No, it’s not the latest Doctor Who (although singer Susie does have a passing resemblance to the new Doctor), but the latest concept album Chronomonaut from Tennessee’s prog rock icons Glass Hammer. This veteran band has racked up an astounding number of albums in their 25+ years together, and built itself quite a reputation in the prog world. Listen in as we chat with Steve Babb, one half of Glass Hammer’s creative genius about everything from dead rock stars to death metal.
Hi Steve, Would you call the new album a sequel to Chronometree, or more of a revisitation? Why go back to that storyline in particular?
Steve: Chronomonaut is Part Two of Chronometree, but it also works as a standalone album. Musically, the two albums are nothing alike. The character Tom really resonated with proggers back in 2000 when we released it. Tom was a quirky teenager at the time of that story, but at the core, Tom was a prog fan. Everyone could see a little of Tom in themselves. Not so long ago when some of my prog and pop heroes began to, well, to die…that’s what got me thinking about Part Two. Squire, Emerson, Lake, Wetton, Bowie…the list goes on. It really hit me as it did everyone. So I reasoned that our character Tom might also be deeply moved. He’s grown up now and reached middle age. I thought about how age and the passing of heroes might affect or trigger him.
You mentioned Emerson and Lake’s passing. An older friend got me hooked on ELP and I got to see them the night before I left for bootcamp, about when Glass Hammer was getting started. I’m thoroughly a metalhead, but I have to admit Carl Palmer has to be the best drummer I’ve ever seen. Who brings gongs on tour so heavy that they break the stage? All 3 of those guys were just over the top.
Steve: Yep….I’ve always loved ELP. They aren’t universally loved in the prog world, which I find strange. I got to meet Carl Palmer and have done 2-3 shows where he was on the bill with us. Tarkus and Trilogy are my faves.
Truthfully, you want to do concept albums that people can relate to. We’re all growing older. If our fans could relate to Tom as a teenager, they can certainly relate to Tom as an adult prog-rocker who still takes his music way too seriously.
You and Fred Schendel have been the core of Glass Hammer for 25+ years now. Is the use of the time machine a neat way to go back and revisit some of your own band history?
Steve: It’s a neat way to go back for sure. But it’s also an excuse to musically go back in time and do some things we haven’t done in a while, or in some cases things we never did. Some of the album deals with the 80s and we had some fun dabbling in synth-wave tracks on Chronomonaut. There’s a psychedelic vibe to a few tunes as well.
You’ve taken this band for the long haul, you’ve played some really interesting gigs like ProgPower. Is there anything left on your bucket list for GH to do yet? Places to play, maybe bands to play with?
Steve: We’d love to go to the UK and perform and to be perfectly honest, we’d love to be paid for the performance! We just do not travel anywhere to perform if the band members can’t be paid for their work. That’s why, more often than not, we don’t tour. It doesn’t make sense. The shows you hear about us performing pay great; travel, food, lodging, etc. They treat us like kings. We could book our own tour, of course, and hope for the best. But I’m not a gambler and neither is Fred. We’ve had a great year, with shows in Quebec, Italy, Jersey and Cruise To The Edge. We’re mainly interested in staying in the studio for now. Still, the UK beckons.
You’ve been much more of a studio band than a touring band. Is there a certain magic that’s lost when you can’t play live, or is that the only way to live two lives (making a living outside music)?
Steve: There’s a reason why there has been a Glass Hammer for twenty-five years and there’s a reason we have been able to put so many albums out. Well, there’s probably several reasons, but one of the big ones is that we only play key shows at key times. It’s just way too much stress on us and our families to try to live like we did in our twenties – on the road. That’s what I did for around 5 years. I didn’t even like it then! Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE to perform and I absolutely love to meet our fans. But it is no small feat to rehearse a prog band and recreate these studio albums. Fred and I are full time musicians, whether with Glass Hammer or by producing other artists. In that, we are truly blessed. Our time is usually split between Glass Hammer projects and other studio projects. It’s worked so far.
The band is down to a foursome now. How does that free up or hinder the creativity vs. times when you’ve had more band members?
Steve: Nothing against former bandmates, but to quote Fred in a recent conversation, “This was the best thing that could have happened to us.” Fred and I were suddenly left to ourselves and began to rely on each other again without feeling the need to consult another creative band member on every decision that we made. That was never required of us of course, but we tried really hard to make our former guitarist (and all the others members too) a big part of the creative process. It worked for a while. Now we’re back where we started; two guys writing everything and being helped along by some incredible singers and musicians. Aaron and Susie are 100% Glass Hammer band mates for sure. But they are content to let Fred and me set the course for the band.
Who inspires you as a bassist?
Steve: I still love the early recordings of Geddy Lee (Rush) and Chris Squire (Yes) and will probably always sound like a mix of the two. There are other players I admire for different reasons, but I play like I play, and I owe it all to those two guys.
Prog rock has passed the half century mark now and bands like Yes and King Crimson have been rocking that vibe the whole time. The scene has ebbed and flowed a bit over the years. Where do you see prog music going in the future?
Steve: I literally have no idea. I don’t hear the magic of those original acts being replicated. Musically copied, yes. But the magic? I don’t hear it too often. I hope the scene stays healthy though as I hope to be recording prog-rock albums well into the future. My finger isn’t on the pulse anymore, if it ever was. We just do what we do and keep plugging along, hoping our fans will come along for the ride.
From: https://heavensmetalmagazine.com/index.php/2018/09/27/glass-hammer-for-now-we-see-through-the-glass-hammer-but-darkly-d74/
