Wednesday, August 19, 2015

The Inquisition: 062.Glaciers

1. How did you came up with the name of the band? 

Chuck (guitars): After a few months of practicing and kicking around names, my wife suggested we call it GLACIER and we loved that, and just made it plural. 
Wig (bass): We decided to name the band Blood for the King and we loved that, so then we just made it plural and called it Glaciers
Matt (guitars): The band was named before I joined, however I have to say that I was really attracted to the name. It inspires a sense of heaviness on a geologic time scale. 

2. Do you have a standard procedure of creating a song? Do you just jam around or is there a main riff and the track is build up on it? 

Chuck: Well, I tend to bring a riff or half-baked pie or corndog to a practice and then it takes a life on of its own. Like a conventional oven. The first album, And The Sea Won the Battle, was pretty much carved out on my own and then taught to the other guys, however it would not be fair to say I wrote it on my own. The second and most recent album, Mirrored Through The Ancients, was definitely written as a band, where everyone contributed. We spent a lot of time writing the second album together. 
Wig: No, Yes 
Matt: Generally songs are born from a basic idea or riff that chuck brings to the practice space and we collectively develop parts, add color, etc. Less frequently songs come out (like Southwest of heaven) of just improvising in the practice space. 

3. What are your influences and what kind of music do you hear when you are at home? 

Chuck: Life and fatherhood is my biggest influence at this point in my life - at home, I tend to listen to a fair amount of jazz music, or play important classic albums to my daughter. I'll get adventurous in my car. At the beginning of the bands formation, I was definitely listening to a fair amount of instrumental music, and searching for experimental 'out there' music, but I feel that as of late, I listen to more conventional or punk/rock music, such as all of John Reis's projects, a lot of 70s stuff like Television, Ramones, Misfits, Damned, or even stuff like The Wipers. I love High On Fire, Mastodon too. 
Wig: Punk, metal, weird rap, world funk, soul, mathrock, and a few other things 
Matt: I like to look to nature for inspiration, sometimes I imagine what an eddy in a river or a gust of wind blowing leaves across the ground sound like in a guitar melody. I've been listening to a lot of 70's proto-metal, kraut rock and proggy stuff. I also keep gravitating toward metal / post-metal stuff that is more on the sludge,doom side of the scale.

4. Which is the one album you can't live without? 

Chuck: Uggh. Soulside "Hot Bodi-gram", Slint "Spiderland", Hot Snakes "Automatic Midnight", Sonic Youth "Goo", Blonde Redhead "Fake Can Be Just As Good", Radiohead "OK Computer", Replacements 'Let It Be', Husker Du "Zen Arcade" Joy Division "Unknown Pleasures"...Jesus I can't do one, sorry. I could type this out for days. 
Wig: Purple Rain 
Matt: Mars Volta - De-loused... really impossible question. 

5. What's the first record you've ever bought? 

Chuck: I remember buying a Beach Boys tape in fifth grade. vinyl? I still remember the day I went to Budget Tapes & Records in Charleston, WV and bought an Agent Orange, Suicidal Tendencies and MDC LP in 7th grade. Or maybe it was Gov't Issue or Verbal Assault. Formative years! 
Wig: Maiden / Number of the Beast 

6. Name a band that you would like to share the stage or tour with? 

Chuck: Minor Threat or James Brown. 
Wig: Shellac [also borrow their gear] 

7. Did the internet and specially the blogs helped to spread your music around the world? Name a place (country) that you were surprised to know your music has reached to? 

Chuck: Well, the internet definitely enabled us to do it ourselves, and handle the direct to consumer aspect of self releasing our album. I love that. We never even considered asking another label to put out our records. Whenever we release a new album, vinyl collective's message board was really supportive and drove an incredible amount of sales. Thanks guys. A few other blogs wrote some really awesome things. As far as places? We saw a decent amount of orders going to Norway and Australia - that's pretty mind blowing. 
Wig: Yes, I was surprised that anyone outside of our practice space would ever care about it. 
Matt: No question, really impressed by how many people in Europe and Eastern Europe are into this style of music. 

8. Do you support the idea of bandcamp where fans can decide the price or services like Spotify?

Chuck: Sure. We don't do the band as a full time job, so my opinion on this matter will be different that what Taylor Swift, or even a hard working touring band that relays on every penny says. I don't have a team of people in place to employ, or rely on album sales to support my family. If I did, I might feel different. But - times are changing, and how people consume, digest and poop out music is different than what it was even 12 months ago, and I believe you have to adapt. So if that means we stream music for free, give away mp3s, and stand on a milk crate asking for $12 for a vinyl version, then so be it. I'm just happy to be creating music with my best friends. 
Wig: Yes, bandcamp is awesome, I wished that I went to band camp when I was a kid. 
Matt: Definitely yes but to echo what Chuck is saying that we can afford the lumps you take in a DIY environment because Glaciers is not the only thing we do as individuals. 

9. Where do you see yourselves in 5 years? 

Chuck: - same place as we are now - best friends creating sonic soundscapes and songs as a form of self-expression and artistry (as well as a good excuse to bring beer). 
Wig: playing punk music and much better looking 
Matt: World tour, signed to a major label, quitting day job... just kidding 

10. Is the artwork of an album important nowadays in the digital era? 

Chuck: Yes 
Wig: The artwork is important to those who choose to look at the artwork 
Matt: The artwork will always be a critical part of the equation especially with instrumental bands. 

11. What is you favorite album cover? 

Wig: Spinal Tap - The Black Album


*Smell the Glove or The Black Album, is the name of a fictional album by the mock heavy-metal band Spinal Tap in the movie This Is Spinal Tap. It was released by Polymer Records, a parody of Polydor, who released the movie's real-life soundtrack album)

Matt: Floyd "Wish You Were Here"

12. It seems that a lot of people are turning on vinyl again. Why do you think that is and which is your preferable media format? 

Chuck: CDs are a disposable piece of plastic, whereas with vinyl, there's a much more tangible wow factor to them. Plus they have been around forever, and people were able to make cool things with them, such as color vinyl, shaped discs and picture discs. CDs? Not so much. I guess I would prefer vinyl, although I love digital. I'm more about the music/message than the format to be honest. 
Wig: Vinyl will be there for us when Y2K shuts down the digital era 
Matt: It's great! love the inconvenience!

13. What's the most vivid story or moment as a band? 

Chuck: I can remember us drinking rose wine and eating del taco once in orange county in the middle of night, and just being so happy to be with my friends. Other than that, I remember when we were writing Mirrored Through the Ancients, that we had really created something special as band.
Wig: SXSW

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