| The Glasspack | |
|---|---|
 The Glasspack circa 2008. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
| Genres | Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock, Punk Rock |
| Years active | 1999 - Present |
| Labels | Small Stone Records |
| Associated acts | Muddy Nasty River, The Decline Effect, Dirty Bird, The Hookers, Lords, Crain, Kinghorse, Bush League |
| Website | Official Page |
| Current members | "Dirty" Dave Johnson Rodney Roads Billy Lease Nick Hall Mark Campbell |
The Glasspack are a Stoner Rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Active since 1999, they have released four studio albums and toured numerous places around the world including Roadburn Festival and SXSW.
History[]
Origins and Small Stone Records (1999-2010)[]
"Dirty" Dave Johnson formed The Glasspack in 1999 mainly from an interest in punk rock and blues in his youth while sporadically playing live in the Louisville area, including an infamous show opening for The Frogs. "Dirty" Dave recalled the following story:
| “ | “In 1999, I started playing guitar by myself a lot, and I was playing a lot of John Lee Hooker. I learned to play guitar and sing. I started learning blues scales. I already knew punk rock. I was real fascinated with John Lee Hooker and the Didjits. They were both from Chicago. What I was trying to do was take some punk rock and mix it with the blues.”
“‘Demolition Derby’ is the most hateful Glasspack song ever,” Johnson declares. “That was written to the indie crowd. I was mad. Don’t care if this song sounds like the rest/Hope it makes your ears bleed bitch/Don’t care if this song goes on too long/In my head it goes on and on … There is one line in there, Don’t care about your trendy, trendy scene/Hope this song shatters your black-framed glasses … That, like, totally says it all right there.” The Glasspack’s first big show was an assault on the coolie crowd. When Johnson heard the art rock group The Frogs were coming to the Mercury Paw, he told Frederick it was his favorite band. His plan was to play the three Glasspack songs he’d written so loudly that people would actually leave the club. It didn’t work out that way. The crowd loved it, and The Glasspack developed a reputation as a must-see live act. |
” |
— "Dirty" Dave Johnson, LEO Weekly [1]
|
In 2000, The Glasspack sent a demo to Frank Kozik with an interest of getting a record released on Man's Ruin Records. While Kozik was interested, Man's Ruin would go under in 2001, ultimately forcing the band to self-release their debut American Exhaust in late 2001 with a tour to follow, documented by Stonerrock.com. This included a show at Stoner Hands of Doom that year.[2][3]
The record was distributed well enough that Small Stone Records signed them in the early 2000s. Three albums would follow from the label (2002's Powderkeg, 2004's Bridgeburner and 2007's Dirty Women) along with multiple tours to follow. The band would play their first show in Europe, making an appearance at Roadburn Festival.
In 2010, The Glasspack would celebrate their 10th anniversary with a special show featuring multiple guests and 7" release party at Zanzabar in Louisville, Kentucky. They would go one somewhat of a hiatus shortly after.[4]
Moon Patrol (2014-Present)[]
Sometime during the band's hiatus, "Dirty" Dave Johnson would work with former collaborator Mark Abromavage (Kinghorse) along with Chris Abromavage and Jae Brown (Satellite Twin) to form The Decline Effect, a political punk rock band. That band's debut show would happen in 2011 with an album and a string of shows to follow.[5]
In 2014, The Glasspack announced that a fifth album entitled Moon Patrol was in the works, initially intended to be entirely instrumental and somewhat of a departure from their previous sound.[6] On 9 July 2019 it would be announced that The Glasspack would be returning to the live stage for the first time in nearly a decade, performing at Headliners Music Hall on 7 September 2019. The band is also returning to the studio to finish work on the space rock album entitled "Moon Patrol".[7] On 31 October 2020 the band would release a new EP entitled Candy Apples and Razor Blades, a free compilation of Misfits and Samhain covers. The band also announced that Moon Patrol would be intended for release in 2021 via longtime label Small Stone Records.[8] However, this would be postponed to 2024.
Discography[]
Albums[]
- American Exhaust (2001, Riverrock Records)
- Powderkeg (2002, Small Stone Records)
- Bridgeburner (2004, Small Stone Records)
- Dirty Women (2007, Small Stone Records)
- Moon Patrol (2024, Small Stone Records)
Other Releases[]
- Road Warriors (EP) (2000, Better Days Records)
- WFPK Live / Muddy Nasty River (Split with Muddy Nasty River) (2007, Sleeping Village)
- The Glasspack / Trophy Wives (Split with Trophy Wives) (2010, Noise Pollution)
- Candy Apples and Razor Blades (EP) (2020, Self-Released)
Compilations[]
- Beer City Underground Invasion #4 (1999, Beer City Records)
- Louisville Is For Lovers 2002 P.S. I Love You (2002, Louisville Is For Lovers/Double Malt Music)
- Sucking The 70s (2002, Small Stone Records)
- Sucking the 70's – Back in the Saddle Again (2007, Small Stone Records)
- RISE: A Tribute to Kinghorse (2010, Louisville Lip)
- Head Cleaner: A Louisville Music Compilation Vol. 1 & 2 (2013, Gubbey Records)
Members[]
Current Lineup[]
- "Dirty" Dave Johnson - Guitar, Vocals (1999 - Present)
- Brett Holsclaw - Guitars, Drums, MC, Vocals (1999 - 2005, 2008, 2019 - Present)
- Nick Hall - Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer (2010 - Present)
- Billy Lease - Guitar, Bass (2014 - Present)
- Dave Chale - Drums (2020 - Present)
Past Members[]
- Zach Dorsett - Bass (1999 - 2001)
- David Wright - Bass (2002)
- Andy Garrett - Guitar, Bass (1999 - 2004)
- Todd Cook - Bass (2004)
- Chad Omen - Bass (2007)
- Eric McManus - Drums (2005 - 2008)
- Peter Searcy - Bass (2008 - 2010)
- David Walker Mancini - Bass (2008 - 2010)
- Tony Rymniak - Drums (2008 - 2010)
- Mark Campbell - Drums (2014)
- Rodney Roads - Guitar, Bass (2014 - 2020)
External Links[]
- Review of their set at Roadburn 2008.
- Official YouTube page
- Never Nervous interview with Dave Johnson.
- 2007 Interview with Dave at Stonerrock.com
- 2004 Interview with Dave at Stonerrock.com
- 2001 Interview with Dave at Stonerrock.com
References[]
- ↑ LEO Weekly Pack Mentality, accessed 29th January 2016
- ↑ Stonerrock.com via Wayback ArchiveThe Glasspack Tour Diary, Part One, accessed March 1, 2016.
- ↑ Stonerrock.com via Wayback ArchiveThe Glasspack Tour Diary, Part Two, accessed March 1, 2016.
- ↑ The Obelisk
- ↑ Setlist.fm
- ↑ The Obelisk
- ↑ The Obelisk
- ↑ The Obelisk