Glass Hammer

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Glass Hammer
Jon Davison in 2012.
Background information
Origin	Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Genres	Progressive rock, symphonic rock
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Arion Records/Audio Resources
Associated acts	Yes
Website	www.glasshammer.com

Members	Fred Schendel Steve Babb Jon Davison Kamran Alan Shikoh Aaron Raulston

Past members	Michelle Young Walter Moore Brad Marler Susie Bogdanowicz

Glass Hammer is an American progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. They formed in 1992 when multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb (then known as "Stephen DeArqe") and Fred Schendel began to write and record Journey of the Dunadan, a concept album based on the story of Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. To their surprise, the album sold several thousand units via the Internet^{[citation needed]}, TV home shopping, and phone orders, and Babb and Schendel were convinced that the band was a project worth continuing.

While many musicians have appeared on Glass Hammer albums over the years, Babb and Schendel have remained the core of the band. Both men play a variety of instruments, but Babb mainly concentrates on bass guitar and keyboards while Schendel also plays keyboards as well as various guitars and drums (until the addition of live drummer Matt Mendians to the studio recording band in 2004). They also sing, although a number of other vocalists (most notably Michelle Young, Walter Moore, Susie Bogdanowicz and Jon Davison) have also handled lead vocal duties.

Lyrically, Glass Hammer is inspired mostly by their love of fantasy literature (most notably Tolkien and C. S. Lewis) and by their Christian faith. Although by their own admission they have tried to avoid becoming an overtly Christian band, their 2002 release Lex Rex was a concept album based on a Roman soldier's encounter with Jesus.

Musically, their most apparent influences are Yes, Kansas, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and, to a less noticeable extent, Genesis. While Glass Hammer has, for the most part, combined those influences into a characteristic style of their own, they made much more direct references to the aforementioned bands on their 2000 album Chronometree, which told the story of a drug-addled progressive rock fan who becomes convinced aliens are speaking to him through the music he listens to.

In 2012, Jon Davison was selected by Yes as their new lead singer, while remaining a member of Glass Hammer.^[1]

Discography

Studio albums

Journey of the Dunadan (1993)
Perelandra (1995)
On to Evermore (1998)
Chronometree (2000)
The Middle Earth Album (2001)
Lex Rex (2002)
Shadowlands (2004)
The Inconsolable Secret (2005, re-recorded in 2013)
Culture of Ascent (2007)
Three Cheers for the Broken-Hearted (2009)
If (2010)
Cor Cordium (2011)
Perilous (2012)
Ode to Echo (2014)

Live albums

Live and Revived (1997)
Live at Nearfest (2004)

Live DVDs

Lex Live (2004)
Live at Belmont (2006)
Live at the Tivoli (2008)

Others

One (2010) - Old recordings by Babb and Schendel from 1991-1992
The Stories of H.P. Lovecraft (2012) - collaborative album of different artists

Personnel

Members

Glass Hammer always featured numerous guest musicians who are not full-time members; however, many of them have collaborated with the band during long periods. They are referred as "Alumni".

Current members

Fred Schendel – keyboards, steel guitar, backing vocals, various others (1992–present), lead vocals, guitars, Hammond organ, synthesizer, drums, various others (1992-2004)
Steve Babb – bass, keyboards, backing vocals, various others (1992–present), lead vocals, percussion, various others (1992-2004)
Carl Groves – lead vocals (2007–2009, 2013-present; session member: 2009-2013)
Jon Davison – lead vocals (2009–present)
Kamran Alan Shikoh – guitars, sitar (2009–present)
Aaron Raulston - drums (2013–present)

Former members

Michelle Young – lead vocals (1992-1997; session backing vocals: 2013)^[2]
Brad Marler – lead vocals (2000)

Session members

Walter Moore – vocals (2004–present; full-time vocalist and guitarist: 1995-2004, full-time drummer: 1995-2000)
Susie Bogdanowicz – vocals (2009–present; full-time: 2001-2009)
Bethany Warren (Susie Bogdanowicz's younger sister) – vocals (2004–present)
Flo Paris – vocals (2004–present)
Matt Mendians – drums (2004–present)
David Wallimann – guitars (2007–present)
The Adonia String Trio – string trio (2007–present)
- Rebecca James – violin
- Susan Whitacre – viola
- Rachel Hackenberger – cello
Randall Williams – drums (2009–present)

Former session/guest members

Terry Clouse – guitars (2000)
Sarah Snyder – vocals (2001)
David Cartern – guitars (1992-2005)

Timeline

References

External links

Interviews

Feature article and interview in Pathways to Excellence's Winter 2005 and Spring 2006 issues

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