Caroline Glass Orchestra

Caroline Glass and her orchestra were performing Tuesday at Casa Del Poppolo. The Montreal-based artist left us intrigued at to the way it all went down. Somewhere between cabaret style, jazz, folk and pop, this graceful lady, surrounded by her 7 orchestra members, seems to have fallen out of the same planet as Sufjan Stevens, else, she’s also an impressive vocalist and a skilfully multi-instrumentalist – she earned her degree in oboe performance, masters the mandolin, plays the bass saxophone and clarinet, just to name a few. The post-chamber-psych-folk (yes, I just made that one up) should be extended soon to a new record of which we have to have a taste of, from Beirut-esque arrangements to the lushness of an indie Pink Martini soundtrack, Caroline Glass’ music truly distinguishes itself from its contemporary. And when it comes in the best presentation - a bandleader wrapped in a silk dress, t-strap shoes and feathers in her hair, and a dressed-up orchestra, it seems like the perfect sonic/visual combo. - Indecent Exposure

"...their music is intriguing and wonderful. They’ve got a nice groove to them, and their vast array of instruments are used in a beautiful, collective way that comes out brilliantly." - BloodyUnderrated.net

Caroline Glass’s & Friends music style is why I moved to Montréal – the artsy sound of various instruments coming together to create one illuminating sound (maybe more the artsy side, seeing as I could never play an instrument to help pay my rent). The whole band’s persona is a perfect reflection of the local Montréal music community. Each member’s individuality brings a unique and original element to their electric/folk music – its a perfect, local and underground picture of this thriving musical city.

The five piece band is comprised of some of the best talent in the city in the underground scene, which includes: Caroline Glass (vocals, mandolin, cor anglais, and bass clarinet), Dave Lines (guitar and keyboards), Jackie Gallant (drums), Ingrid Wissink (violin and trumpet) and Steven Ludvik (bass). Their songs are simple yet, extremely imaginative and good-natured. It’s a very complex sound that will have your brain working clockwork, as your ears piece all the instruments and vocals together to interpret the music as a whole. - Forgetthebox.net

Tonight it was Caroline Glass and the Pleasure Panes at Divan
Orange. People were in great moods. On my way to and from the
club, everyone seemed to be in a chatty way. We’ll see how long
that lasts after the first snow. Caroline has a lovely voice and
is backed by an excellent band. She has Jackie, who Montrealers
will recognise from having seen her play drums on stage with
countless groups. Ingrid played trumpet and violin. David was
on guitar and keyboards. Boris handled the upright bass.
Caroline mostly played mandolin, but moved to a woodwind for at
least one song. I’m not sure if the sound tech was used to such
delicacy and nuance. The mix was a bit heavyhanded. Caroline’s
pleasing voice would have been better framed in an overall
thinner mix. The bloopy, somewhat exaggerated, middle bass
didn’t let the finesse of her voice shine through as clearly as
might be desired. . She sang about insomnia, invisibility and
gave us a lesson on brain chemistry, singing about serotonin.
There sound has spaciousness and subtlety. They all seem to be
great players, but I was there to hear Caroline. Their songs
often ended without vocals. I hope after this, their second
show, that they might shift some of the arrangements so that the
song or songs are carried to the end on a wave of Caroline’s
expressive voice. - Connie Kaldor

A beautifully presented and performed album; the sheer joy of listening to all of its inherent, yet varying, genres shows musicianship at its best. Caroline has got "it", whatever "it" maybe and others will find it hard to replicate such sounds. - Tony Bates, Highlands 100.7FM

Caroline Glass was the first performer of the evening, she is a multi-instrumentalist whose involvement with Cirque du Soleil was evident in her work.
Still frozen from the outdoors, coming in to be greeted by the soul-stirring sounds of her music was a feeling akin to being comforted by a good friend and wrapped in a blanket to sit in front of the fire with some mulled wine.

Her technique involved playing an instrument, recording it, then looping and layering each successive instrument, creating a piece that became more complex, sensual and haunting with each progression.

While being extremely talented, Caroline did not let her ego get in the way of the music, instead allowing the music to take over while she remained in the background. And play she did, working with baritone flute, drum machine, bass flute, English horn, bass clarinet, dijeridoo, electric guitar, keys, and, oh yeah, singing and recording.

Although the music of Cirque du Soleil was mentioned previously as being evident in her music, one could also hear tones of Loreena McKennitt and Dead Can Dance.

Caroline's performance was a wonderful, warm and inviting way to greet the evening. - The Live Music Report

This artist is an exceptional talent – soulful, exquisite, humorous, and musically intuitive. Anyone reading this who hasn't seen her live show is missing something amazing. People like Caroline don't come along very often!

Susan Rogers has worked as producer and engineer for names including Prince, The Barenaked Ladies, and David Byrne - Susan Rogers