Glowing House

Glowing House caught my ear recently opening for Ha Ha Tonka. I’m always on the lookout for great Denver bands (their proximity allows me to see them often!).

Steve Varney answered some questions for us that made me really, really like this group. He gave some awesomely honest responses and name checked a handful of Ruckus favorites (The Swell Season, Local Natives, and Mumford & Sons to name a few). I really appreciate a band with good taste.

Here’s a Q & A with this bright young Colorado band which will help you see why they should be on your list, too.

Give me a short history of Glowing House.

We’ve been a band for a little over a year. We all met in college at University of Colorado Denver. Jess and I met before the first day of songwriting class and we got to know Patrick when I needed a drummer for a recital. We had a bass player for a while, but it didn’t work out, and I suppose we’re waiting for the right person to come along and fill that spot. We really enjoy being a trio, though. It keeps us busy and learning new things all the time. We’ve recorded one full-length album (The Annual Demise of Every Aspen) that was basically a combination of songs that Jess and I had written before we met each other. The album we’re working on right now, however, has truly been a collaborative effort on every song, and it shows. We hope to release it by the end of the summer.

Where does the name come from?

Honestly, we don’t like this question very much, because we always wish we had a better story. Band names are hard, and it was really just the name we didn’t hate. We new we wanted a warm, inviting name and that’s what eventually came out.

How would you describe the Glowing House musical experience?

We consider ourselves to be a part of the new-age folk movement that seems to be getting more and more recognition. We’ve been compared to The Swell Season (which is just fine with us) and I would have to compare us to bands like Mumford and Sons, Local Natives, and The Avett Brothers. At the moment, we use piano, acoustic guitar, banjo, octave mandolin, accordion, melodica, and of course drums to perform our songs. Jess and I split lead vocal duties and everyone has plenty of harmony parts to take care of. We try to write songs that matter while still having some fun, and I think audiences really enjoy that.

Glowing House – Taming Lions (demo)

What is your collaborative process like?

It gets more and more balanced as we go. Jess and I write the lyrics and melodies, but the chord progressions come from all over the place. It could be Jess trying something out on the piano, myself on the guitar or mandolin, or even a rhythmic idea from Patrick that gets an idea going. Actually, Patrick wrote one of my favorite guitar parts that will be on the next album, so there ya go. The most important part has been simply being honest with each other. Everyone has different filters during the creative process, each one trying its best to only let the golden ideas come through, and I think our filters are really starting to work together well.

What is your favorite venue to play in Denver and why?

That’s hard, but I would have to say Swallow Hill. Most venues have a bar for extra income, which I completely understand, but something special happens when an audience is simply there to hear music. We work hard on our songs, especially our lyrics, and there’s nothing like knowing that every person in the room is listening attentively to your work.

What is your favorite local restaurant? What do you order there?

Patrick loves the Cherry Cricket. He’s a hamburger, fries, and a beer kind of guy. Jess and I have recently fallen in love with a place called Root Down. I’ve never wanted to go into the kitchen and hug each and every one of the chefs, but I almost did the first time I ate there. Yeah, we like Root Down.

What are you listening to right now?

Jess: Say I Am You – The Weepies
Steve: Plans – Deathcab for Cutie
Patrick: Kid A – Radiohead

Who are some contemporary artists that you admire?

Probably one of our favorite artists currently making a name for himself is Gregory Alan Isakov. His music is beautiful and endlessly inspiring. Beyond that, Patrick loves Mute Math and Deathcab for Cutie, I’ll take anything involving Glen Hansard, and I know Jess continues to follow Aimee Mann and Patty Griffin.

What would your dream show to play be?

At this point, opening for Gregory Alan Isakov is pretty big goal/dream of ours. If I were asked for a more dream-like answer it would be a collaborative concert between us and The Swell Season, and Glen and I would hit it off famously, and then we would call Gregory and we would all trade belly laughs and nods as we talked about music, Radiolab, and good beer.

What is your favorite part about being in the music business. What is your least favorite?

I would have to say our favorite part is simply being able to play music for people. Our goal of course is to be able to play music for people and NOT have another job, but that will hopefully come later. The worst part, oddly enough, is also one of the best parts: people. Not everyone we deal with is a decent, honest person, and those people can really get you down sometimes. But it’s usually dealing with a great person that makes you forget about it.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

We seriously love making music, and the people that have taken the time to listen to us and care about what we’re doing is the reason we keep going. Thank you to all our fans, family, friends, and fellow music-lovers that make it all worthwhile. That sounds like a corny Grammy speech but I don’t care.

Glowing House – Your Name (Jamie Mefford demo)