History
The Story (an alter-ego experiment)
The Story
Summary:
Glade Swope [G.S.] is not a singer-songwriter. Modern technology meets the passion of the romantic era. He dares to go it alone in classic progressive rock and art-metal: a well-regulated militia where the right to bear distortion will not be infringed. G.S. constructs large ensembles using both new and old technology, featuring guitars (sometimes more than 5), keyboards, vocals and percussion. G.S. produced many releases on CD and cassettes dating back to 1991, many of them now rare.
OK, so you want to know who (or what) is this phenomenon called Glade Swope, right? It may be impossible to describe accurately, like the wave-particle paradox you may have heard of in quantum physics. For example, let's consider the lineup of the "band" (for lack of a better term) in a typical G.S. recording:
Rhythm guitar (1st): Glade Swope
The list above is not an exaggeration. G.S. is truly never satisfied. In terms of arrangement preferences, he is the extreme polar opposite of the typical singer-songwriter. In terms of the melodic (and moral) quality of content, he is also the extreme polar opposite of the typical rock band, especially of today.
Rhythm guitar (2nd): Glade Swope
Bass: Glade Swope
Drums (1st, by keyboard): Glade Swope
Lead guitar (1st): Glade Swope
Lead guitar (2nd, i.e. "dueling" solos): Glade Swope
Rhythm guitar (3rd, 12-string): Glade Swope
Rhythm guitar (4th, 12-string): Glade Swope
Drums (2nd, by keyboard): Glade Swope
Drums (3rd, by keyboard): Glade Swope
Drums (4th, using coffee and peanut cans): Glade Swope
Tambourine(1st): Glade Swope
Tambourine(2nd): Glade Swope
Egg-shakers(1st): Glade Swope
Egg-shakers(2nd): Glade Swope
Keyboard (string orchestra section 1): Glade Swope
Keyboard (string orchestra section 2): Glade Swope
Keyboard (wood orchestra section 1): Glade Swope
Keyboard (wood orchestra section 2): Glade Swope
Lead vocals(1st): Glade Swope
Lead vocals(2nd, and yes, there is such a thing): Glade Swope
Backing vocals (1st): Glade Swope
Backing vocals (2nd): Glade Swope
So how did this monstrosity happen?
The zeroeth rig: 1986-1988
Two cassette boom boxes- that was about it. Also, just keyboard, vocals, percussion (pots, metal rack, whatever junk could be found). Mixing was done acoustically, just putting one boom box on top of the other. Not great sound-wise, but it did allow multiple instrument sessions. Most of these recordings were rather silly, and consisted of a lot of sampling, and singing along with songs on other tapes using parody lyrics.
The first (serious) rig: 1988-1991
This studio consisted of not much for equipment: Two cassette recorders (very basic line in/out with support for CrO2 and Metal4), a four channel mixer (very primitive, just four levels and a mic/line for each input), a broken cassette recorder from the 1970s (used this for a mic-to-line converter since the output of the mixer was mic-level), and a 10-band equalizer. The original version of the "Land that I Once Knew" album was done on this setup. A typical session went like this.
Stage 1: Play keyboard, record directly to tape-recorder B
Stage 2: Put tape B from stage 1 in tape-player A. Plug tape-player A into mixer. Plug keyboard into mixer. Plug output of mixer into tape B. Put another tape in tape B. Play tape A and record tape B, and play another keyboard part. Tape B now has a mix of tape A and the live keyboard output.
Stage 3: Put tape B from stage 2 in tape-player A. Do similar to above, play a drum-track.
Stage 4: Do similar to above, plug microphone into mixer and sing vocals
The second rig: 1991-2001
Added a four-track reel-to-reel recorder, and a somewhat better mixing board. This mixing board had six channels, pan knobs, and some eq's on each channel. This made a much better sound possible, not only due to the reel tapes having a far higher quality than cassettes, but also the fact that four sessions could record on the first tape. This would be mixed onto a cassette tape, then back to another reel tape (on the first two channels to keep the sound in stereo), two more sessions could record on tracks 3 and 4. Later (about 1998) the cassette used for this bouncing was upgraded to a hifi-VHS, providing a better sound. In "The Time Traveler's Symphony" this process would often repeat 4 times, producing a total of 10 sessions- a truly tedious task. Also, the reel tapes were expensive (over $12 per tape, which in the ideal mode provide 30 minutes of recording time).
The third rig: 2002-present
At this point G.S. begins to use direct-to-digital recording techniques, using various free software, having a computer powerful enough to run it for the first time. A program that acted as a six-track recorder in PCM CD-quality, when used with multiple stages of track bouncing, made possible an unlimited number of channels without any degrade in sound, and the media to store it on was much cheaper. The "Exile" album had the first four instruments of several songs recorded on the reel, and gradually transferred over to the digital system. Eventually the reel machine broke down (for the third time, and it was tedious and expensive to have repaired) and it was just given up.
So why haven't you heard of it before?
1991 to 1996: 21+ is Killing Music!
That may be where it gets interesting, or not, depending on your point of view. Before the internet scene reached critical mass, the do-it-yourself musician was quite limited, as we all know. However, for G.S. what opportunity is traditionally offered, was not. Several unique barriers to participation affected G.S. in his beginnings. First, where is the traditional place for a musician to start? Bars, of course: obviously a problem, especially in the good old United States, since G.S. was not 21 until 1996. He did have several cassette tape albums in a few local shops, and occasionally had them played on college radio. However, there is nothing like an in-person audience. All-ages venues? There tended to be, at most times none, and occasionally only one. This meant at best, a monopoly; if the only non-21+ venue around won't give you the chance to perform, who can you call? Even then, those venues tended to go broke as fast as they start.
Here is a not-quite-complete list of the cassette tape albums G.S. made during this period. There were other shorter demos and promos. These were each a traditional "full-length albums" about 42 minutes:
1991: Land that I Once Knew
1992: Lost in Time
1993: 13 and Eternity (probably the best of the rarities)
1994: Storm the Gates
1996: Flight of Absalom (mostly neo-classical keyboard)
1996-1998: Finally the chance to get out and 'pay the dues' ... or not!
By the time G.S. has his I.D., he has five albums up his sleeve. So, one might assume, he would be set for life for getting the gigs every weekend and all... instead what awaits G.S. is a surreal odyssey that Vincent Van Gogh, Gustav Mahler and Emily Bront would be all-too-familiar with. Most of the pubs, as the cliche' goes, just want covers of popular songs, the sleazier the better. However, they forget that sophisticated and sensitive adults might like the chance to go out to see a performance, too. It is said that G.S., almost like a gospel-hero, could not write a sleazy song if his life depended on it! Once asked if "Lost in Heaven Without Thou" were about a former relationship, he responded, "I don't like songs about personal ex-relationships, it's too much like gossip." The quest to prove that rock and even heavy-metal can be higher-art seems to course through the blood in his veins. He is not easily amused, either. If you see him in a bar or at a party, and he looks BORED, he doesn't just look so, he IS! There is a saying about boredom creating genius, but the reverse is quite true: persons of genius tend to suffer boredom in a not-so-genius environment. G.S. is also not the puritanical type, he does indulge in fantasy, and is fiercely independent in his views. Even his most openly religious songs are distinctive in the fact that nobody teaches him what to write.
G.S. dives back into his 'rig' or 'lab' or whatever you would call it, and more cassette albums are made:
1997: The Dove's Cry
1998: The Unfinished Requiem (perhaps the heaviest G.S. metal-opera yet)
1998: The Promise Remains (back to a lighter sound, perhaps gospel-new-age?)
1998-2002: Introducing the world wide web / lessons of mp3.com and ampcast
It seemed like a new era was dawning for independent music; which turned out to be both an understatement and an overstatement. The promise was in the air for a chance to reach an audience and possibly even make a living off the hobby. On these sites, one could give
their content away, and get paid every time someone takes it- but this benefit did not last very long. Like a gravy-train headed for a cliff, the so-called dot-bomb crisis forced these sites into doing what was unthinkable when they started: charging the artist - and not long afterward, they are out of business. However, these sites represent the first time G.S. can make a C.D.
The following were on (the original) mp3.com:
Greatest Unknown Tracks, Vol. 1
Greatest Unknown Tracks, Vol. 2
(select cuts from The Promise Remains, and the EP "End of the Road")
The Unfinished Requiem
Higher Criticism
TeleBAN (a punk-satire, envisioning the Taliban as a rock band)
The Demo Years (select cuts prior to 1998)
The following were on Ampcast:
A remake of Greatest Unknown, both volumes on one disc
(+ various other remakes of the previous list)
The Time Traveler's Symphony
Exile
January 2003: A Long Overdue Milestone
For the first time, ever, Glade Swope is...
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.OK, are you ready...
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invited to perform a show.
(Major special thanks to Ruth Klemanski)
Among the many venues that have come and gone in Portland, "The Well" was quite a unique experiment. This all-ages venue was Christian managed (by the Salvation Army church). However, it supported mostly secular local music. Only reason for this to happen that I could
think of: they saw a charitable need to have a real eclectic coffee bar in Portland. Ruth was quite impressed with Glade's content, and had him back to perform a few more times. Then, just like many that have come and gone, it went.
2003-present: The migration to CDBaby
Ok, Ampcast has gone 404. What to do next?
CDBaby may be on the verge of getting it right for the first and avoiding the traps that mp3.com and Ampcast fell into - only time will tell. You may have noticed that the 'release date' listed for Glade's older albums is quite recent. There are two reasons for that: They are 'revamps' with extra or different bonus tracks than the previous versions. These re-masters were inevitable due to the format limitations on the other services, and a significant improvement in sound. Also, G.S. chose to set up his two most recent albums at the time (Who Will Rise Above and Exile) first - to minimize the cost of 'trying' the service, and few care about 'local' music from the past. In 2008, he started re-issuing much of his older material, seeing the opportunity to increase exposure through the digital distribution plan, which for the first time could get 'local' (using this term loosely) music on major distributors like ITunes, etc.
In recent times, you could say examples of the 'idea of the internet' are trickling down to the 'real world'. Original local music is gaining ground in Portland venues, and you can occasionally find Glade Swope performing shows at North Star Music Cafe, Strange Maine, and sometimes he will do a surprise visit to an open mic. Even with these, it is still a mammoth struggle: what to do next? Has he run his course?
Let's consider the traditional path to a rock career, guessing from docu-dramas such as Oliver Stone's 'The Doors' and the Johnny Cash 'Walk the Line.' There was a time, not so long ago, when if you didn't have a 'record deal' you did not record- at all. Or maybe garage 'one-microphone' if you were lucky, that is have a thousand bucks for a tape recorder. Live shows were what you did first. Once having a reputation from live shows, you might get the chance at recording, and most did not make it that far. If you had a lot of cash you could hire a studio. Or, if you impress a record company executive at a bar in the L.A. Sunset Strip, you might become a well-off indentured servant to a record company (called 'making it' because that was the only way to make a distributed album). Glade Swope (not by choice) did these things in reverse order! A lot of albums, and still could not get shows.
next, (This could explain why it's been so hard for him to get gigs!)
Is Glade Swope Christian Music?
That is a HARD QUESTION. The answer will vary depending on the views of whom you ask! (try asking, for example: Is 'The Last Temptation of Christ' by Kazantzakis a Christian book?') There is definitely something about G.S. material that is not of this world, or possibly a lost art in these times: a striving for innocence and beauty tempered with genius. Self-described 'not merely a mystic progressive rocker, a true rocking progressive mystic', his universalistic leanings and indulgence in fantasy are reminiscent of the tradition of George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. There are also occasional hints at belief in mediumship and a beforelife. Glade is not afraid to indulge in necromantic humor, either. He once introduced a transition from 'Yet Another One Has Returned' to 'My Own Three Eyes' with the line: "OK, now that we woke someone up, lets ask him what he saw!"
Here's an amusing fact: According to keyword metrics - i.e. a program that counts key words and phrases referring to Christian terminology - Iron Maiden would easily pass for a gospel group! (e.g. song titles such as 'prodigal son', 'hallowed be thy name', 'revelation' (and that song directly quotes a hymn to boot!) This is true of many classic serious-metal bands that most would never consider gospel groups. Now just imagine such a program booking the Gaither Vocal Band to open for Metallica. Prepare to "deal with the four horsemen!" Now, do you still want computers playing real Global Thermonuclear War?
Ok, so, is Glade Swope Christian Music?
Some say yes, because they feel, or just know, that it is genuinely inspired. Some say 'no' because it doesn't agree with what they consider Christian. Glade occasionally indulges in fundy-bashing! He's as anti-legalist as it gets! Some have said 'no' and explained that it was a compliment: as in, it is REAL ARTMETAL and not just someone using the music to push the faith. However, Glade has often hinted that he really believes in what his songs say.
He may be a no-hit-wonder, but why should that stop you? Enjoy the adventure. Real music fans don't listen popular music anyway.
Sage D. Powel
The following links each open in a new window, so you won't have to right click or worry about losing your place here:
email:
glade(at)gladeswope(dot)com
You will not be added to any mailing list unless you ask.
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