Bio
SETH GLIER: THINGS I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW (Official Bio)
"(Seth Glier's) exquisite tenor echoes Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel.” - USA TODAY
Singer-songwriter and Grammy® nominee Seth Glier knows the challenges of emerging into adulthood all too well. Over the course of just a few short years, Glier has gone from opening act to headlining his own shows as well as major folk festivals, all culminating in a nod from the Grammys® this year for the work he did on his sophomore record, THE NEXT RIGHT THING. Having spent the majority of his teens and early twenties on the road, the now 24-year-old Massachusetts native describes his new album THINGS I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW as "a reckoning with adulthood.”
THINGS I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW offers one young man’s perspective through expertly crafted stories entwined with exceptional musicianship and rife with incredible lyrical detail. Glier’s songs aim straight for the gut and cast light on the challenges of adult life, through the lens of the everyday person.
For his third album on MPress Records, Glier opened himself for the first time to the opportunity of working with co-writers. As he explains: “I co-wrote a tune with Livingston Taylor, and a few with Ellis Paul and Marshall Altman. I’m very protective of my words, so co-writing seemed scary, but in the end I trusted these writers and we found a common vision.” Glier, who has received two Independent Music Awards for his previous works, self-produced this LP, THINGS I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW with longtime collaborator Ryan Hommel and brought on Grammy® Nominee John Shyloski (Johnny Winter, Stephen Kellogg) to mix and master.
Since the release of 2011’s THE NEXT RIGHT THING, Glier has shared the stage with artists as diverse as James Taylor, Ani DiFranco, Martin Sexton, Toad The Wet Sprocket and Edwin McCain. A troubadour in every sense of the word, he plays over 250+ shows a year, and when it came time to pen this record he decided to do it from the road. Bits and pieces of songs were strewn across state lines, sung into mattresses, recorded in one fan’s kitchen in Cleveland and on another’s rooftop in San Francisco. As Glier asserts, “I wanted ‘Things I Should Let You Know’ to be a transformative experience for the listeners and I knew it couldn’t be if I wasn’t being transformed along the way.”
The title THINGS I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW might suggest something secretive, or that the young songsmith has something to hide. However, as Glier is quick to clarify, in fact the opposite is true. "This record is about confession, it’s about baring all your skeletons in the light of day, making some much needed room in your closet, and living wide open."
The album’s opener and title track is a stark confession accompanied by layered vocals and a hushed and haunting musical arrangement. One of the last songs composed for the album, it marks a brash departure from formula and sets the listener up for an expansive ride full of cinematic twists and turns. From the driving, story-telling pop of “Man I Used To Be” to the uplifting, New Orleans-influenced “New World I See”, Glier’s impressive range as a vocalist, pianist and guitarist stirs the listener to reflection, the same way writing it did for Seth.
As a national spokesperson for the Autism Speaks, an advocate for Musicians On Call, and with a ROCK THE VOTE Road Trip 2012 stop under his belt, Glier has become increasingly comfortable expressing his social beliefs, both onstage and off. Not surprisingly, when pressed for what song he is most proud of on the album, Glier chooses the Woody Guthrie-inspired “Plastic Soldiers” “because it’s definitely the most political song on the record.” In his signature narrative style, Glier sings from the point of view of a father and soldier, coming to terms with his choices in life and refusing to lead his son down the same path.
On the chilling and intimate “Too Hard To Hold The Moon”, Glier gets incredibly personal, dropping the character shield and revealing that the track ”is about my Mom and Dad…about my Mom standing by my father as he learns to live in sobriety.”
Everything comes full circle with the album’s powerful closer, “I Am Only As Loved As I Am Open”. Amidst a swirling drone of harmonium, pump organ and bowing strings, Seth Glier ascends into adulthood by delivering his most mature collection of songs yet - revering acceptance and reveling in self-discovery.
THINGS I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW is available nationwide. For an updated tour schedule and Seth’s complete discography, visit www.sethglier.com.
Short Bio
Despite his relatively young age, Massachusetts based singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist Seth Glier is a seasoned troubadour. Averaging over 250+ live performances annually Seth has gone from opening act to headlining his own shows and playing major folk festivals. He’s shared the stage with artists as diverse as James Taylor, Ani DiFranco, Martin Sexton, Emmylou Harris and Ryan Adams and has quickly become known for his passionate live sets. His music has also caught the ears of fans, industry and critics alike with USA Today stating that his “exquisite tenor echoes Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel." The incredible acclaim on his sophomore record, The Next Right Thing, led to the single “Lauralee” hitting #1 on Clear Channel's NEW! Discover & Uncover program as well as a Grammy® nomination, a first for both himself and his New York based label, MPress Records.
As a national spokesperson for the Autism Speaks, an advocate or Musicians On Call, and with a ROCK THE VOTE Road Trip 2012 stop under his belt, Seth has become increasingly comfortable expressing his social beliefs, both onstage and off. In 2012 he took home Best Social Action Song for his track “The Next Right Thing” at the 11th Annual Independent Music Awards, his second IMA win. For his 2013 “Things I Should Let You Know” CD Release tour, he teamed up with Autism Speaks and raised over $5,000 for the not-for-profit organization.
His third album on MPress Records, Things I Should Let You Know is steeped in all the most gorgeous aspects of Americana, folk, blues, pop and soul with each of the 13 tracks it encompasses telling its own story, weaving tales of love, pain and epic self-realization from a young man coming into his own, all wrapped in sweeping melodies and striking vocals. Things I Should Let You Know landed him his first Daytrotter session along with incredible reviews; M Music & Musicians praised his “his polished tenor vocals and natural affinity for creating shimmering, seductive melodies”, while Blurt Magazine exclaimed: “Glier’s greatest gift is for providing nuance, which is yet another reason why ‘Things I Should Let You Know’ is nothing less than a genuine revelation.”
