From Sonoma's Stages to European Collaborations

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In the Summer of 2018, the musical journey of trumpeter/vocalist Paul Schneider and guitarist Hannes De Kassian began as they explored the realms of jazz and funk, lighting up clubs, bars, and wineries across Sonoma and Marin Counties in California's North Bay Area. However, like many, their progress was disrupted by the global pandemic in 2020. Amidst the turmoil, Paul reconnected on-line with his close friend and creative collaborator, renowned drummer Atma Anur, who now resided in Europe. This rekindled connection led to a musical revelation. 

Atma asked Paul if he’d been writing any songs, and said he’d love to do some drum tracks. And Paul did, in fact, have a batch of new songs, and the collaboration began. He enlisted Hannes on guitar. They began crafting tracks, enlisting talented musicians remotely, and shaping what would become an extraordinary album. As the world emerged from the shutdown, Paul and Hannes kept recording, collaborating with Atma in Europe for mixing. Their collective efforts gave birth to "Funkalypse," released in Summer 2023. And now, with the formation of their live band, The Heard Eye marks an exciting chapter as they debuted on July 20, 2023, and continue to build momentum with their electrifying performances. Get ready to groove with The Heard Eye as they feed the funk to a hungry world!

Where did the name come from? Paul was getting ready to move into a new place just before the Covid lockdown, one where he could actually set up a little home studio to record some songs he’d been working on. Going through boxes, as one does when moving, he found a box with scraps of lyrics and other ideas he’d written down in the past, one of which read “the Heard Eye….BAND NAME!” He thought about that, liked the fact that it sounded like the mystical “third eye” when spoken aloud, and seemed to suggest a merging of two sensory perceptions into a radical new awareness, and thought “yeah.. band name…”

The Live Band - The Heard Eye began playing gigs in July of 2023, once the album was finished and released on-line, and they were very lucky to have been joined in this venture by keyboardist Chris Studer. His fantastic keyboard work is accentuated by his utterly amazing harmony vocals.  His contributions in these two areas really complete the bands live sound!  Can't wait to hear what he brings to the studio for the next album!    

The Heard Eye has also been blessed with some very talented rhythm section players in the persons of Various Cats on bass and Peter Ffrench on drums. Peter is a long-time student of Atma Anur, and while there's only one Atma, Peter fits that drum chair just fine!