Searching For Meaning With Glossary

"Now, your mama she done told you,
Papa told you, too,
Them boys with guitars,
Can't take care of you,
They only run and they're reckless,
They live the way they want to."
--Glossary, "Almsgiver"

I'm taking a very brief respite from the Clarence White Chronicles to talk about a band that you can actually see live in the here and now. I know, I know, The Adios Lounge teeters on the edge of recklessness with these new bands and their modern music. But, if you're like me, you prefer your modern bands to have at least one foot rooted in the past and Glossary is no exception. To these ears, theirs is a throwback sound that begins with The Band, Bruce Springsteen, and even Little Feat, gets to The Replacements, and then takes a left turn through Blue Mountain and Marah. Or, as the name of the tour they shared with fellow travelers Grand Champeen, The Drams, and Two Cow Garage made perfectly clear: "This is American Music." Sho nuff.

The two songs I've posted here are both from The Better Angels Of Our Nature, their most recent album and one consumed by the challenge of growing older in a rock 'n' roll band. The songs on Better Angels also address the peculiar difficulties of relationships for said rock 'n' rollers. Given that singer/guitarist/songwriter, Joey Kneiser, and vocalist/percussionist, Kelly Smith, are actually married, it's probably fair to say that the album's theme hits particularly close to home. Now, I'll be the first to admit that the theme itself isn't all that original. But hey, are you gonna stop eating good BBQ just because you've had it before? Of course not. Trust me, this is stick-to-your-ribs southern music, tempered by regret and nostalgia and yet passionately embracing the simple, uplifting power of rock 'n' roll.

"This is a song about trying to convince somebody that you can take care of them by playing guitar. It's a fairy tale."
--Intro to "Almsgiver," Nashville, 2/3/07

Glossary - Almsgiver [purchase]

"14 years growing up in bars,
Sleeping on floors,
Playing cheap guitars,
I'm still holding onto rock 'n' roll,
Holding onto rock 'n' roll."
--From "Blood On The Knobs"

Glossary - Blood On The Knobs [purchase]

As a bonus, here's a video of Joey and Kelly singing "Blood On The Knobs" at WMTS, the student-run radio station at Middle Tennessee State, located in their hometown of Murfreesboro, TN.



You can catch Glossary tonight and tomorrow in Ohio, then they'll be in Detroit, and they're finishing up their tour on the east coast. It looks like most dates feature Lucero and Justin Townes Earle (yes, Steve's kid), so you may wanna call the venues regarding the specific lineup order. Visit Glossary's MySpace page for tour dates, to watch some videos, and to hear why they're longtime favorites of The Adios Lounge.

Visit Glossary website

FYI, Part 3 of the Clarence White Chronicles will be posted in about a week. I may have another random post between now and then, so please check back. Word.