Though it's
possible the weight of the band's recent publicity has been hinged on their
vocalist Jon Davison lending his voice with prog legends Yes, the fact remains
that Glass Hammer stands as an intriguing (and terribly underrated) act of
their own. The symphonic rock template has been a staple of progressive rock
for generations, but few besides Glass Hammer have seen fit to bring the sound
into the 21st century. With a bold new album "Ode to Echo", there's
never been a better time to check out these US proggers.
Many thanks
to Steve Babb and Fred Schendel for responding to this interview.
Greetings!
First of all, what's behind the name, 'Glass Hammer'? Is there an interesting
story behind its choosing?
Steve: I came across the name in a book which listed
sci-fi and fantasy novels and gave brief descriptions of each. “The Glass Hammer” is considered one of the
better cyber-punk novels and was written by K.W. Jeter. I mentioned the title
to Fred as a possible name of our project.
It went something like this.
Steve – “Hey, how about Glass Hammer?” Fred – “Sure, sounds good.” Oddly that’s all the thought that went into
it, though it has certainly come to fit who we are and what we do. Something fragile, light shines through it –
yet it represents something powerful. Of
course, in reality it is also completely useless! Well, not completely. I have an actual glass hammer that can be
used as a paperweight. <g>
What first
attracted you to the sound and scope of progressive rock?
Fred: I grew up listening to
classical music first, and then The Beatles. So prog was the logical
fusion, in my mind, of beat-driven pop and the longer forms and theme driven
approach of classic orchestral music.
Steve: In my teens I was heavily
into Tolkien, but knew nothing of prog.
Flipping through albums in a music store I noticed the song title
“Rivendell” on “Fly By Night” (RUSH) and immediately bought it. That was my gateway album. A couple of friends of mine who were getting
into punk (it was the late 70’s) noticed my purchase and gave me several prog
albums they no longer wanted. I was
hooked. Having been a church musician
since age 12, I was really drawn to rock that could bear the weight of a pipe
organ. That progressive rock lyrics
could also be used to tell stories – big ones, well that was also a big draw
for me.
Your new
album, "Ode to Echo" has been getting some heavy attention and
acclaim from across the prog spectrum. How do you respond to the album's
reception thus far?
Fred: It is very gratifying, because
it's a bit of a departure from the preceding three albums. On one hand
it's a return to a shorter song driven format and on the other it's a more
democratic album than the immediate predecessor, Perilous. We wanted it
to have a bit of a harder edge, and some more fusion oriented influences are
there as well. So we're glad people are responding to it.
Steve: Our fan base is growing, and
that is exciting. Ode To Echo landed us a big distribution deal here in the
U.S. recently. We didn’t look for it –
they came to us after noticing the trend. It’s great incentive to keep moving
forward.
What was
the inspiration behind "Ode to Echo", any stories behind the choice
of name, writing of songs, planning of the album, anything that might help shed
some light on this latest opus?
Steve: The cover art and the lyrics for at least
three of the bigger pieceson “Ode To Echo”(Misantrog, I Am I and Ozymandias) speak
to an important issue for me. It was in
interviews like these that I hoped to explain it better. I wanted to call attention to NarcissisticPersonality
Disorder and to encourage people to do their own research
in order learn more about narcissists, psychopaths and their victims. Practically everyone comes into contact with
these monsters at one time or another.
It is important to learn how to spot the disorder, and to protect
yourself and your family from it.
The name of the album refers to the
nymph Echo in the myth of Narcissus. She
is the victim, and I dedicated my work on the album to victims of NPD and
adult-children of narcissists – ACONs.
If you and your readers are not
familiar with this dangerous disorder, a little time looking into it on google
will reveal why you should be aware of it. Imagine a world where millions of
people are walking around, living among us, blending in – but without
consciences. They can pretend, but they
have no empathy. That IS the world we
live in! Scary, huh? I found out the hard way and would really
like to emphasize that people educate themselves so they will know what to do
when (not if) they find themselves employed by, related to or in a relationship
with one of these twisted people.
What was
the process of songwriting and composition like for "Ode to Echo"? I
quote a YouTube user on the album's sound that it's "[s]o different, yet totally Glass Hammer". What is
new to the creative process this time around?
Fred: Nothing new
really, apart from the fact that Kamran Alan Shikoh had a chance to have more
writing input, and his jazz influence allowed me to explore some latent fusion
leanings. For instance, shifting more emphasis to Fender Rhodes piano
affected the sound a lot. We've been trying to have a stronger guitar
presence for the last four albums and on this one it really started to
work.
Steve: Aaron Raulston
is our new drummer and “Ode To Echo” was his debut album with Glass
Hammer. I think he has brought a new
energy to the band and perhaps listeners are picking up on that.
Do
you have any favourite tracks from the new album, moments that you're
particularly proud of?
Fred: I think mine
would be Misantrog and Panegyric. Misantrog was a pretty successful
mini-epic in my opinion, a song in that 10 minute butter zone that has a lot
going on but doesn't wear out its welcome. If you break it down it's
really a five minute song played through twice with a little embellishment but
it works. Panegyric is a song with a private meaning for me with a very
simple direct lyric where I wanted to have some old fashioned Glass Hammer
grandiosity, a little dissonance and a grand climax and I think I basically got
away with it.
Steve: I wrote the
music for The Grey Hills in two short sessions.
The lyrics really came naturally and in a way, just appeared on the page
as I typed. Sometimes I write an opening line with no idea where it will go and
the words just start flowing. That
happened with The Grey Hills, which is perhaps not an epic track, but very much
a ‘Glass Hammer’ish’ piece of music.
Is it any
sort of challenge (in Jon Davison's case) to balance vocal duties between Glass
Hammer and Yes? Has his addition to Yes changed Glass Hammer's own band dynamic
at all?
Fred: Only because it sent us back
to a multi-singer format which has always worked well for us. It's really
been fortuitous in the long run.
Steve: It is all about timing for us
and Jon. It worked out well for him on
“Ode To Echo”. As a rule, we would never
alter schedules for Glass Hammer recordings based on another band’s work, no
matter who they are. That might make
things tough on Jon in the future – but everyone needs to have a job and we
understand that.
While many
of the modern-day symphonic prog bands (not least of all Transatlantic) feel
terribly rooted in the past, there's a handful I think of- Glass Hammer
included!- that seek to update and renovate the 'symphonic' style for the 21st
century. What is your attraction to this perennial style of progressive rock,
do you think has potential for a greater relevance in the current scene of
music? Are there any other excellent symph-prog acts you might recommend to a
fellow listener?
Fred: I just don't analyze it that
way myself; we just make music and leave the analysis and greater context to
others. And I don't really follow other current bands very closely; it's
largely a matter of time management really. Being in a band and running a
studio full time gives you musical tunnel vision for your own work. I
don't want to hear more music at the end of my day; I listen to talk radio or
watch TV. All the bands I hear in passing that are highly thought of
deserve it, from what I can tell. Obviously I'm partial to Salem Hill,
the band Carl Groves leads. But I'm really not collecting music from
current bands. IZZ are really, really good, and everything I've heard
from 3rd Degree I've dug. Both were on the bill with us in Quebec
recently and did a great job.
Steve: It’s like adding rooms to a
house that was never finished. Some of
the rooms look very much like others you have visited, some provide an
incredible new view on the world outside, some are poorly designed while others
seem to have a purpose – a real reason for being there.
Glass Hammer brings more to the
table than a mere love of old prog albums.
We’re into movies, books and many other genres of music. We have life experiences due to the time we
grew up in that the ‘first wave’ cannot possibly share. All these things and more combine to give us
our uniqueness – which I hope people can experience when listening to what we
do.
I’m with Fred when it comes to the
new bands. We aren’t ‘proggers’ in that
sense – collecting new albums and taking the time to appreciate what’s going on
in the scene. There just isn’t enough
time, though now and then I will hear something that moves me. Steven Wilson’s “The Raven That Refused To
Sing” is one example.
But to quickly answer your question
about relevance… Though I don’t see a time where prog bands will reach ‘super
group status’ again, I do think the audience is expanding. The time is right for prog to ‘step up’, but
it has to happen naturally – grass roots.
What advice
would you give to other musicians- in prog or otherwise- trying to make music
and get their voice out there?
Fred: Just do the best you can do
and don't skimp on production. Unless you have a track record in
production hire a producer that knows what they're doing.
Steve: I may eventually offer that
advice in book form, seriously!
First, you have to hone your musical
and songwriting skills. Second, find
others who share your ‘vision’. Third, nearly kill yourself producing and
recording the ‘vision’. Fourth, actually release the ‘vision’! Fifth and
finally (for now), learn to promote. This
last bit is as important as all the others combined. If you can’t promote your music, no one will
ever care about it.
Any recent
prog albums that you might recommend? This year's been incredible for music so
far.
Fred: Not really; it's my fault, I
haven't heard any!
Steve: See, you guys get to enjoy
prog! We’re too busy making it! We are all lucky in our own way I
suppose. I’m glad 2014 has been a good
year. When prog thrives, Glass Hammer
thrives. So, naturally I will recommend
“Ode To Echo”.
What are
your favourite sorts of cheeseburgers?
Fred: If we're not talking home-made
or expensive boutique burgers like Five Guys then not much, at least in our
market. I'm a sucker for the Whopper. They've held the quality
standards up at least to some slight degree. Burger King and maybe
Hardees. Every other fast food burger is essentially Soylent Green at
this point. No one who wasn't alive in the 80s can imagine how good, say,
Wendy's used to be. But now they're garbage.
Steve: The ones we grill here at
home are my favorite. Beyond that, the
basic McDonald’s cheeseburger wins the award for burger neatness and
efficiency. From years on the road I
learned it’s the only one you can eat while driving. It won’t come apart or drip grease in your
lap. Maybe it’s not the prettiest or
best tasting cheeseburger, but it can keep you alive when you’re stuck behind
the wheel. Fred can keep his Whopper.
What lays
in the future for Glass Hammer?
Fred: I think we can keep doing an
album a year for the foreseeable future. We're quite inspired at the
moment, we have a lot of new blood in the band and it's really keeping the
momentum up. I would like to experiment with doing a new all original
album as a live concert and film it. That's an idea we've kicked around
for a while now; perform a whole new album of original material in concert and
record that as an album and video. A bit like Joe Jackson and the Big World
project, or Todd Rundgren and Nearly Human, except he didn't video most of
that. And hopefully a lot more live playing than in the past.
Steve: We have our first rehearsal
as a band today for brand new material.
That is very exciting for us. I
think we all came back from The Terra Incognita Festival in Quebec City really
ready to plow ahead. I hope we can do
some bigger projects like Fred mentioned – we both want to do that. If those ideas prove logistically too
complicated we are perfectly content to keep going as we are; releasing albums
and performing festivals and concerts.
The final
words are yours.
Fred: Klaatubaradanik-COUGH!!
Steve: Frodo Lives!
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