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CHRIS HERIN

Crossover Prog • United States


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Chris Herin biography
Chris Herin (Tiles, Discipline) is a songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player based in Trenton, Michigan, USA.

Chris co-founded the heavy prog band Tiles back in 1993, as well as occasionally working with another local Detroit area band, Discipline over more recent years. Despite being involved with two entirely separate bands, he has managed to balance his musical activities with his day job as a senior commissioner's representative with the Internal Revenue Service.

His first solo album 'Hiding in Plain Sight' is a dark conceptual work about how he coped with his father's 10-year struggle with Alzheimer's, and was released via The Laser's Edge on 1st November 2024, with sales proceeds being donated to Alzheimer's nonprofits in honor of his late father's battle against the condition.

'Hiding in Plain Sight' consists of 11-tracks co-produced with longtime Rush producer Terry Brown and Canadian producer and mastering engineer Peter Moore. The album features guest contributions by Alex Lifeson (RUSH), Peter Frampton, Martin Barre (JETHRO TULL), Kim Mitchell and members of Porcupine Tree, Spock?s Beard, Saga, Crown Lands and Tarja amongst others.

Over the years, Chris had demoed songs with Terry Brown as they cropped up, and he wanted to record them in some form or other so that they didn't slip through his fingers. After Tiles went on hiatus in 2018 following the band's 2016 double album 'Pretending 2 Run', and the retirement of their vocalist Paul Rarick, he decided to seize the opportunity to do something of his own.

The songs on 'Hiding in Plain Sight' had already been developed up to a point, with guitar and bass parts plus some basic drum patterns having already been written and recorded, so Chris decided to finish them off and put them out to the public, though he has made it clear that he never necessarily set out to do a solo album.

Not rating himself particularly highly as a vocalist, Chris began recruiting singers to be part of the project, an exercise which eventually led to him expanding the outreach to other potential contributors, with around 30 guest musicians eventually becoming part of the album. The fact that many of the songs reflect on his late father's battle with Alzheimer's disease during the 2000s was one of the factors that helped convince these other musicians to contribute to the album.

Almost everybody who participated in the album had some close family member that had suffered fro...
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3.50 | 4 ratings
Hiding In Plain Sight
2024

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CHRIS HERIN Reviews


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 Hiding In Plain Sight by HERIN, CHRIS album cover Studio Album, 2024
3.50 | 4 ratings

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Hiding In Plain Sight
Chris Herin Crossover Prog

Review by Stoneburner

3 stars Long Forgotten Road

Tiles, the Michigan-based progressive rock band, has been silent since their 2016 double album, Pretending 2 Run. Known for collaborations with producer Terry Brown (Rush) and artist Hugh Syme, Tiles earned acclaim for their intricate storytelling and technical prowess. Now, guitarist and songwriter Chris Herin steps forward with his solo debut, Hiding in Plain Sight.

Inspired by his father's ten-year battle with Alzheimer's, the album is a deeply personal exploration of memory, loss, and resilience. Departing from Tiles' riff-driven sound, Herin crafts a blend of progressive and art rock, incorporating orchestral arrangements, cinematic textures, and introspective lyrics. The result is ambitious and emotional, offering a window into Herin's artistic evolution.

Adding depth are contributions from an exceptional roster of guest musicians, including Peter Frampton, Alex Lifeson (Rush), Martin Barre, John O'Hara (Jethro Tull), Michael Sadler (Saga), Kim Mitchell (Max Webster), and Tim Bowness (No-Man). Contemporary prog talents like Cody Bowles and Kevin Comeau (Crown Lands) join veterans such as Colin Edwin and Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree), making this an album that bridges generations of progressive artistry.

Produced by Terry Brown and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Peter Moore, Hiding in Plain Sight is sonically rich and immersive. Hugh Syme's evocative artwork enhances the experience, packaging the album as a visual and musical journey.

Despite the notable record producers, amazing guest appearances, and the admirable cause of raising awareness for Alzheimer's disease, the record falls short. It could have been good or even extraordinary, but in the end, it feels like a dull parade of great figures. Perhaps those excesses are what prevented this record from reaching its full potential?it never truly takes off.

 Hiding In Plain Sight by HERIN, CHRIS album cover Studio Album, 2024
3.50 | 4 ratings

BUY
Hiding In Plain Sight
Chris Herin Crossover Prog

Review by OldSchoolProg

4 stars Having followed Detroit "prog-ers" Tiles and Discipline, seeing both live a number of times, I was fully aware of Chris Herin, his stealthy guitar tones and sneaky subdued talents. It comes as no surprise that he has come out with this stellar and poignant release massivley exceeding expectations, it was just a matter of when. Reading the song titles already pulls on the emotions knowing the back story of what a battle with Alzheimers can do to someone, and their family. The lengthy list of guest musicians, singers, artists, and producer Terry Brown's involvement is almost unimaginable, but there they all are (too many to list here), just check the release information... mind blown! All came forward with their own stories of family and friends afflicted with Alzheimers and their contributions heart felt, natural and honest. Is it Prog? Very much so, craftily disguised in 3-6 minute songs so well written, produced and mixed. Multi meters, tempo changes, unique and varied instrumentation, all resulting in this musical goodness with a message to make you think of your own mortality. The variety of vocal tone qualities is refreshing and I find myself constantly looking at the list of singers and musicians, even listening to specific sounds and solos. After waltzing through the well orchestrated "Living in the Night" with it's strong lyrical message, a standout AOR ear-worm track for me is "The Heart of You" with Peter Frampton's outstanding contribution. A sonic groove that drives home the point, even the Herin rhythm guitar sound and groove is perfect. Lest we forget Hugh Syme, his artistic AND musical contributions, what great cover art. I also learned that Martin Barre is a heck of a flute player! Terry Brown may have had his work cut out for him as he assembled all the bits and pieces, but he succeeded masterfully. I hear Tiles, I hear Rush, I hear Tull, but more importantly, I hear a musical collaboration and a message. Chris Herin has created something very special here, something very important, and to donate proceeds to Alzhiemers research is the cherry on the top, I'm already buying multiple copies. This is an Excellent addition to anyones musical collection, no matter what genre of prog, rock, or popular music you listen too, bordering on Essential just for the message and inner reflection alone.
Thanks to cristi for the artist addition.

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