Broken Glow on their sound: "It's meant to replicate some kind of astral projection or link to a higher consciousness."
Looking for a new diverse rock band?! Broken Glow from Georgia, US fit the bill with their 'bluesy hard rock' that they have been delivering since 2008. So read on to find out about this exciting and deep band...
So first things first, how did you come up with your band name and what is the story behind it?
The name "Broken Glow" was stumbled upon as we pored through lyric sheets of bands we were influenced by. We'd had a hard time coming up with a name, and after trying strange brainstorming tactics, random word generators and everything else we could think of, we turned to Led Zeppelin and The Beatles for inspiration. The two words of our name are taken from songs by these artists.
Can you tell us a bit about your formation in 2008?
Our lineup has morphed quite a bit over the years, but the band's inception was the spring of 2008 when drummer Paul (drummer) reconnected with childhood friends Jon and Brenner (original singer and guitarist, respectively). They'd grown up together in Connecticut, and after college they found a shared affinity for rock music. After it was determined that another guitar would fill the sound out more fully, Jon contacted Garrett (guitar/vocals), whom he'd met at Ithaca College, to join the group. Garrett moved to Connecticut to join the group, which promptly wrote a full original set and recorded "Black" in the late months of that year. Currently Paul and Garrett remain from the original lineup, with Sara rocking bass since 2014.
You have a great rock sound citing some interesting and diverse influences from Pantera to South Park! How would you best describe your music?
It's always difficult to describe your own work, but we would definitely describe our sound as "bluesy hard rock." Obvious influences are the British bands of the late 60's and 70's (Cream, Zeppelin, Floyd, Sabbath, etc), as well as harder grunge and metal bands (Alice In Chains, System Of A Down, Metallica, Lamb Of God). Yet especially with our later material we have written more stylistic variation into our music, pulling from our other musical influences in the realms of blues, folk, funk, jazz, punk, and classical music.
Have you got any more bizarre influences you want to mention?
Dragons, Runestones, Alchemy...
I understand you have had a few line-up changes since starting out, how would you say this has effected the sound of the band and the dynamics over the years?
In the beginning we were all still trying to figure out how toppled together and cut our teeth. Alec was added on bass in 2009, and during that period we were closer to a Guns N Roses band with attitude and drive. After moving to Brooklyn in 2010 Alec parted with the band, with Andrew taking his spot. Andrew played in hardcore Brooklyn mothers Cousin Sleaze, and our sound began to take on a tighter edge. Jon left the band in 2011 to pursue his education, and Garrett taking over vocals brought more blues and folk influence to the forefront (heard on the 2011 recording"Watercolors"). Early 2012 saw the death of lead guitarist Brenner, whose direction handled the band from the beginning. The personal tragedy was staggering, and it led the band to separate for nearly a year.
Garrett moved down to Savannah, GA in late 2012 and after some months recruited Paul to join him in the Low Country. For a short time Paul and Garrett played as a 2-piece, rebuilding the sound and writing new material. This period was understandably more aggressive, moodier, and with Garrett assuming all guitar duties the melodic voice of the band morphed (heard on 2014's "Live Like An Animal"). The addition of Sara on bass in 2014 rounded the group out to its current power trio, and her vocal stylings unique harmonic sense brings a fullness to the sound that can be heard on our latest release, "Filament."
What has the response been to your new album, ‘Filament’. and how happy were you with the end result?
Response to "FIlament" has been great! Our local Savannah community has really embraced the group, and we've heard two tracks on the airwaves since the album's release in February. We're currently remixing the album, after which it will receive full distribution on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and all those fancy virtual palaces of modern culture.
How was the recording and writing process for the release?
Preparing and recording the album was a great time. This was to be our first full length album, and we wanted it to represent the various sides of our musical tastes and abilities, individually and as a group. The first 3 songs on the album are all old tunes dating from 2009 and before, but the following 6 tracks were written and rehearsed between April and August of 2015. We recorded over 3 days in August of that year onto reel to reel tape, with all three band members in a room playing together live. We're not particularly big fans of post-production chopping and editing, and wanted to get the truest sound of a band in a room as we could.
The album was mixed by friend and guest guitarist Chris Horton, who joined us on stage at the album's release party. His approach differed slightly from ours, and guitars were layered over the basic tracks after the fact, vocals re-recorded, etc. We are currently going back to the original tracks and stripping it back down to those bare bones.
What are some of your favourite songs from the album and why are they?
"Monk Mode" is definitely a stand-out track on the album. It's meditative, trance-like rhythm is all Sara, and the weaving vocal lines bring an eerie, ethereal element to the tune. It's meant to replicate some kind of astral projection or link to a higher consciousness, so the instrumental break in the middle sparkles through major chords, a welcome departure from the heavily minor-key tone of the song.
"Blue Dream" is a lot of fun to play, and its lyrical content speaks to an important element of our band. It talks of finding brotherhood and common ground between neighbours, and the idea of collaboration over competition is fundamental to our group. We also love "Well: because, come on, who doesn't love the blues?
What can attending fans expect from your shows?
A damn good time! Since we've been playing for 8 years, we've accumulated a lot of material and don't like to repeat ourselves. Listeners would certainly get samplings from our last 2 recordings, as well as a sprinkle of classic canon (we've covered everyone from Joni Mitchell to James Gang to Soundgarden to Otis Redding). We love when an audience interacts with us and try to keep it groovy.
What else have Broken Glow got planned for 2016?
We have multiple regional shows (Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas), as well as a session to record a brand new single. We are working on a collaboration with local brewery Southbound Brewery (where we held our release show for "Filament") that involves a showcase of local blues musicians, and rumour has it that we will be turning it to 11 come Halloween...
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
If you dig the music, let us know! We're just folks trying to live the dream, and would love to come to the UK. Cheers!
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