the glass family

Another band that deserves your immediate attention is the Glass Family. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a local band this substantive, and I can’t believe the word isn’t out yet. I hate to draw comparisons to other bands because the Glass Family’s got their own thing going on, but fans of Wilco’s last couple of albums might appreciate the Glass Family’s ability to maintain an originality and unpredictability in their songwriting while still existing within an accessible rock framework.

Watching them, you won’t really know what to expect from song to song, but you’ll soon realize that each tune is intricately and carefully crafted. The songs don’t seem to be born from an existing genre template. Instead, I imagine each one beginning from a simple guitar riff or a beat. Perhaps by itself, the initial spark is nothing mind-blowing. But instead of dismissing it, the band uses it as a foundation. Slowly, unique but complementing pieces of instrumentation are built upon it, like components of a symphony. The process may yield different results each time, but the vital importance of each part in each song is the unifying theme throughout the material. These songs won’t grab you like cotton candy and get you shaking from the get-go. They require your attention, and each time you listen, you’ll probably hear something new.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, the Glass Family had the smallest audience draw of the night, which speaks volumes about either the state of pop music or Austin or both. People are settling for less these days. They want the quick lay, not the more attentive all-nighter with Barry White, know what I’m saying? The Glass Family will tend to your needs. They start slow, but by the end, they’ll be pounding out that big guitar rock sound. It’s like listening to a great record from start to finish without skipping to hear the singles. Maybe such substance is so rare these days that music lovers in Austin have stopped going out in the frustrating pursuit of something new. If that’s your situation, faithful reader, then come check out the Glass Family in the near future and find yourself pleasantly surprised.” - Rank and Revue

Austin's best songwriting rock group also happens to be its best kept secret. Luckily, an early day show slot didn't deter folks from coming out to hear some music, and I can only hope that those who experienced the Glass Family for the first time left with a lasting impression. This is a band that laces every song with melancholy but thankfully avoids bumming out its audience, due in large part to a big, loud wall of sound. Even more impressive is the way they weave distinct and generally simple beats, riffs and hooks into a layered, sonic tapestry that's almost orchestral in nature. The music definitely requires patience, so those seeking immediate gratification will probably move on quickly. Those who appreciate a good Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or OK Computer, however, will find rich rewards in devoting some time to the Glass Family. - Dave Dierkson

Friday night's great find is Austin's the Glass Family at Red's Scoot Inn. A standout among SXSW's bands without a record, the group puts across a moody vibe with singable choruses. A self-produced collection of demos recorded this spring suggests great things (www.theglassfamily.org). - Andrew Dansby

Austin fourpiece the Glass Family is a relative newcomer, but you'd never know it from their marriage of R.E.M., Wilco, and Elliott Smith. Michael Winningham's coaxing vocals meld with keys, triumphant guitars, and steady drums, eventually exploding into a carefully melodic orchestration. - Darcie Stevens

"Since the punk era, rock music has been mostly attitude. But attitudes have shifted, the ambient electronics of DJ culture have seeped in, and the music now seems just as much about mood. Austin newcomers The Glass Family are a prime example. Sleep Inside This Wheel reaches for the prog-like keyboard-heavy edginess of Radiohead's "Kid A" or, to go back even further, Pink Floyd. But the band skirts both pretension (unless you count the Salinger reference) and gimmickry, sounding, if not wholly modern, at least fresh. Employing a nonlinear pop sophistication probably weaned from Shins CDs, the band puts substance and surprise behind its sound, and vocalist Michael Winningham, hanging at the top end of his register, commands a sense of menace that makes the band's debut seem even more compelling."
- Jeff McCord, Texas Monthly (March 2006)

- Texas Monthly

In addition to enjoying their fourth week on the CMJ chart, The Glass Family's Sleep Inside This Wheel was honored with the #28 spot on Dusted Magazine's college charts. (Feb. 2006)

- Dusted Magazine

"Here is a heads up to all of our east coast readers. While plenty of Austin, TX bands have caught my attention over the past several years, it has been a little while since one totally captured my interest. The Glass Family released their fantastic album Sleep Inside This Wheel last year on I Eat Records, and has remained in frequent rotation on my iPod. Now perhaps I am a bit biased since I am always a bit partial to bands from my home state, but this is still a mighty good album. Their epic songs have the musical depth of Wilco and Mercury Rev, with dense compositions and soaring melodies that make you question that the Glass Family claims this is their debut album. While most groups take three or four albums to make something as solid as Sleep Inside The Wheel, these guys have already hit a homerun.

To catch a few audio samples, click over to their MySpace page to enjoy four tracks of this great album. Also, the band is heading east for several dates along the coast, with stops in New York and Boston. Add these guys to your must see list. You can thank me later."

Chip Adams of the Tripwire (2006)
- The Tripwire