Q&A: Glen Echo Is Creating The Best of Indie with 'Glambien' Debut
GLEN ECHO IS A FRESH TAKE ON SMOOTH AND TASTEFUL INDIE - Combining unique traits from multiple genres, Glen Echo, makes music that you’ll feel all over your body. With a duality of sound from moody to sweet to a combination of both, Glen Echo is not shying away from trying new things and experimenting along his musical journey.
His new EP, Glambien, explores many areas of vulnerability and reflection as the EP was a result of being back home during the pandemic and going through a breakup. A tough situation during a time where there was a lot of room for reflection and processing emotions. Glen Echo had time to stir up his ideas and eventually let them come into fruition.
The title track, “Glambien,” starts off with the nostalgic sound of an old camera while bringing in the melody that grabs you through the song. The trait of an old camera really ties together the feel of reminiscing that is a huge part of what the song is about. The music video being filmed in an 8mm format gives it that feel of looking back at old memories. Through the song, Glen Echo looks back at what was done and said in the relationship and how things played out. In the song, you’ll hear unique sounds that create certain feelings that are hard to describe like a simple melodic clang that resembles the sound of your heartbeat during heartbreak.
Listen to Glen Echo’s new EP, Glambien, and read down below to get to know him!
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LUNA: Congrats on your debut EP Glambien! You’ve worked in the industry for a bit on the tour management side of things, so how does it feel to be on the musician side?
GLEN ECHO: I think anyone who knows me well knows that I absolutely love touring and the artists I represent. It quite possibly saved my life and brought me out of a really dark career path. That being said, touring is a silver medal of sorts. Doing my own music was, and always will be the gold medal. I'd like to stay doing both as long as possible, but for a long time in my life there was no "my own project" ying to the "touring" yang. I am very grateful to have such a wonderful career in live music, but I am really (oddly) happy that Covid forced me to take a break and reevaluate my priorities.
LUNA: Sonically, what are some of the key elements going into your music?
GLEN ECHO: Compositionally, I think many people I've heard feedback from say the drums are loud... They probably are. I don't know, I think the "means" I had to create with weren't probably much different than a lot of my peers. I made Glambien in bedrooms, apartments, etc. So I guess the thing I like to hang my hat on is the fact that I was brutally honest, even to the point of nerves/reconsidering putting songs out, in the lyrical content. But it's truthfully my story, and I think at the end of the day that's the most important part of my music - my in-depth stories and abstractions of life.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite moment / memory from the making of the EP?
GLEN ECHO: Damn, so many. I had the privilege to finish a few songs at hero of mines studio in Cincinnati, OH. His name is Issac, he played in a band called the Pomegranates, who were a seminal band in my upbringing because they were the only interesting people to look up to in Southwest Ohio. So getting to work in his studio and share songs/advice/etc back and forth checked off a bucket-list item as a teen: to work with the Pomegranates in some capacity.
LUNA: The project followed the break up of a long term relationship that lead you to go back home to Ohio for a bit. How do you thinking being home vs being in LA shaped the project?
GLEN ECHO: Being back in Ohio for 3 months, in complete lockdown, kind of felt very similar to how I remember my high school days being. Not to mention it was the first time me and my two younger sisters were under the same roof since 2012. So there was a really introspective/reflective quality to my days and I think the lack of distractions helped me process and feel a lot of the emotions surrounding my breakup/covid/family unexpectancies a lot deeper and healthily. And I was granted a lot of space and time to finish all the ideas. But most of the bones of my EP were written while I was in LA, so the musical content is very much a product of being around the live music scene, the psych-y scene and working with my friends (shout out Trevor, Alex and Will).
LUNA: Which track from the project best represents yourself as an artist?
GLEN ECHO: Going forward, I think a lot of my songs will probably be most closely related to Stones. That's not to say everything I have in the pipeline is so dark or moody, but that kind of spacey, wall-of-sound thing is something I have been exploring a lot.
LUNA: In addition to music you’re a graphic designer, how (if at all) do you see these two creative endeavors impacting one another?
GLEN ECHO: I guess for a long time in my life my mantra has been "if not me, who?" I think since I have the tools to do so, and the experience to both make music and develop branding/art, then who better can explain what Glen Echo is than me.
But that's not to say I don't frequently tap into help from other creatives - both musical and artistic - because I do. A lot. But I guess, in short, I got into design in the first place because I wanted to be able to translate musical ideas into art ideas. I didn't want to lose things in that translation and end up with art that didn't match the music and vice versa. I learned graphic design because I wanted to be able to speak that language when it came time to bring more people into the project.
LUNA: A fun one - if you were trapped on a deserted island and could only watch one movie or TV series, what are you watching?
GLEN ECHO: Honestly I do not watch a lot of things :/ My girlfriend, Devon, has brought a lot of lovely things, including movies and shows, into my life that I've slowly been getting into. Still, there's not a whole lot that I binge nightly. And sadly, if I do, it's usually something mind-numbing like Love is Blind.
Actually, you know what, If I was stranded I think I'd be so stressed every day that some dating show would be exactly what I want to watch to keep my sanity.
LUNA: Now that your debut project is out, what’s next for you?
GLEN ECHO: Lots, I think it's going to be a busy summer. I'm doing a debut live show that will go towards charity here at the end of May, and lots of music to finish up and put out. I work really closely with my roommates, Sashaa (Alex Roth) and Will (Will Alpine) and I'm sure I'll spend probably half my time getting my own stuff out - and getting their music/videos/art/etc finished as well.
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