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Artist Website: www.gavinglass.com
About Gavin Glass And The Holy Shakers
Gavin Glass lost his musical cherry with "harmless" Irish pop band Suddenly Smyth back in 1996. At this stage Glass was primarily a lead guitar player/songwriter, learning to play from his Mom??s Beatles records and his Dad??s Willie Nelson collection.Suddenly Smyth went on to release two top thirty singles, win the prestigious Paddy Expo Band Competition and play over one hundred dates around Irish venues.
Glass had been eyeballing Dublin "virtuoso" rock band Roche at this time, having secured the gig, a week later Glass found himself on stage at the Montreux jazz festival with Roche, who at this time were being chased by several American Record companies. The "deal" never happened and front man Brian Roche decided to call it a day.
After a two year hibernation, which saw Glass learn Piano and any other instrument that was at hand Glass & Roche began writing and recording again and reformed the band under the name "Gramophone". Within a month of cutting a three-track demo in Westland Studios the band were signed to a small European label.
The band went on to Germany to record an album and spent a year there recording and touring. The band got to play some high-profile gigs including the 2000 World Music Awards after show party and the Jordan Team Grand Prix Party in Monte Carlo, which saw Eddie Jordan sit in on drums for the bands encore. Having completed the album the band relocated to Dublin to begin rehearsing for a tour and prepare for release of the album. Three weeks after arriving home the band got news that their record label was in financial and legal hot water. So began a yearlong battle to retrieve album masters and be released from the contract.
It was during this time that Glass built up a recording studio in his home in Killiney and began record production work for many singer songwriters around Dublin and produced several 2FM Fanning Sessions.
Gramophone??s record company had gone bust, the band was falling apart, but Glass had a bunch of songs/ideas sitting in his hard drive waiting to get out??.. In December 2003, Glass started messing around with the idea of singing the songs himself and before long an album of material was recorded with Glass on production, singing and playing practically all the instruments himself. The album was recorded in Gav??s home studio in Killiney, however he managed to escape the usual pitfalls associated with home recording and produced a very rich and expressive sounding record.
Gavin Glass & The Holy Shakers, debut album "I??d like the world to teach me to sing" was released in February 2005, "A record about break-ups, make-ups, rock & roll bands, redemption, life & death and all the other stuff that is expected from a songwriter??s first album.The music draws on a range of diverse influences from the Country-Soul of Americana pioneers The Band, to the melodic electro-rock of Radiohead.
In March 2004 Gavin Glass & The Holy Shakers had an opportunity to play with one of their musical heroes Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen??s E-Street band in the Voodoo Lounge. In April 04 Gav got the opportunity to record two as-of-yet unreleased songs with Clarence - "No Superman" and "Sleeping With The Devil".
The debut single "Big Shoes" released in May 04 received critical acclaim and was play-listed on 2fm, (making single of the week on the Fanning Show) and many other regional radio stations. The follow up singles "Days are No Better" and "Skinny Girlfriend" were also favouarably received by Radio, The Irish Times, Irish Independent & Hot Press. In February 2006 after a gruelling touring schedule, Glass decided to record a second album with a new line-up, taking the band in a more rootsier direction.
The album "If God Be With Us, Who be Against Us?" was recorded live in Glass' new studio - "The Sound Asylum" in Ringsend, Dublin and features guest performances from the Modern Gospel Ensemble & harmonica legend Don Baker. The record dips into the Country-Roots influences of The Band, Neil Young, Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Dylan & Van Morrison and blends them with Glass' trademark pop sensibilities. The samplers and synths were put into the closet while the Dobros, Lap Steel, Banjo & Mandolins all played a more significant role.
Gavin has also been busy producing and recording for artists such as Matt Lunson, Derrick Devine, Phoenix 25, Michelle-Ann Kelly, Deaton, Brian Roche & Aoife McElwaine, to name but a few.
[Source: Gavin's website]
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Comments
John wrote on 2008-11-23 00:00:00:Went to a Jason Mraz concert and Lisa Hannigan opened for him. I then went on iTunes and looked around and stumbled to the Gavin Glass And the Holy Shakers...I am so pleased to say that im hooked, and love their music, they are GREAT!
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