Glassjaw
Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. It was formed in 1993 by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck. The band is known for their intense live shows, as well as their frequent line-up changes. Despite their limited commercial success and small discography, they are considered to be one of the most influential bands in the progression of the underground music scene in the eastern United States and United Kingdom for the post-hardcore genre.
After recording a number of EPs and demos throughout the 1990s, Glassjaw came to the attention of producer Ross Robinson, who helped the band secure a deal with Roadrunner Records. Robinson went on to produce Glassjaw's debut album, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence, which helped the band cement a following in the United Kingdom. After parting ways with Roadrunner following a feud, Glassjaw signed with Warner Bros. Records, who issued the group's second outing Worship and Tribute. The album reached number 82 on the Billboard 200 chart and brought Glassjaw to mainstream attention, although its supporting tour was negatively affected by Palumbo's struggles with Crohn's disease around this time, leading to the cancellation of several dates. Although the group continued to tour semi-regularly, Glassjaw's studio activity was sporadic for the rest of the 2000s whilst Palumbo and Beck focused other projects.
After parting ways with Warner Bros., Glassjaw self-released a series of 7" singles throughout late 2010, which were later compiled into the EP Our Color Green in January 2011. One month afterwards, the group released another EP, Coloring Book. In 2017, Glassjaw released their first album in 15 years, Material Control, through Century Media Records. During 2022, the band performed a series of concerts commemorating the 20th anniversaries of the band's first two albums.
History
Early years (1993–1998)
The band formed in the summer of 1993 after Palumbo and Beck met each other at camp. Of the band name, Beck has said: "We had a list of names, and we were just like, let's pick one of these band names which ones the coolest. At the time there were a bunch of bands coming out with two names in one like that, like Mouthpiece, Curbjaw, stuff like that. We were going down the list, and the first name that I liked was Swiftkick. I'm all like, that's a sick name. But for some reason Glassjaw stuck. There's really no reason behind it; it just sounded cool." Upon first founding, the band's name was xGlassjawx, and then The Glassjaw, before ultimately shortening it to Glassjaw.The band played their first show in 1994 in Oceanside, New York. In the early days, Beck and Weinstock were also playing with Jewish straight edge metalcore band, Sons of Abraham, who were cited as influences on Glassjaw. Palumbo was in his own straight-edge band called XbustedX. The group's line-up changed constantly in their early years while they played in the local New York hardcore scene. Beck's primarily played drums at first, but switched to bass guitar after Ariel Telford left the band in 1998, and then switched to lead guitar when Kris Baldwin left and Manuel Carrero joined the band in 1999.
From 1994 to 1999 the band did several demo recordings of some songs that would eventually appear on their official releases, as well as several other compositions that would not see official release. The band recorded the five-song Kiss Kiss Bang Bang EP in 1997. The record was released independently on the label 2 Cents a Pop, and saw a re-release in 2001 without label affiliation. The line-up on this record was Daryl Palumbo, Justin Beck, Todd Weinstock, Kris Baldwin and Ariel Telford. "Star Above My Bed", from the EP, is still in the band's set lists to this day. A significant recording came in 1999 working with Don Fury, showcasing songs that appeared on their debut LP Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence.
''Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence'' (1999–2000)
In 1999, the band entered the studio at Indigo Ranch in Malibu, California, with producer Ross Robinson to record their first full-length album titled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence, which saw release in 2000 through Roadrunner Records. On being signed, guitarist Justin Beck said: "Ross showed up at a practice, we start a song; 5-4-3-2-1. Ross stands up, waving his hands and he's like, 'It's over, it's done. I want to do this, you've got a deal! The line-up on this record was Palumbo, Beck, Todd Weinstock, Manuel Carrero and Sammy Siegler. Robinson has said of it: "Our goal at the time of that record was to destroy Adidas rock", a self-deprecating reference to the Adidas-sponsored bands Robinson had produced and championed as part of the nu-metal movement.Although Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence is often cited as a milestone post-hardcore album, it saw little push from Roadrunner, making the band disillusioned with the label. Matters were somewhat worsened when Palumbo started to have bouts with his Crohn's disease on tour, as his aggressive performance style sometimes triggers a relapse, which has the potential to be fatal. It is alleged that Roadrunner would not allow Palumbo to leave the tour to rest.
Larry Gorman of Orange 9mm officially took over drumming duties partway through touring, which saw dates with Deftones and a six-week European tour with Soulfly. The line-up continued to rotate following the conclusion of the tour when Manuel Carrero was kicked out by Roadrunner for being the only member to have date conflicts with touring.
The album was reissued on vinyl in 2009, limited to 10,000 copies.
''Worship and Tribute'' (2001–2003)
In 2001, the band entered the studio in secret with Ross Robinson and began recording their follow-up album Worship and Tribute, which would see release the following year. The album was engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser. They left Roadrunner in December 2001 and shopped the album to other labels before signing a deal with Warner Bros. Records. The line-up on this record was Palumbo, Beck, Weinstock, and Shannon Larkin of Amen and later Godsmack, who provided drumming duties due to recording time constraints, as he had worked well with producer Ross Robinson in the past, although Larry Gorman was composing parts and officially the drummer of the band. The album showcased a more melodic sound with jazz and ambient influences. Palumbo called it "a mélange of influences, a collage is what this band is all about."Dave Allen joined the group as bassist following the recording of the album. The band then toured extensively throughout 2002 and 2003, playing all over the world, including festival tours such as Warped Tour, Ozzfest and Snocore. In October 2002, dates in Germany and the UK were cancelled when Palumbo was hospitalized in Paris after suffering a relapse of his Crohn's disease; he subsequently underwent intestinal surgery. The dates were rescheduled to December, but Palumbo suffered another relapse. In April of 2003, he was hospitalized again in Glasgow, Scotland which led to further cancellations, including the Kerrang! Weekender and a date at the London Astoria.
Hiatus and rebirth (2004–2008)
The band took a hiatus in 2004, while Palumbo was composing and performing with his new group Head Automatica—which included drummer Larry Gorman—and Beck worked on his band merchandise business. In late 2004, Todd Weinstock, Dave Allen, and Larry Gorman were all fired from the band, fueling rumors that they had split up. The band's website displayed the phrase "RIP Glassjaw" in the header for a time, though this may have been in jest. The band denied that they were splitting up and cited Palumbo's ongoing problems with Crohn's disease as one of the reasons for the hiatus.After a two-year hiatus, the band played three shows in 2005; two at The Downtown in Farmingdale, New York, with proceeds going to charity, and a spot on The Used's tour at the Hammerstein Ballroom. They were initially meant to be main tour support for The Used, but Palumbo had further problems with his Crohn's, prompting Head Automatica to cancel all of their US shows). Manuel Carrero, who had been playing with the band The Jiant, replaced Allen as bassist after nearly five years away from the group. Durijah Lang, who was also a former band member from their early years, replaced Larry Gorman behind the kit. The band did not fill its vacant guitarist role and continued as a four-piece.
In October 2005 the band released a B-side EP of songs not used on Worship and Tribute, titled El Mark. Their official website became active once again in November 2006. The band would go on to tour in December of that year as a supporting act for Deftones, and a few headlining shows. Palumbo said, "The best thing about the tour was just having it happen." On New Year's Eve of 2006, Glassjaw played at the two-day festival Stillborn Fest in Connecticut, alongside Hatebreed and others. Along with new material was the confirmation that a new album would be released in 2007, with the new songs introduced at the shows included.
Glassjaw's official site homepage showed "7.7.7." in large bold text, referring to a one-off show at the Carling Academy Brixton in England. It was then announced on a fan site that they would be playing a warm-up show at the Camden Barfly on June 7th. These shows were the first time in four years the band performed in the United Kingdom. At the end of 2007, Glassjaw headlined various venues in southern California for the first time such as the Avalon in Hollywood, the House of Blues in San Diego, and the Glasshouse in Pomona. This was dubbed the "100% Maybe" tour, a joke referring to the uncertain nature of their tours due to frequent cancellations. The band was one of the headlining acts of 2007's Saints & Sinners Festival at the Asbury Park Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey, along with Against Me!.
In 2008, Glassjaw returned to the UK, playing at the two-day festival Give It A Name in Sheffield on May 10, and in London on May 11. They also did shows in Cardiff, Wales, and Dublin, Ireland.