Justin Haas, the twenty year-old Long Island native with a penchant for gritty, psychedelic infused rock and roll (and a habit of being compared to Jimmy Page) has managed to accomplish quite a lot in the last eight years of playing guitar and writing music. As the rhythm/lead guitar and songwriter of his third band, WarHorse, which he formed with his drummer, Sean, from previous bands, Realfire and Stallion, Haas' passion burns on with dreams of scoring big-time payoffs, including being sponsored by Gibson or Marshall and playing good old Madison Square Garden.

Perhaps it is just that, the proximity to Madison Square Garden, and the tantalizations of the Big Apple, or all those lessons he received from Bad Company's Simon Kirke, a friend of the family who nourished the desire and talent budding within Haas from a young age, which gives WarHorse their powerful classic rock sound. Listening to their self-titled album, WarHorse has a distinct sound, something that reminds me of a DIVO Jim Morrison mishmash, which is particularly evident in both "Rock Electric" and "Girls". It works. Billboard is already chewing up the line, hot for the track "River of Wine".

According to Haas, "living in New York has influenced WarHorse in so many ways. One of which is our sound. We have a good amount of rock and classic rock stations, and our exposure to it has had quite an impact on our music. Madison Square Garden, which has been a landmark for many great professional rock stars, is less then an hour away. Our classic rock sound probably formed because of its strong presence in our lives." Whatever the case, WarHorse is breaking into the New York scene full throttle with no intentions of slowing speed.

Justin Haas effuses that polite boy-next-door, Mr. nice guy personality. The type where you genuinely want to get to know him, because he probably has something positive to say about just about anything or anyone. He plays a wicked guitar riff and dabbles in piano and keyboards. But don't let that fool you. To make it in the cruel and unforgiving world of rock and roll stardom, you have to have a splash of bad boy blood. Beneath the proper addressing and friendly, easy-going personality, lies a determined soul just itching to break out and he won't failure as an option.

On a warm and rushed weekday, antiMusic caught up with Justin Haas, who has a part philosopher and part edgy rock and roller vibe to ask a few questions about his newest project.

aM: When did you realize you wanted to be a musician for a profession?

J.H: I was very young when I wanted to be a musician. I always loved music and became very interested in guitar from seeing my father and brother play guitar. I remember just plucking a few strings and thinking it was cool. I had a mini guitar but never actually learned how to play. As I got older I realized I wanted to learn professionally. It was around 7th grade when I realized I actually wanted to become a musician. I loved it so much, and I became interested in all aspects of music itself. I began to listen to very diverse music from classical to jazz and rock. The more I was exposed to, the larger the repertoire I had to draw from.

aM: Who encouraged you the most?

J.H: Hands down, my father has encouraged me the most. This is for many reasons too. Some people have parents that tell them to keep practicing, but not to expect to make a career out of it. My dad let me know early on that he wanted me to do what I loved. It prevented me from feeling like what I was doing was the wrong thing for me in life. Even if I had believed that was once true, I still would have done it because it is my love, but it definitely makes it a lot easier to not feel that way. He also manages WarHorse and puts in so much effort. I know that he believes in the band, which inspires me.

aM: Who are the most notable teachers you have had?

J.H: I was lucky enough to have a few great teachers. My first and most influential was my teacher Pat. He was very talented and inspired me to do what I do now with the guitar. I have also had another very influential teacher who is actually known for his drumming talent, Simon Kirke from Free and Bad Company. He also is a skilled guitarist, and I still to this day take occasional lessons from him.

aM: Where do you draw inspiration?

J.H: I get my inspiration from different places. Being in a better place financially someday motivates me as well as my goal of being a famous rock musician. But mainly I get my drive from wanting to hear the things I can play. Friends and family also help out a great deal, their support is overwhelmingly positive.

aM: If you don't hit rock-land what's next?

J.H.: I would love to travel. I get such a kick out of it. To see the different cultures and environments, sometimes you don't know what to expect. I can never travel for too long without the band though because work needs to get done.

aM: What other musician's have you played with?

J.H: I have been so lucky to have been involved with Simon Kirke from Bad Company. He is a friend of my dad's and years ago, he got me into the Rock n' Roll Fantasy Camp here in New York. That was an amazing experience for a 17 year-old kid. I got to play with not only Simon but Dicky Betts, Joe Satriani, George Thorogood, Jon Anderson, Peter Tork, and Mark Farner, from Grand Funk Railroad. The list goes on and on, but the greatest thing that experience gave me was the opportunity to play for 1000 fans plus at B.B.King's in New York. It gave me a taste of Rock n' Roll success , and now I want that for us as a band.

aM: CBGB's notwithstanding, where are the best places to play in New York for an original band?

J.H: Some of the best places for a band making their way would have to be The Bitter End, Sullivan Hall, Kenny's Castaways, The Crazy Donkey, and Mulcahy's of Wantagh. If you're a well known professional, Madison Square Garden and Jones Beach Theatre are the ultimate goals here in New York.

aM: How has your luck been with these venues?

J.H: In a little over a year, WarHorse played some of the biggest clubs in New York city and Long Island, such as The Bitter End, Kenny's Castaways, and Mulcahy's of Wantagh.

aM: What is the most difficult aspect of playing live?

J.H: The most difficult aspect of playing live has to be keeping the equipment in line. Sometimes a string will pop, or a symbol stand falls. Maybe an amp will start to give in. These are things you can work to prevent but sometimes you have no control over them. You also have to watch out for all the wires. Sometimes things can get messy on stage, you just have to be aware and come prepared.

aM: What's the hardest part about trying to break into the circuit? Have you received any help along the way?

J.H: The hardest part about trying to break into the circuit is building a buzz. Building a large solid fan base is very hard. With the economy being what it is and the amazingly diverse music out there now finding niches all over, the customary "Classic Rock" genre has been somewhat diluted. Fans that used to only listen to classic rock are now listening to many different types of music being offered on satellite radio and the internet. Clearly the entire music industry is being reformatted. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see where it leads us.

We have been aided by some wonderful people willing to help us. Besides Simon Kirke's help, we've been promoted by Donna Donna on WBAB radio here on long Island, club owners, recording studio engineers, everyone seems to be so willing to do what they can for us. We are also working with Big Noise Now Records to both improve our exposure.

aM: What is the most challenging moment you have experienced with this project?

J.H: We have come to many points in our career when we are faced with challenges. None stick out any more then others. To become a famous band there are constantly challenges. Our biggest challenge right now is fan attendance. Music distribution is very difficult in the beginning. When we can get our music heard, we acquire fans instantly.

aM: Is there a particular female you respect in the industry?

J.H.: My respect for others has never been gender specific. I've learned to judge people on their merit as human beings. That being said, I am aware that the music industry, like all industries, is harder to break into for females, generally speaking. So, any female that can maintain her ideals and express her music from her heart has my respect. Thankfully, the world is accepting what is, and people are being allowed to achieve greatness based solely on their merit, not their physical appearance

aM: any advise for newbie musicians?

J.H: I would tell musicians who are starting out to take their time, develop your own sound, and most importantly, persevere! And of course, play the type of music that makes you happy.

aM: What is the number one lesson you have learned so far in being in the music industry?

J.H: The number one lesson I have learned has to be to stay dedicated, consistent, and be aggressive. You have to make things happen, they don't come to you. Constantly think of ways to promote your music and your band. Keep up with things you have started and never give up.

aM: What's the one thing you wish you knew before you started this project?

J.H: That putting yourselves out early isn't necessarily a bad thing. Our drummer and I have been waiting years to perform live because we wanted to wait until we thought we were ready. I don't completely disagree with this idea but we could have built so many contacts by playing around at an earlier point. If you wait until you think you are perfect, you will never get out there, because as you get better, your expectations for yourselves, and demands on yourselves grow as well.

aM: What did you discover about yourself though playing music?

J.H: I have learned so many things from playing music over the years. I discovered a whole understanding of music. I learned lessons about life from playing. That if you push yourself you can physically do things you never imagined. That by the more you learn about something, the more naturally it will come to you. One of the biggest things I learned about myself was that I could play for large numbers of people. For a while I thought it was impossible. It was the one main thing holding me back. I had a fear to play for people. With this band especially I have learned that I can not only play for people but feel comfortable doing it. That you really can slowly work on any fear you have and overcome it. Then there are little things I've learned about how the mind works. You can see how when you practice things, your brain to absorbs it the most. Repetition breeds success. You can see what patterns your mind repeats when playing and figure out how to change them, or improve upon them. Just playing an instrument is a large learning process for a person, and not just about learning to play.

aM: What is important to you as a musician?

J.H: To me when it comes to being a "musician" many things are important. How fast you can play is only one very small part of it. Its how musical you can be, how you can make something sound. You can take something simple and make it "sing" if you know how. To be a musician you should know about music and how it applies to your instrument. They are so many aspects of being musical like rhythm and dynamics. To just be able to play the "right" notes isn't enough, its how and why you play the notes you do. In the end, seeing the crowds reaction is the most satisfying experience. Knowing that we are causing so many to have such a wonderful time, there are no words to describe that.

aM: Where did you record your album?

J.H.: We recorded the album at this great place called Owl Studios. They are friends of Simon Kirke's. He recommended them to us for their quality of sound and engineering abilities.

aM: any fond memories or stories from recording?

J.H.: A funny short story that had to do with recording was with our singer Frankie. The first day we were recording his voice was a little off. He was having one of those days, and I think the pressure of recording had him trying too hard. So when he came back the second day his voice was much better like usual. So when he first started to record on the second day we were all clapping and he shyly told us " You guys don't need to clap." We though it was funny enough to put that audible as the 11th track on out CD.

aM: Understanding that you are one of the songwriter's in your band, what's your creative process like?

J.H.: We all work really well together. It has become easier for us to all express our ideas and feelings about songs. Everyone has equal input. We all like to hear what everyone has to say. Sometimes there's some tension because everyone cares so much about the song and where its heading, and we have such strong opinions. I can tell we will be able to work well with each other for a long time to come. We have similar ideas and styles so we can agree, yet we are different enough to stay interesting.

aM: What is your favorite track?

J.H: Honestly, I really don't have a favorite track. I have put so much time and feeling into all of them that no one track really stands out. I might pick "Rock Electric" just because its about what we all want to do, resurrect rock n roll.

aM: do you prefer traditional or digital distribution methods?

J.H.: I prefer traditional for a few reasons but am not against digital. I believe that fans want something to hold onto and look at. To actually physically have something, not just to have the rights to listen. To me the main point is to reach as many people as possible with our music though. It seems doing this digitally is doing a better job at that right now. If I had to chose what I like more then it would be traditionally distributing music. There must be a reason vinyl is being pressed again. Having someone tell you they love you on the phone is great, holding them while they say it is ideal.

aM: How are you getting the record out?