Progarchist Birzer doesn’t like doing ANY thing half way–his love for GH is tangible. He also owns the t-shirt.

Feel free to call me a “Glass Hammer Junkie.”  Steve and Fred might not approve, but it is the truth.  Ever since my great friend, Amy Sturgis, introduced me to their music, days or so before LEX REX appeared in 2002, I’ve been hooked.  As you can see by the accompanying photograph, I’m pretty much a completist as well.  After all, why like anything halfway?  Besides, Glass Hammer isn’t a “half-way” kind of love.  You either love them completely, or you don’t know them.

Some reviewers have–in an almost obligatory way–compared their music to that produced during the first decade of Yes.  As Babb has joked, GH admires Jon Anderson and Yes deeply, but he’s merely acknowledging the debt in his own music, not mimicking it.  And, frankly, from my perspective, GH has much more of a “Leftoverature” feel than a Yes one.  Regardless, Babb and Schendel are artists, pure and simple, indebted and original all at once.

There is so much I could write about GH, a book really.  But, for now, let me state that there will be more much about GH at progarchy, as well as an extensive analysis and history of the band over at Carl Olson’s brilliant, Catholic World Report.  Additionally, we’ll have a long interview with GH co-founder, Steve Babb.

As many of you know, I’m not a huge fan of labels, as they tend to narrow the beauty of a thing.  If you forced me to label Glass Hammer’s music, though, I’d probably claim it as “Ransom Prog,” the kind of music Elwin Ransom would’ve written while on Malacandra.  For one (or three, really) of the things to love about GH is the “voice” of the band.  And, I don’t mean the vocalists.  There are lots of vocalists for GH, and there have been since the band’s beginning, the release of their first cd back in 1993, twenty years ago.  There quite good.  I’m especially fond of Susie Bogdanowicz.  Phew, can she sing or what?  Her rendition of Yes’s “South Side of the Sky” is simply breathtaking.  The vocal equivalent would be Dawn Upshaw singing Gorecki’s Third Symphony.  Yes, Bogdanowicz is THAT good.

The real voice of the band, however, can be found in three very different things.  Second and third, the distinctiveness of the bass and keyboards, a profound mixture of the punctuated, the soaring, and the lush.  But, first and foremost, are the lyrics.  Glass Hammer contains some of the best lyrics in rock history.  No exaggeration.  Last year, just as 2012 was winding down, I was utterly blown away by Perilous.  I even held up my “best of” because of the album.  It went from not being on my radar in October to being one of the top releases of the year by early December.   The music is, certainly, excellent.  But, the lyrics are top notch–meaningful, imagist, and philosophical.

I think the lack of recognition of excellent lyric writing is one of the great faults in reviewing and assessing this third wave of prog (as our own Brian Watson labels it).  After all, look at the lyrics of Spawton, Longdon, and Tillison, the lyrics of the Tin Spirits, of Gazpacho, or Ayreon (the plot of Ayreon is also mind boggling–but this is for another post), and others.  The lyrics for GH are at this top.  They are as good as the music, and the two–lyrics and music–serve one another.  The lyrics are at once mythic and deeply moving.  Here’s just one example from Inconsolable Secret:

This is where we draw the line
And here is where we make our stand
You’ll gather all our forces here for
Here we stand on hallowed ground
And here the foe will surely fall
We’ll send his army scattering for
This is where we draw the line
And here is where we make our stand
Now sound the trumpets, form the battle line
Hold the line

Babb’s lyrics reflect those of the Beowulf poet as well as the poet of the Battle of Maldon.  Certainly, Babb is drawing upon these medieval sources, and, probably, a bit of Chesterton’ s Everlasting Man.

There’s a really nice review of the rereleased and remixed version of Glass Hammer’s masterful, Inconsolable Secret, over at http://www.progrocket.com.  Sadly, I can’t figure out who the author is, or I’d give her or him explicit credit.

One of the quintessential modern-day symphonic progressive rock bands, Glass Hammer recently re-released their 2005 album The Inconsolable Secret. The new “deluxe edition” contains all the original material from the two-disc album, as well as a third disc featuring remixes of several of the songs, two with new vocal tracks from present lead singer Jon Davison, who is currently the lead singer for Yes. Glass Hammer is led by multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb and Fred Schendel.–Progrocket.

To keep reading this excellent review, click here.

For Glass Hammer’s official website, click here.

[Review of Anathema, Distant Satellites (Kscope, 2014). Reviewed from digital files and without liner notes or lyrics.]

NOT RECOMMENDED.

I would give much either to have the opportunity to write a different review or avoid writing a review of this album altogether. The latter is my usual M.O. when I don’t like something or when I think something is subpar. Though other progarchists would justly and properly disagree with me on this issue, I think it important to spend our time writing and thinking about beautiful things. Life is simply too short to waste on mud, muck, and decay, and art is too precious and rare to squander or abuse it.

Also, simply put, I’m not good at writing about things I don’t like. I would also guess that spending time with things that are poor or corrupt damage my soul (and yours) irreparably.

But, I can neither ignore the new Anathema nor write a positive review of it without being dishonest. Distant Satellites is not corrupt, but it is, for the band, sub par. I wish Anathema would have taken more time with the writing of this album or simply have taken time off for a rest. Or, perhaps, the band could have released just a few of the best songs as an EP rather than as a full-fledged album.  As an album, it can’t hold together.

A year ago, if someone had asked me to discuss the present state of rock music, I would have sung the praises of Big Big Train and The Tangent, correctly claiming that each band was reach so far and attaining so much that they were very close to becoming untouchable. 2014 wouldn’t change this assessment. BBT and The Tangent are not only at the very top of their game, they are at the very top of THE game. Outside of North American bands (I’m intentionally excluding Rush and Glass Hammer), I would have gladly said that Cosmograf and Anathema were so close to untouchable as to be nearly at the level of the top two. 2014, thus far, has drastically changed the prog landscape. Whereas Cosmograf has moved into the top three with its new masterpiece, Capacitor, Distant Satellites reveals a broken or, at best, wounded, decaying Anathema.

How different a year ago was. Looking at the trajectory of Anathema—from A Natural Disaster to Universal—I would have placed good money on the rise of the band. Well, not really, I think gambling is a waste of time and money. But, you get the idea. I mean, really, Universal has to be one of the best live albums of the rock era. In terms of intensity and significance, this was a band with everything. While I would not have rated the two lead vocalists of Anathema—Vincent Cavanaugh and Lee Douglas—at the level of, say, David Longdon, Susie Bogdanowicz, or Leah McHenry, they would be close.

As mentioned above, I really wish I could write a different review for the new album. I have now listened to Distant Satellites close to a dozen times in hopes of coming to love it. Every listen, though, only makes realize how poor it is compared to their previous releases. Not that it’s terrible. Overall, it’s ok, but it’s, unfortunately, not much better than ok. I find myself wanting to skip through almost every song. There are two exceptions to this. Track Four, “Ariel,” has to be one of the single best songs Anathema has ever written.

The second best song on the album, “Distant Satellites,” is fascinating, but not necessarily for the right reasons. I’m fairly sure that if I allowed 100 dedicated prog fans to listen to it for the first time without giving them a single piece of information about the track, 75 to 90 of them would claim it to be a never-before-recorded track from Radiohead’s Kid A sessions. Indeed, I won’t be totally surprised when my physical copy finally arrives from the UK, if the liner notes reveal that Thom Yorke actually wrote the track and sang lead vocals on it. It’s one thing to pay homage to an exemplar, it’s a very different thing to mimic them. I really don’t know what to make of all of this, or why Anathema decided to pursue the course it did.

I really wish I could proclaim Distant Satellites to be the finest work yet by Anathema. I would be lying, though.

If you’re an Anathema or Kscope completest, buy this. Otherwise, I simply can’t recommend it. Other than tracks 4 and 9 and, possibly, 10, it’s not worth the price. Purchasing it would be kind of like putting stock in the Skylab project a few days before it crashed into Australia.

Let’s all hope the band’s followup puts them back into orbit.

American genius.  Susie looks like she’s having a blast.

Oh. . . this looks great!

Glass Hammer’s 17th studio album, “The Breaking Of The World” to be released March 31st 2015 with pre-ordering of autographed copies starting March 1st. Featuring Babb, Schendel, Groves, Shikoh, Bogdanowicz and Raulston. Nine new tracks with audiophile mastering by Bob Katz of Digital Domain and art by Michal Xaay Loranc.

And, it looks beautiful.  What a captivating cover.  To go to the actual site, click here.

Two CDs – One Bonus DVD

Recorded at RoSFest 2015, Glass Hammer “Double Live” marks the bands first live album in over ten years.

Prog Magazine declares Glass Hammer’s RoSfest 2015 performance, “…the boldest set of the weekend. Steve Babb and Fred Schendel have always succeeded in creating an ensemble that fully complements their sense of musical grandeur.”

Stay tuned! Release date to be announced soon.

Progarchy. com declares Glass Hammer, “. . .awesome.”

Progarchy.com says. . . “Glass Hammer is nothing less than astounding.”

For more information, go to Glass Hammer’s official website: http://glasshammer.com

Glass Hammer Live at the Tivoli (Sound Resources, 2008)

Recorded at Lee University, October 17, 2006

Sound Resources, 2008.

Tracks: Eiger Dreams (intro music); Run Lisette; A Cup of Trembling; Lirazel; Heroes and Dragons; Longer; Knight of the North; Beati Quorum Via; Having Caught a Glimpse; and South Side of the Sky)

Call it being a loyal fan, call it being more than a bit OCD, or call it being a bit of both. . . . LIVE AT THE TIVOLI was the last Glass Hammer release I needed to become a full-fledged, more than honorable, Glass Hammer completest.  I can now rather proudly state that I own every single album and DVD Glass Hammer has released.  This is not small feat given 1) how much the band has produced in its glorious history; and 2) given just how hard it is to find a few of their DVDs.  But, I’ve done it.

And, it’s a beautiful thing.  Beautiful in terms of sound, in terms of video, and in terms—but of course!—in enthusiasm.

Listening to Glass Hammer is glorious enough, but getting to see them and to listen to them at the same time is something simply extraordinary.

A sequel of sorts to the band’s LIVE AT BELMONT, LIVE AT TIVOLI is not as strong on the camera work as its immediate predecessor, but the set list is perfect and the performances flawless.

Bogdanowicz and Groves at ROSFest.

As with LIVE AT BELMONT, TIVOLI features the singing pair of Carl Groves and Susie Bogdanowicz.  If I praised Susie even more than I have in other posts, folks out in the prog world might start asking questions!  Ha.  Seriously, I think Bogdanowicz has one of the two best voices in the rock world of today (only rivaled by David Longdon of Big Big Train), and I equally think that she and Groves make the best pair in rock, period.  I appreciate what Jon Davison has brought to the band, but, for me, if I want the best and classic GH lineup, I want Groves and Bogdanowicz.

Lest you think I’m exaggerating (not out of the realm of possibilities in my weird world) and If you want to hear just how extraordinary Bogdanowicz’s voice is, simply queue up GH’s rendition of Yes’s “South Side of the Sky.”  While I realize this will be considered heresy in many prog circles, I believe GH’s re-write is far better than the original, though the original is one of my favorite Yes songs.  I will never forget the first time I heard GH’s version.  It was late October, 2007, and I had just burned the CD to iTunes and onto my iPod.  I was out for a walk, and when I hit play for the first time, I was utterly floored.  Even to this day, nearly a decade later, I can still still the autumnal trees and feel the fall chill in the air at the moment I heard her first vocal lines.  Frankly, I still get goose bumps listening to Bogdanowicz’s version.

As noted in the track list above, GH offers an unusual but highly successful set of songs.  “Eiger Dreams” is interesting intro music and the choir reveals its many excellences with its own take on “Beati Quorum Via,” by Charles Villiers Stanford, based on Psalm 119.  Otherwise, the set list is also pure GH (there’s a prog version of Dan Fogelberg’s 1979 pop hit, “Longer”).  Taken from LEX REX, THE INCONSOLABLE SECRET, AND CULTURE OF ASCENT, LIVE AT TIVOLI really shows off GH’s more romantic and orchestral side.

There are no documentaries or extras, but the concert—in and of itself—is excellent.  This DVD is pretty hard to find.  I spent nearly two years trying to hunt one down, and, the moment a copy became available, I ordered it.  So very glad I did.  As with all things Glass Hammer, LIVE AT TIVOLI is a beauty.

Babb (left) and Schendel (center). Two of the most important heroes of third-wave prog.

Babb and Schendel–the founders and mainstays of Glass Hammer–have persevered for a quarter of a century.  For any of us who love prog, we owe so very, very much to these two men. And, interestingly enough, they never stop giving.  They work hard, they innovate, and they treat us so very well.   They also, not surprisingly, only get better with each new year and with each new album.

For me, they are the American equivalent of Big Big Train, the absolute best of the best.

This morning, while attending Palm Sunday Mass, I couldn’t help but think how much GH’s LEX REX has shaped my own understanding of the Easter mystery, poor as it is.  When I listen to GH, I’m pretty sure the musicians already have some really mystical connection to the divine and to the heavenly realm.

So great of them to allow us to participate!  Grace calling upon grace.

I couldn’t be happier with this news.  I regard Susie Bogdanowicz as the finest female voice in rock, and, along with David Longdon, one of the two finest voices overall in rock.

Glass Hammer just gets better and better.  What a great development.

http://teamrock.com/news/2016-06-17/glass-hammer-16th-album-valkyrie-susie-bogdanowicz

Glass Hammer has released this gorgeous photo of Susie Bogdanowicz laying down her vocals as she fronts the band on the forthcoming album, VALKYRIE.

Susie Bogdanowicz, GLASS HAMMER.  Photo courtesy of Julie Babb.

This photo has to be the best teaser and advertisement possible for the new album.  After all, Bogdanowicz is, at least to my ears, one of the two best voices in the current rock world.

VALKYRIE is an astounding achievement by any measure.  It’s not only the best album of 2016, but it’s one of the best albums of the rock era, a relentless drive toward poetic and tonal excellence.  Glass Hammer is a band that never stops challenging itself, and it never fails to succeed.

Susie Bogdanowicz, the Best Voice in Rock.

This is, by far, Glass Hammer’s best album.  Amazingly so!  In fact, it’s the perfect, but more intense, sibling of LEX REX, INCONSOLABLE SECRET, and PERILOUS.

As I’ve been steadily and rather ceaselessly listening to it (being rather blown away with each listen), I’ve been thinking, “this is the most cinematic album I’ve ever heard.”  Then, I thought, “this is the most novelistic album I’ve heard.”  And, then, it hit me—Glass Hammer has now produced the V FOR VENDETTA or DARK KNIGHT RETURNS or THE WATCHMEN of the rock world.

By far, the best album of 2016.

VALKYRIE, as it happily turns out, is a very graphic novel.  The best.

Throughout my many listens to Valkyrie, I’ve heard a nod to RELAYER and a nod to BRAIN SALAD SURGERY, but the album is pure Glass Hammer.  This is no—as some critics have ridiculously argued of other GH albums—tribute to Yes or Genesis.  This is absolutely it’s own thing, and it’s a rather glorious and beautiful thing.

For what it’s worth, I think this is not only the best album of 2016, it’s one of the two or three best albums of the last 40-plus years.  My favorite songs are “No Mans Land,” “Nexus Girl,” and “Fog of War,” though I liked everything.  There’s not a dud track on the album.  The male voices, mixed with instruments, mixed with Susie’s ethereal vocals are just astounding.  And, it all wraps up so perfectly in the appropriately titled final track,“Rapturo.”

This is such an important release that it should be featured fully in such outlets as PROG, CLASSIC ROCK, and UNCUT.  Frankly, this deserves a full hour or more on NPR.  Just as Babb wrote that powerful Lay a few years ago, Glass Hammer should be producing a companion novel or graphic novel to go with VALKYRIE.  If Glass Hammer toured with this story, they could really, really hit it big.  As big as Hamilton, to be sure.

I love the theme of the new album as well—we are men of the West, we might very well die, but we’ll not go out with a whimper.   VALKYRIE is the perfect response to the horrors of this extremely chaotic and violent summer.  Also, as it turns out, the album is also a beautiful memorial of the 100th anniversary of WWI.

This album is the best thing I’ve heard this year and in a long, long time.  Thank you, Steve, Fred, Susie, and Co.  This album fills me with hope—for the future of art and for the future of human dignity.

Pre-order links are now up and running.  Order early and often!  http://glasshammer.com/official-store/

Make sure you check out the live feed this afternoon with the ever amazing, incredibly-talented, and equally kind and personable Susie Bogdanowicz of Glass Hammer, this afternoon at 3pm EST.

The live feed will be available on Glass Hammer’s main Facebook page.  This should be the link (apologies if not!): https://www.facebook.com/glasshammerband/?fref=ts

Anyway, don’t pass up this chance to talk with the best voice in rock.

Glass Hammer’s Latest, VALKYRIE–2016’s best album.

From the beginning of this, let me [Brad] note that I think that VALKYRIE is not only Glass Hammer’s finest achievement, but it’s the best album of 2016, thus far.

Questions

PROGARCHY: Steve and Fred, after so many years of writing, recording, and producing, what motives you?  I ask this, because most bands go the other direction.  They start strong, and they lose it.  You, however, do just the opposite.  You started very strong, and you just keep getting better.  Why, how?  What’s your secret?

Fred: Luck, perhaps?  It may have a little to do with the fact we’re easily distracted and move from one thing to the next like butterflies so we never have a chance to get too stale.  We are always interested in trying something different.  I think in this case we benefit from having little bits of stuff fly by on the wind and stick to us- post rock, ambient video game music; things we don’t necessarily know well enough to emulate too specifically, but that influence what we’re doing at any given time.  The other thing is surrounding ourselves with the right people and I think that has a lot to do with the new album working out as well as it has.

Steve: We’re driven and we just don’t stop. Momentum is important. We have awesome bandmates who invest themselves into our vision and a support team that keeps everything behind the scenes running smoothly. I’m with Fred on the butterfly theory. There are a million things I’d like to try with Glass Hammer. We’ll never get to the end of my list or Fred’s.

***

PROGARCHY: What do you think Glass Hammer means as a band, a concept, a project?  Where do you see Valkyrie in your personal history, and where do you see it in the long tradition of rock and prog?

Fred: I don’t know what it means.  I feel like I have to leave those questions to the people on the outside looking in; people that have an objective view of it all.  My perspective is kind of mundane.  For me Glass Hammer is an outlet for the music I write and Valkyrie is the latest work we’ve done and that’s it.  Time will tell us where Valkyrie fits in the history of the band and of prog in general.  I have high hopes though that it will be remembered as an important album in our catalog but it’s not my call.

Steve: For me, Glass Hammer satisfies the need to create and share the work. We’re a musical expression of a world-view as well, and I guess I’ve driven that idea. Valkyrie is or was quite personal. The story of the soldier and the girl started as a way for me to deal with trauma from my own experience. The hope being, that as I wrote it I could build the story toward a hopeful ending, and thus, find answers to my own dilemma. What happened was that I realized how insignificant my experience was when compared to others. It helped me mend. My Valkyrie has already arrived and guided me home so to speak. What happened to me was no battlefield experience and we need to confess that unless we’ve actually been in that situation there is no way we could possibly be able to relate to those who have, or even write music about it. I can’t reduce that sort of horror into music or lyrics. Still, trauma takes many forms in many lives. I just hope Valkyrie helps others, and especially encourages family and friends of trauma survivors. Survivors don’t make it home without help. As for Valkyrie’s place in history I can’t say. We just hope everyone enjoys it and that it has as much or more impact as other important albums in our back catalog.

***

PROGARCHY: I’ll take this a bit further.  It’s twenty years from now, 2036, and some historian of rock is writing the definitive history of the first sixty years of prog.  Where would Glass Hammer and Valkyrie fit in?

Fred: Well, assuming it’s worthy of a mention at that point it seems it will have done pretty well.  Hopefully I’ll be around to find out!

Steve: I still hope our best work is ahead of us, though if Valkyrie were the final musical statement of Glass Hammer I’m prepared to say we have done all that we ever set out to do and more. That’s today. I’ve always thought Glass Hammer deserved to be taken seriously. If, in twenty years our legacy is intact and acknowledged, I’ll say it was work worth doing. Truthfully, it has all been worth doing regardless of the future.

Priceless.

***

PROGARCHY: Why Valkyrie as a title?  Most listeners will immediately conjure images of flying Viking maidens, Wagner, or Bugs Bunny.  How does the story tie together?

Steve: I’m a casual student of Norse literature so I’m not unfamiliar with the term Valkyrie. Oddly enough it was the Tom Cruise movie about WWII of the same name that got my attention. We watched it for a second time last spring and it occurred to me that the girl in my lyrics was very much like a battle-field angel, sweeping in to rescue the fallen hero. Frankly, it’s an attention-grabbing title, and I’m always looking for just the right phrase or impactful word to use as a title. The word “Valkyrie” summed it all up for me as it encompasses ideas of battle, heroes (both male and female), angels, romance and rescue.

 ***

PROGARCHY: When you compose musically, are you thinking in terms of the overall story and concept, or are you thinking about creating space for individual musical contributions?

Steve: For me it’s more simple than that. I’m just looking for a good song. From time to time I’ll give some direction about needing this or that to make the concept work. I have always felt that the concept or the need to tell a story shouldn’t overwhelm the music. Interesting music is the top priority. Though I do write sections of music where I know Fred will solo or Alan will add textures. I know I can count on them. Factoring their future contributions into my current songwriting has become second-nature at this point.

*** 

PROGARCHY: This album strikes me as especially cohesive, but without diminishing individual and artistic excellence.  I’m especially interested to know how and what Susie, Aaron, and Alan think about this?

Susie: It’s interesting that you point that out, because as I listen to it, I am thinking “wow, Alan sounds awesome there. Wait…and Aaron, and Steve, AND Fred!”  They really are all on top of their game on this album.  No one outshines, yet each is brilliant.

Alan: I think there are really two main things that contributed to the cohesiveness of this album. On both Ode To Echo and The Breaking Of The World we all wrote material individually which grew and evolved as ideas were passed back and forth. So we really didn’t know exactly what we had in terms of the big picture until all the individual pieces took shape and were brought to life later on in the process. There’s a very distinct contrast in each of our writing styles and you really get an eclectic mix of songs on those two albums. This time around with Valkyrie, I really helped champion the idea that it might be time for Fred and Steve to fully take the reins and write a unified concept album in the way they used to work back in the days when it was essentially just the two of them carrying out their artistic vision. That’s definitely not to say that the rest of the band was somehow less involved – quite the contrary. I feel like the two of them taking full control over the songwriting and concept on this project allowed me to better focus on coming up with the best guitar parts that complimented the skeleton that was already in place and I was able to spend much more time rehearsing and dialing in tones before hitting record than in the past. The second contributing factor I would say is that the recurring thematic material on this album is a lot tighter and more concise than on previous projects. There are many moments where various motives appear and reappear throughout the album in surprising ways that I don’t think would have occurred to me if I had been preoccupied with trying to write my own songs while learning others. So basically the strategy was a win-win, Fred and Steve delivered a brilliant concept and vision and the rest of us were inspired to deliver our best individual playing.

Aaron: Thank you for your kind words regarding Valkyrie!! I think the main reason for both the cohesiveness and creativity is just the fact that Steve, Fred, Alan, and I rehearsed the material extensively for several months prior to recording it, so it personally gave me a chance to really put my spin on the songs after I learned them and was comfortable playing them.

 ***

PROGARCHY: Susie, the internet is abuzz with the idea that you’re now fronting GH.  Does that excite you?  Would you like to take this live?

Susie: I don’t really understand the buzz.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, but I let that go pretty quickly.  I don’t take praise or criticism too seriously.   And, I don’t think anyone “fronts” Glass Hammer.  We are all equally essential parts of the whole.  At different times Fred is the “front” or Steve.  Other times, it’s Alan or Aaron.  That’s the beauty and freedom of progressive music.  It doesn’t have to fit traditional band roles.

I think this would be a perfect album to perform live, because that’s how we recorded it.  It would be a varied set musically, and I think it would take the audience on an emotional ride.  We would have a blast performing this!

***

PROGARCHY: Alan and Aaron, there’s been some really healthy attention focused on you each as individual performers within Glass Hammer.  Thoughts on this and on your role within the band?

Aaron: It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around having any attention at all because I’ve always been a behind the scenes and chill out kind of guy haha. I’ve always thought of my role in Glass Hammer as being the silent leader. I have to set up the next section of a song rhythmically and dynamically, and if I fail to provide that, then I alone could make that section sound flat or even worse, it could all just fall apart. The drums are the only instrument in a band that have that  power. So, I have to be on top of my game even more so than the others.

Alan: My role in the band has definitely grown since I came onboard during the recording of IF. Initially, although the guys have always welcomed my ideas and my musical instincts from the very beginning, I look back at those earlier albums and feel that I thought and played more like a session guitarist filling a hole rather than a vital component of the Glass Hammer sound. Because this band can be somewhat mercurial I used to find myself looking entirely to Fred or Steve for direction on what they felt they needed from me on a particular part. As longtime GH fans will know Fred plays guitar well himself and could easily fill that role if needed as he has at times in the past. So I kept thinking to myself, “if I’m going to play this part it has to be because I bring something unique and individual to the table”. So I’ve kept that mentality and I think over the course of the past few albums I’ve started to shape a guitar style that is uniquely Glass Hammer and can be recognized and identified. I’m very happy with what I was able to bring to Valkyrie and I think it’s definitely the most fully integrated the guitar has ever been in this band.

*** 

PROGARCHY: If you extended the scope of the media around Valkyrie, where would you go?  I could easily see this as a novel, a graphic novel, and a Netflix original series.

Steve: I would be thrilled to see Valkyrie as a graphic novel. Of course it would first have to inspire someone, some other artist or writer. We don’t have connections with those folks but if someone who reads this does, by all means hook us up!

Afterword: a gargantuan thanks to all of the members of Glass Hammer for taking the time to answer my questions.  A true honor.

An even greater honor: having the art of these five extraordinary persons out in the world for all of creation to enjoy.  Thank you : Steve, Susie, Fred, Aaron, and Alan.

And, your favorite website is even referenced!

For the uninitiated, prog rock emerged in England in the late ’60s with such lysergically-altered bands as Pink Floyd and the Moody Blues, but hit its popularity peak in the early ’70s with Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson and Genesis, among others. Perhaps the best-known example to the general public is Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” which has sold 45 million copies since its release in 1973.

From the start, prog rock fans have been fiercely loyal, not only to their favorite groups but to their listening media. They like actual CDs. Babb says he expects to sell about “several thousand” hard copies of “Valkyrie.” To that end, Glass Hammer offered signed copies to fans who pre-ordered the album; Babb says it was the best pre-sale they’ve ever had, but he declines to give numbers.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/entertainment/story/2016/oct/10/dropping-hammer-chattanoogprog-rockers-glass/390749/

Susie Bogdanowicz

Dear Progarchists,

Prog Magazine, led by the ever-amazing Jerry Ewing, has asked for a vote of the best of 2016 in a variety of categories.  The Prog Readers Poll, as Ewing describes it:

Here’s your chance to vote in the Prog 2016 Readers’ Poll.  2016 might not be year many of us will remember too findlay, for a variety of reasons. But music is the great leveller, and in music we all seek the great escape. Having just compiled our Critics’ Choice album of the year list, and casting an eye back over the past 12 months, then maybe 2016 did have something going for it… There were great new albums from Marillion, Opeth,Big Big Train, iamthemorning, Radiohead and more. Vibrant gigs from Haken, Public Service Broadcasting, Dream Theater and others. And new arrivals on the scene like Kylver, The Anchoress, Teramaze. Oh, and some blokes called Anderson Rabin Wakeman… Maybe 2016 wasn’t too bad after all… So who made your 2016 a real prog rocker? Let us know – you can fill in the form on Page 25 of the current issue of Prog. or you can e-mail us your picks for the following categories. Use the subject Line ‘Readers’ Poll 2016′, and e-mail your choices to progpoll@teamrock.com.

We’ve never (and I’ve never) done anything like this before, but I ask that you consider voting for Susie Bogdanowicz of Glass Hammer as BEST FEMALE VOCALIST.  I’ve been praising her vocals for well over a decade now, and I find that she simply gets better and better, though I did not think this possible when I first heard her voice.  Her lead vocals on this year’s VALKYRIE by Glass Hammer are nothing less than astounding.  Indeed, I consider her the single best voice in all of rock (in every form) today.

In case you’re in doubt, however, I’ll let you decide for yourself.  Here she is, singing a prog classic.

Dare I note, she’s even better than the original vocalist!  Heresy, I know.  Still, proof as well that Bogdanowicz deserves best female prog vocalist of 2016.

Thanks!  Yours, Brad

Pensive, deep, and resonating strings eagerly invite listeners to immerse themselves utterly, fully, and completely in the album.  From there, keyboards swirl in anthemic Emerson-esque majesty until the entire orchestra begins what is nothing less than an all-encompassing and fetching fanfare.

We the listener feel not the abstraction of the music, but its tangibility.  We might very well be able to touch it.  We are not “fans” witnessing a spectacle from afar, hoping to catch a mere glimpse from our balcony seats the smiles that pass between Susie and Fred, the nods between Aaron and Steve, or which guitar Alan is using on this or that tune. No, nothing like any of this. With UNTOLD TALES, we the listeners are members of the artistic endeavor as a whole, as much a part of the band as those on stage, and just as fundamental to the artistic success of it all.

With the band’s latest release, UNTOLD TALES, Glass Hammer proves once again why it’s North America’s single finest band, growing better and better with the passing of time.

Indeed, its only rival for the top spot in the entirety of the rock world of 2017 is England’s Big Big Train.  Each band cares deeply about its art, and each makes us—the audience—better because of the integrity and innovation demonstrated for all to see and all to share.

Unlike last year’s, VALKYRIE—the single best release of 2016 in this world or in any other—UNTOLD TALES is a compilation of what would’ve once been fondly called “b-sides” and alternative tracks.  Or, if you were lucky enough to have come of age during the Reagan years, you might very well remember them as “12 inch singles.”

True to form and true to Glass Hammer’s default M.O., the lucky thirteen tracks of UNTOLD TALES come with extensive notes detailing the context, the authorship, and the meaning of each track.  As a historian, I can’t help but smile to myself.  Babb and Schendel have already done all of the work of the archivist!  We just get to sit back, listen, read, and enjoy.

The thirteen songs include reworkings of the band’s older music, live tracks, tracks written for other groups and albums, and covers. As to the latter, I have yet to hear Glass Hammer cover a song without making it better than the original.  While the Argent and George Harrison covers on UNTOLD TALES don’t match the sheer genius of the band’s cover of “South Side of the Sky” from 2007, they are really, really good.  And, yes, they are better than the originals. Some of the tracks are orchestral, some are folkish, and some of traditional and, for lack of a better term, “cozy.”

There are also several instrumentals.  I was skeptical at first, as I consider Susie Bogdanowicz to possess the best voice in rock, and I felt I might be deprived of enjoying the songs without her magnificence.  But, once again, GH proved their own excellence.

And, at this point in the review, I must make another note.  Being audiophiles and perfectionists, Babb and Schendel know exactly how to make an album flow.  This album, though constructed of previously released and disparate pieces, becomes a gloriously cohesive whole.

One of the songs that surprised me most is track 12, “The Impulsive Type,” featuring Neil Peart on drums!  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Raulston’s drumming.  The guy is astounding, but I wasn’t expecting Rush to show up on Glass Hammer.  Yet, there is Peart, drumming in the way only Peart can.  Glass Hammer takes advantage of this to write a rather Rush-ian song.

I suppose it’s predictable, but my favorite track on the album is track 11, “Cool Air.”  It’s the proggiest song on the album, and it retells an H.P. Lovecraft story.  Prog, Glass Hammer, and Lovecraft?  What’s not to love?

Admittedly, I’m obsessed with Glass Hammer, and I own everything that is available from the band.  I’ve hunted down even the most obscure of their releases.  So, if I’m biased in this review, so be it.  Still, as someone who has spent his adult professional life studying history and myth, I can state with certainty that Babb, Schendel, and co are some of our best and most interesting story tellers.  How many times have you picked up a fantasy novel with the blurb on the back reading: “A worthy successor to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings”?  Well, Babb and Schendel ARE the worthy successors to Tolkien.  If last year’s VALKYRIE was The Silmarillion, this year’s UNTOLD TALES is Unfinished Tales.

I’m already awaiting next year’s release!

Jerry Ewing’s PROG magazine has put a call out for nominations for this year’s READERS’ POLL.  Here’s the handy-dandy link: PROG READERS’ POLL 2017.

Make sure you follow the directions for the email: “To vote, copy the categories below and e-mail us with the subject line ‘Readers’ Poll 2017’ to prog@futurenet.com.”

I have proudly sent in my nominations, but I would like to encourage you to consider two specific folks for nomination.

First, please consider nominating our own (well, she’s her own!) Alison Reijman as the “Unsung Hero.”  I have known Alison–only through the internet and correspondence; sadly, never in person–for years now, and I can state that I know of no other person not directly employed by a record label, a PR firm, or a magazine dealing with PROG who has promoted the genre more than Alison has.  She not only loves the music and the musicians, but she, herself, is a lovely, lovely person.  She exemplifies, at least to my mind, all that is best in our strange but delightful little corner of the cultural world.  She’s brilliant, free-spirited, spontaneous, tenacious, and exceedingly generous and kind.

Second, I would also ask that you consider nominating Susie Warren Bogdanowicz as “Female Vocalist” of the year.  Like Alison, Susie is an incredibly talented and tenacious person, always seeking the best, but doing so in a way that makes everyone around her better.  Again, I have never had the privilege of meeting Susie, but I have spent hours and hours listening to her voice, and–at least to my ears–she has the best voice not just in prog (and not just among females!) but in all of rock and pop.  Additionally, as the voice and lead for Glass Hammer, she represents one of the finest bands of third-wave prog, a band that is, this year, celebrating its 25th Anniversary.  A vote for Susie is not just a vote for Susie, but a vote for Glass Hammer as one of the most important pillars of the prog world.

Skeptical about my claims regarding Susie?  Check out this re-do of a Yes classic and then you’ll have your answer.

In my not so always humble opinion, there is no greater or more fetching voice in the rock world than Susie Bogdanowicz’s.  Here, you get a full seventy-plus minutes of her, Steve, Fred, and Aaron.  It really doesn’t get much better than this.

Time to order.  Yes, now.  RIGHT NOW.  Order it.

Full disclosure – even though I arrived late to the party, I am a big admirer of Glass Hammer’s music. So much so, that I have spent the past four years since Ode To Echo was released steadily acquiring their discography. While they continue to sell most of their titles at their official site, some of their earlier albums are hard to find (thanks, discogs!). It’s been a real delight tracking their development from hobbit-obsessed Celtic proggers to seasoned philosophers. Along the journey, through many personnel changes, a few things have remained constant: the outstanding musicianship of Steve Babb and Fred Schendel, the angelic vocals of Susie Bogdanowicz, and uniformly excellent songwriting. All of these qualities came to a head with 2016’s Valkyrie, a concept album set in World War I and its immediate aftermath.

So it was with great anticipation that I heard the band was going to record a live performance of Valkyrie in Veruno, Italy. (Quick aside – what’s it take to get you all to do a show in Nashville, just a couple of hours north of Chattanooga?). Pared down to a core group of Babb, Schendel, Bogdanowicz, and longtime drummer Aaron Raulston, this is a satisfying and invigorating performance on all counts. Maybe it’s the fact that they rehearsed Valkyrie for several weeks before recording that album, but in this Veruno show, Glass Hammer powers through even the most demanding musical passages with confidence and ease. Babb, Schendel, and Bogdanowicz all sing lead, and their voices blend beautifully throughout the show.

From the moment Babb’s shivery bass notes boom out at the beginning of “The Fields We Know” to the impassioned closer, “Hyperbole”, Glass Hammer delivers a state-of-the-art progressive rock triumph. Along the way are many highlights – the swirling, kaleidoscopic “No Man’s Land”, where Bogdanowicz, Babb, and Schendel effortlessly harmonize while the music ping-pongs between frenetic riffs and ominous chords; “Fog of War” which, to my ears, is a wonderful tribute to Hemispheres-era Rush; “Dead and Gone”, which slowly builds from a tender Bogdanowicz vocal to a thunderous climax; and “Eucatastrophe”, which may be the most appealing melody the band has ever written. The pièce de résistance, though, is “Rapturo”. A delicate theme is played on piano, then Raulston enters on drums, and the music builds as Bogdanowicz sings of the sufferings of a veteran with a heartbreakingly beautiful performance.

Things lighten up with a nice medley of old favorites – “Chronos Deliverer” and a tremendous “If The Sun”. “Hyperbole” from the underrated Three Cheers for the Brokenhearted closes things out. This version made me rethink my initial impression of that song; it’s a monster of a rocker and a blast to listen to. And speaking of monsters of rock, Aaron Raulston’s work on drums deserves special praise. For the entire show, he lays down a solid foundation with impeccable timing that allows Babb and Schendel to work their instrumental magic on bass, keyboards, guitars, and synthesizers.

The bottom line: this is a performance that does full justice to one of Glass Hammer’s finest albums. Susie Bogdanowicz has never sounded better, Steve Babb remains one of the most inventive bassists in prog, Fred Schendel is simply amazing on keyboards, guitar, and vocals, and Aaron Raulston complements his bandmates perfectly. If you’ve never heard anything by Glass Hammer, Mostly Live In Italy is a perfect introduction, and you get to hear a progressive rock masterpiece from start to finish in an inspired performance. If you’re already a fan, Mostly Live In Italy is a must-own. ‘Nuff said!

2018 is now a month past its halfway mark, and the year is somewhere in its middle age, and it will only continue to age until that fateful day, December 31, inevitably comes.

From the perspective of progressive rock, it’s been a solid year, but not an outstanding year–at least in terms of studio releases.  Certainly, those released–from The Fierce and the Dead to Gazpacho to the Kalman Filter to Galahad to 3RDegree–have been excellent, to be sure.  But, they’ve been few, especially compared to the re-releases and re-mastered and re-packaged.

Perhaps, 2018, in the end, will prove to be a moment of all of us catching our collective breath.  Maybe what the Old Testament called “Selah,” pause.

Yet, when it comes to live releases, 2018 has been simply extraordinary.  As evidence, I offer three in the order of their respective release dates.

First, Glass Hammer’s Mostly Live In Italy.  For a band that doesn’t tour much, Glass Hammer sounds perfect, capturing the raw power as well as the subtleties of, arguably, their very best studio album, 2017’s Valkyrie, a mythopoeic anamnesis regarding the horrors of the Great War.  Susie Bogdanowicz–the best vocalist in rock today–soars on this release.

Second, Marillion’s All One Tonight.  For a band that tours all of the time, Marillion has reached its best on this album, and that’s saying something deep and profound.  Indeed, Marillion tours so much that it’s easy to become too acclimated to yet another Marillion live release (though, I think I have them all!).  But, undeniably, there’s something truly special about All One Tonight.  It sounds great on CD, but it’s even better live and on blu-ray.  While I don’t think Hogarth is the best vocalist in rock–as I do with Bogdanowicz and David Longdon–I do think he’s one of the most earnest and most intelligent lyricists out there, past, present, and future.

Third, Big Big Train’s Merchants of Light.  I had a chance to review this at some length yesterday, but, let me just write, it continues to grow on me.  Beautifully so.  This is a band at its absolute and utter and total best, a band in which everything has come together perfectly after incredible struggle and effort.  Though I don’t have the visuals on Merchants of Light as I do with All One Tonight, I can hear the theatrics–again, earnest and achingly charismatic–of David Longdon.  His only rival in terms of best voice in rock is Bogdanowicz.  I can only imagine what the two of them together could do??  Probably launch us toward Venus, rather happily and innocently.

My view of 2018 might very well have changed by December.  But, as of July 28, 2018, this year is the year of pause–of Selah–and the year of the live prog rock album.

A review of Glass Hammer, Chronomonaut (forthcoming, 2018, Sound Resources). Steve Babb: Bass; Fred Schendel; keyboards; Aaron Raulston, drums; Susie Bodanowicz, vocals; and various guests, guitars and vocals.

Glass Hammer’s latest album, Chronomonaut, entices and sparks so much of my imagination that I have a difficult time deciding how to start, construct, or end a review of this stunning piece of art.  I could review this as a distinctive piece of American culture and Americana; as a treasure hunt and quest; as a progressive rock album; as a philosophical examination of nostalgia; as a theological pondering on the nature of time; or as a fully-blown science fiction tale worthy of anything written by Robert Heinlein or Kevin J. Anderson. In some way, no review of this album can really be faithful to the material if it doesn’t take into account all of these things.

Then, there’s the grand problem of my words and the art of my writing doing justice to Glass Hammer’s words and the art of composition.  Frankly, it’s all a bit intimidating.

Since 2002, I’ve had a serious problem. I’ve been addicted to Glass Hammer.  With each new release since Lex Rex, I have stated, “this is the best album of Glass Hammer’s career. The band is not only in its finest form yet, but the band continues to prove why they are America’s greatest rock band.” Yes, I’ve now stated this very same thing—or something quite like it—eleven times.  And, each time, it’s been true.

It’s true this time as well. Immaculate story telling, soaring and varied musical passages, an uncanny number of musical styles, and Susie Bogdanowicz’s angelic voice combine to make ChonomonautGlass Hammer’s most majestic album yet. And, yet again, Glass Hammer proves why it’s America’s greatest rock band as well as being one of the two best progressive rock bands in the world.

Because so much of the progressive rock scene is centered in and around the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, American progressive rock bands simply can’t get the same attention as those located on the other side of the Atlantic. A true loss for the Europeans, frankly, especially when it comes to the best of our best, Glass Hammer. Though, of course, those Europeans who know Glass Hammer love them as their recent gigs in Italy so beautifully demonstrated. It’s also a loss for American prog acts as well, as they deserve to be far better known than they are.

Chronomonaut continues the story of Tom Timely, who first appeared on Glass Hammer’s masterful Chronometree(2000). I didn’t know the best then, and, if I had, I would have written the same thing about Chronometree as I have on every successive Glass Hammer release. On that album, Tom became convinced that the universe and all of creation spoke through him—rather gnostically—in the form of prog rock lyrics. Much like numerologists and alchemists, Tom strove to discover the hidden key to the meaning of life. Yet, unlike most numerologists and alchemists, Tom is a sympathetic character.

Over the last year, Glass Hammer have mischievously and convincingly been re-creating Tom Timely, the “Elf King” on social media.  He appears as a very real person on Facebook.  Over the last few months, the band has—in the name of Tom—released video after video from 1983, revealing Tom’s passions as well as his anxieties as he seeks the answers to the meaning of life, space, and time. Band mates come and go, as does a frustrated girlfriend, worrying that her boyfriend is descending into madness.  The videos, excellent in and of themselves, hover somewhere very near Hawkins, Indiana, the fictional setting of Stranger Things. Indeed, with the latest album, Tom might very well exist in the same universe as the Demogorgon, the upside down, and the mind flayer.

With the album comes the actual story of Tom. So, on one side of the CD booklet are the lyrics; facing opposite is the story of Tom. Babb has proved repeatedly—in his lyrics as well as in his published poetry—that he is as much a master of the word as he is of the note.  Babb’s prose here only further reveals his creativity and his stylistic finesse. In telling the story of Tom, the band has given us a similar story, inviting us to explore the meaning of life, time, and space.

As I mentioned above, one could readily take Chronomonautas a treasure hunt, as we devour and analyze the lyrics and the story. But, there’s another treasure hunt as well—snippets of Tom’s loves in music. Musically, this is by far the most diverse album Glass Hammer has made. Throughout the album, the band intermixes and alternates a very clean and modern sounding electronica prog (again, think Stranger Things) with styles that came in and out of fashion since the late 1960s. A careful listen reveals the styles of Traffic, early Chicago, ELP, Abacab-era Genesis, Vangelis’s Blade Runner, early Cars, and so many more. That Glass Hammer can weave all of these together into a coherent and compelling tapestry is astounding. All of the older styles are sung by men, with all of the newer ones sung by Bogdanowicz.

As always, every note Bogdanowicz sings achingly takes away my breath, grabbing me deep in the soul, and calling me to seek all that is beautiful in creation. She possesses, unquestionably, the finest voice in rock. The passion she brings to the music has a depth that only early Sarah McLachlan can match. It’s confessional, but with the power of supernatural conviction.

It’s not just Bogdanowicz, of course. Schendel possesses demigod abilities on the keyboards; Babb is a true poet and stunning bassist; and Raulston continues to grow into the closest rival of Nick D’Virgilio in the rock world.

Simply put, there are so many layers, twists, turns, surprises, and joys in this album, that it demands repeated listens.  Chronomonautis an album that now resides with Grace Under Pressure, Songs from the Big Chair, Spirit of Eden, and The Underfall Yard.  It’s not a passing fancy or simply “one more release,” but a majestic album that calls forth all that is best within us. No small feat, especially in our present cultural whirligig of insanity and horrors. In its own madness, Chronomonaut brings order and truth to the artistic and longing soul.

You can (and should) pre-order your copy of Chronomonaut immediately.