Photo Credit: Diana Beare

In the past decade or so we’ve seen countless attempts to reboot and remake things from the not-too-distant past, and while some of them have managed not to besmirch what came before it, others were less successful. The entire concept of it all though moved Glass Noose to move forward with his new single “Everyone’s Favorite Song.” We talked about how a Chris Pratt movie made that song possible as well as which festival from the past his August 23rd release, ‘Glass Nooze’ would vibe most with. All that and then some can be found in the following that waits below…

Kendra: Multiple records, a cascade of singles, but when and why did this all start? Has music always been the mainstay of your life, so much so that you knew it was the only logical path for you to take in life?

Glass Noose: I’ve been around music my whole life, as my mom was a classic rock and oldies radio DJ when I was growing up. But music creation for me started when I picked up guitar as a tween. After being bullied in elementary school for wearing too many of my emotions on my sleeve, I became a lot more stoic and reserved – but I found that guitar and music composition in general to be an effective way to let bigger emotions out again. 

When I was starting out, it was primarily instrumental music to express all the teenage angst I was harboring, but as I developed as a musician, a lyricist, and a person, it’s become a vessel for a lot of different things. Musings on society, battling with mental illness and negative self-perception, and direct responses to traumas I’ve either experienced or been close to. 

It’s very therapeutic in that way, and as much as music about these topics can help the listener realize that they’re not alone, I feel like anyone relating to the stuff I’m putting out there helps me to remember that too.  Music is just the way I best can interpret the peaks and valleys of life – it keeps me tethered to the idea that the bad shit isn’t forever.

Kendra: Being a Black girl who came of age during the height of emo music, I often felt out of place, and – I could go on and on about it from just a female perspective but I don’t want to get a 25-page essay in here. However, again, this was back before social media and any sort of focus on inclusion and whatnot, so have you found the rock scene has gotten better in that regard? Like you walk into a venue and don’t feel like, dang – am I the only Black person – performer – here?

Glass Noose: It’s something I feel has definitely gotten better since I first entered the scene – I was lucky enough to be introduced to a lot of the heavier music I got into in middle and high school by another Black kid, and I had an instrumental metalcore band back then where three of the four members were Black in its first iteration. 

As far as the venue scene goes, I have seen more and more Black performers in the rock and metal scenes, and in the guitar music sphere as a whole throughout my 20s and into my 30s. I think that a lot of it boils down to an increase in both genre-blending and the almost genre-less culture that’s been developing in music as a whole over the past decade or so, and a feeling of collective consciousness in the Black community where more and more of us are saying “This is our music.” 

Rock, metal, and their subgenres come from Black roots, both in their initial conception and the jazz and heavier blues that got guitar-driven music to that place, to begin with. This consciousness combined with increased exposure through social media, much in the same way that it’s heightened Black nerd culture, has compelled us to take the genre back both online and off. The feelings of “this is a white people thing” that were so prevalent when I first entered the scene are not at the forefront of anyone’s mind these days, I’d say.

Kendra; Now let’s talk about the album because I’m getting emo again, some moments reminded me a little of AFI. With that, if ‘Glazz Nooze’ was released back in the day when touring festivals were still very much a thing, which one do you think the record would vibe best with – Warped Tour, Ozzfest, or Projekt Revolution, and why?

Glass Noose: Teenage metal purist me would give me the side-est side eye for even considering Warped, but I think that this record really rides the line between Warped Tour and Ozzfest. It’s got elements of Chiodos, Coheed, and Cambria, but also bits of Mastodon and Strapping Young Lad. I never attended Projekt Revolution, but I think we could perhaps fit in musically there as well – though aesthetically I’m not as sure.

Kendra: One song on ‘Glazz Nooze’ that caught my attention was “Everyone’s Favorite Song.” Inspired in part by ‘Jurassic World’ and Hollywood’s lack of creativity, you noted it’s more about money than innovation. Do you think that’s just in regards to film and television or can we spot it in music as well? 

Glass Noose: You could make the argument that it does, what with the commodification of art and everything, but I think there’s less of it and that it exists differently. People don’t make prequels, sequels, or spin-offs of albums or tour runs like with shows and movies. The merchandising around most bands or musicians doesn’t include toys, ice cream flavors, theme parks, or any of that stuff. You can only take nostalgia so far within music as well – old bands will reunite, sure, but you can’t build the equivalent of a cinematic universe off of that. The music industry revolves around shorter and more constant bursts – something cracks the virality code and you get an influx of reaction and copycat content as everyone tries to grab some of the views before the next trend hits and the process repeats. 

The other huge variable that I’ve seen actually drives more innovation than less is the accessibility of music creation equipment. The relationship between labels and records doesn’t parallel the relationship between studios and movies anymore, so the revenue focus appears to have shifted from primarily being around the actual music itself to touring, festivals, promotional and social media content, etc.

Kendra: Time for a side note – With it being summer, I’d love to know – and for you to share – your favorite road trip song. Like, what’s the one song that has to be on your mix when you hit the road?

Glass Noose: I’ve got to rebel against this question a little and give you two. They’re very different vibes but just encapsulate the feeling of driving and taking in the world for me – Kendrick Lamar’s “YAH” and “Because I Hear You” by toe. “YAH’s” beat is just so smooth, it’s like wind or waves just rolling by, and “Because I Hear You” feels incredibly cerebral and contemplative, with lots of unpredictable rhythmic elements that come together in an ironically meditative way.

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Glazz Nooze’ out on August 23rd, what are your plans as we start to roll into the fall? 

Glass Noose: Having just moved to Pittsburgh this spring, our main focus is to start establishing ourselves here and then hopefully do some East Coast and Midwest runs after the album’s out to build on that momentum. I also have some music video ideas I’d love to bring to life.