin’s father underwent with dementia before he died. “I wanted the music to trace the path my father took from the point where his behavior started getting odd and all the way through the trajectory of the disease,” Herin says.

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For years, Herin didn’t even want to think about his father’s disease, let alone write songs about it. With time, the memories became less painful, and working on Hiding in Plain Sight helped provide closure. To provide contrast to the sobering subject matter, Herin wrote in a variety of styles, including ’80s power rock, pop, country-folk, classic rock and, yes, prog.

“I like that there’s an odd inconsistency between the music and lyrics,” Herin says. “We wanted the music to offset some of the more depressing content and bring more dimensions to the album.”

To enhance their enjoyment of the creative process, Herin and Brown recruited more than two dozen guest musicians, including Peter Frampton, Alex Lifeson, Martin Barre (ex-Jethro Tull), Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree), Kim Mitchell (Max Webster) and Jeff Kollman (Alan Parsons Live Project).

Chris Herin: Warning Signs (feat. Michael Sadler [Saga] & Jeff Kollman) - YouTube

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While all of the soloists met or exceeded Herin’s expectations, two went above and beyond. Lifeson radically reworked the stripped-down Second Ending into a melancholy mélange of sparse plucked notes, effected guitar swells and weeping strings.

“He’s not doing any of the lead work he’s known for,” Herin says. “He came up with 10 tracks of textures and atmospheres that all could have worked, and Terry integrated them all into the song, which was amazing.”

Similarly, Barre turned The Darkest Hour from a basic prog song into a layered, musically ornate folk-imbued number. “I had just asked him for a quick solo,” Herin says. “Not only did he do an incredible solo that interlocks with everything, but he added extra guitar that’s orchestral on its own – and then he recorded flute and mandolin, which takes the song to a completely different place.”

Proceeds from Hiding in Plain Sight will be donated to Alzheimer’s charities.

• Hiding in Plain Sight is out now via Laser's Edge.
• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.