GLENN THOMAS SHARES NEW VIDEO FOR REIMAGINED “BLACK MUDDY RIVER”

GLENN THOMAS SHARES NEW VIDEO FOR

REIMAGINED “BLACK MUDDY RIVER”

IN HONOR OF JERRY GARCIA

VIA  TURNSTYLED, JUNKPILED

WATCH: "BLACK MUDDY RIVER" 

Nashville-by-way-of-New England singer/songwriter Glenn Thomas has released a gorgeous new video for his version of The Grateful Dead’s “Black Muddy River,” a song he shared to commemorate “Jerry Week.” Thomas' version was featured on SiriusXM's Tales From The Golden Road, The Brokedown Podcast, and more in honor of the birth and death of The Dead's iconic frontman Jerry Garcia—August 1st and 9th respectively. "It’s a dark song, but tinged with hopefulness," says Turnstyled, Junkpiled in the video's premiere. In 1987, Robert Hunter told Rolling Stone, "'Black Muddy River' is about the perspective of age and making a decision about the necessity of living in spite of a rough time, and the ravages of anything else that’s going to come at you. When I wrote it, I was writing about how I felt about being 45 years old and what I’ve been through. And then when I was done with it, obviously it was for The Dead.” The song was performed as the first of two encores at the Dead’s final concert on July 9, 1995, at Soldier Field in Chicago. 

LISTEN: "BLACK MUDDY RIVER"   

"It’s not easy to stand out in a world full of Grateful Dead covers," remarked Mother Church Pew. "It takes something sung from the heart to embrace the soul of the song, while giving it a life of its own. Thomas lets gentle, crisp acoustic guitar carry the melodies while building on the song’s inherent folk qualities with touches of dobro, mandolin, and strings. Full of reverence, it connects to the legacy of the Grateful Dead graced by the personal connection that pours from Thomas’s vocals. With ingrained devotion, Thomas’s ‘Black Muddy River’ feels like it is being sung directly to Jerry Garcia—flowing with veneration from one artist to another.”   

The video, filmed and directed by Deven Bussey, is a lush visual for the song, which Thomas feels is one of The Grateful Dead's most beautiful. “Growing up in a musical family, I was listening to The Grateful Dead when I was really young," says Thomas. “American Beauty was among the few CDs I listened to on the bus ride to and from school. As a kid, I loved the songs and the vocal harmonies. As I got older and started playing guitar, their songs shifted into a rich musical landscape that has stayed with me and informed my own music ever since. ‘Black Muddy River’ is a later song in their catalogue, and lyrically a resonant, timeless reflection on life. The Grateful Dead are such a participatory band in the multitudes of ways their fans share in the music, even after Jerry’s passing.”  

LISTEN: REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW 

On May 15th, Thomas unveiled his beautiful new LP Reassure Me There’s A Window to praise from Billboard, PopMatters, Folk Radio UK, and more. “This album was a long time dream of mine,” recounts Thomas of the LP. The tracks on Reassure Me There’s A Window, which feature tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements, all come from a deeply personal place, and the more Thomas played them for his audiences, the more he realized how much others could relate to them. Each song touches on personal truths and what it means to be human—what connects us and motivates us, as well as the struggles and difficult facts of life.  

In each of the album’s 11 tracks, Thomas puts life and the human condition under the microscope in order to articulately observe the big questions with small details, paying careful attention to his understanding of himself and the seasonality of life. He has the ability to lyrically turn the world on its side and explain the human condition and its accompanying array of emotions from a beautifully unique perspective. 

Thomas, who cut his teeth fronting Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun, has shared stages with bands like Langhorne Slim, The Wombats, and Blitzen Trapper. He began writing songs that didn't fit within the rock-centric framework and decided he would strike out on his own, stretching his creative muscles. The album was produced by Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell, Andrew Combs, Joshua Hedley); with its throwback flair, Reassure Me There's A Window is a lush, sweetly-arranged collection of articulate folk-tinged songs. 

CONNECT WITH GLENN THOMAS: 

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube 

OUT TODAY: REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW - NEW LP FROM GLENN THOMAS

The 10-song set is a reinvention for Thomas, its rich melodies and careful arrangements nothing like anything he's released before. - Billboard 

Reassure Me There's A Window veers from his previous releases in the realm of atmospheric and visceral rock and into contemplative indie-folk - PopMatters 

At a time when doors are shut, Thomas has thrown open a window to the world of the heart, and the view is  wonderful - Folk Radio UK 

Folky, calm, with a skip in its step, its rhythm is familiar and bright…raised in New England, Thomas encapsulates that ambience of small town daydreaming" – Atwood Magazine 

[Glenn Thomas has] gone from being the frontman and guitarist for the alt-rock trio Wild Sun to harnessing the craft of writing music with a deeper meaning - The Independent (RI)

Tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements. - Ghettoblaster

Gently reflective - Americana-UK

Indie-folk backing, with drips of steel guitar and this bubbling melancholy - Backseat Mafia 

Quite enthralling - A1234 

A powerful a sentiment - Ear To The Ground 

 Straddling the line between harmonica-laced folk and cheerful Brit-pop - Underground Music Collective 

You can literally feel the emotion behind Thomas’s voice. His soulful sound is matched by the simple, yet powerful instrumentation - Gas Mask Magazine 

LISTEN: REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW 

Today, Nashville-by-way-of-New England singer/songwriter Glenn Thomas unveils his beautiful new LP Reassure Me There’s A Window. “This album was a long time dream of mine,” recounts Thomas of the LP, which premiered earlier this week via Billboard. “For the last seven years, I’d been touring New England and the East Coast with my alternative rock power trio Wild Sun. Everything I was writing was written for that outfit, and as such brought certain limitations with what I could do with the songs. Throughout that time I was writing a lot of songs that were not rock songs, but I didn’t have a vehicle for them. When the band decided to take a break, I moved to Nashville with the goal of focusing on my solo songwriting. I had always wanted to make a lush songwriter album — a contemporary approach to the big string arrangement-aided songwriter records of the past like Randy Newman, Elton John, and others. I heard this sound in a lot of the records Jordan Lehning had produced,” he continues. “His approach is pretty fearless of genre and boundaries — the production serves the song, not the other way around. I reached out to him about doing an album and after a few lunch meetings, we agreed it would be a good fit. Unlike past recording experiences, there were no chafing moments in the studio — it was a very congruous relationship. The session musicians who played on the record were monster players, and a joy to work with. Pretty much everything was tracked live, except for a few overdubs and the string arrangements.” 

The tracks on Reassure Me There’s A Window, which feature tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements, all come from a deeply personal place, and the more Thomas played them for his audiences, the more he realized how much others could relate to them. Each song touches on personal truths and what it means to be human—what connects us and motivates us, as well as the struggles and difficult facts of life. 

 From Shins-esque album opener “All You Can Do,” about accepting that things don’t always go as planned, to “Catherine Ames,” a much-needed slice of catharsis and sonic sunshine inspired by Cathy Ames, the antagonist of John Steinbeck’s East Of Eden - a song about holding on to pain and anger as though they are part of your identity, and understanding that healing and moving forward takes time, to the rowdy, pedal steel-centric “Give A Damn,” about carrying ghosts from the past into a new relationship, Thomas puts life and the human condition under the microscope in order to articulately observe the big questions with small details, paying careful attention to his understanding of himself and the seasonality of life. Thomas has the ability to lyrically turn the world on its side and explain the human condition and its accompanying array of emotions from a beautifully unique perspective.

Thomas, who cut his teeth fronting Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun, has shared stages with bands like Langhorne Slim, The Wombats, and Blitzen Trapper. He began writing songs that didn't fit within the rock-centric framework and decided he would strike out on his own, stretching his creative muscles. The album was produced by Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell, Andrew Combs, Joshua Hedley); with its throwback flair, Reassure Me There's A Window is a lush, sweetly-arranged collection of articulate folk-tinged songs. 

REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW TRACK LISTING:

ALL YOU CAN DO

REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW

ORIOLE

SHE IS LEAVING

SHY HINGES

THERE’S NOT A THING

GIVE A DAMN

CATHERINE AMES

INITIALS

WHEN YOU ARE GONE

WHADDYA’ KNOW

CONNECT WITH GLENN THOMAS:

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NEW SINGLE GLENN THOMAS UNLEASHES NEW SINGLE “GIVE A DAMN”

NEW SINGLE “GIVE A DAMN” FROM GLENN THOMAS PREMIERES VIA THE BLUEGRASS SITUATION 

 REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW LP OUT  MAY 15TH VIA PALACE FLOPHOUSE RECORDS

Reassure Me There's a Window veers from his previous releases in the realm of atmospheric and visceral rock and into contemplative indie-folk - PopMatters

Folky, calm, with a skip in its step, its rhythm is familiar and bright…raised in New England, Thomas encapsulates that ambience of small town daydreaming" – Atwood Magazine

Gently reflective - Americana-UK

Indie-folk backing, with drips of steel guitar and this bubbling melancholy - Backseat Mafia

Quite enthralling - A1234

A powerful a sentiment - Ear To The Ground 

Straddling the line between harmonica-laced folk and cheerful Brit-pop - Underground Music Collective

You can literally feel the emotion behind Thomas’s voice. His soulful sound is matched by the simple, yet powerful instrumentation - Gas Mask Magazine 

Nashville-by-way-of-New England singer/songwriter Glenn Thomas released new single “Give A Damn” via The Bluegrass Situation. “Give A Damn” appears on his forthcoming LP Reassure Me There’s A Window, out May 15th via Palace Flophouse Records. “I wrote this song in the beginning stages of a new relationship I was in,” Thomas explains of of the rowdy, pedal steel-laden track. “I really cared about the person and wanted it to work, but still carried the ghosts of past relationships and dating woes. I felt like I didn’t really have anything new to bring to the table, but ultimately what mattered was I cared and was going to do what it took to make it work. Ultimately, the past is exactly that — the past,” he continues. “I remember sitting on a friend’s speedboat a couple of summers ago getting bounced around by the waves, and the fast up and down movement put this melody into my head. I had the lyrics in my phone notes and sang it into a voice memo right there on the boat.” 

LISTEN: “GIVE A DAMN”

“Give A Damn” follows the release of “All You Can Do,” a Shins-esque song about accepting that things don’t always go as planned, and “Catherine Ames,” a much-needed slice of catharsis and sonic sunshine, inspired by Cathy Ames, the antagonist of John Steinbeck’s East Of Eden - a song about holding on to pain and anger as though they are part of your identity, and understanding that healing and moving forward takes time. Lead single “Oriole,” written after a recurring bout of insomnia about that moment when the sun begins to rise and the birds began to sing. “I thought it would be funny to ask the birds the questions that were keeping me up, since they were all unanswerable anyway,” Thomas has said. “When I set the words to music, I thought it would be fun to make the music sound…lively, like a 60s pop song with serious lyrics.”

LISTEN: “ALL YOU CAN DO”

LISTEN: “CATHERINE AMES” 

LISTEN: "ORIOLE"

Reassure Me There’s A Window features tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements. Each of the album’s 11 tracks center around the human condition - ideas of love and loss, isolation and connection, and wondering what more is out there. Thomas writes songs that cut straight to his truths; by putting his life and the human condition under the microscope, his songs articulately observe the big questions with small details, paying careful attention to his understanding of himself and the seasonality of life. 

Thomas, who cut his teeth fronting Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun, has shared stages with bands like Langhorne Slim, The Wombats, and Blitzen Trapper. He began writing songs that didn't fit within the rock-centric framework and decided he would strike out on his own, stretching his creative muscles. The album was produced by Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell, Andrew Combs, Joshua Hedley); with its throwback flair, Reassure Me There's A Window is a lush, sweetly-arranged collection of articulate folk-tinged songs. 

CONNECT WITH GLENN THOMAS:

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube

GLENN THOMAS RELEASES NEW SINGLE “ALL YOU CAN DO”

GLENN THOMAS RELEASES NEW SINGLE 

“ALL YOU CAN DO” VIA POPMATTERS 

 REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW LP OUT 

MAY 15TH VIA PALACE FLOPHOUSE RECORDS

Photo: Annelise Loughead

Today, singer/songwriter Glenn Thomas has released “All You Can Do,” the timely new single from his forthcoming LP Reassure Me There’s A Window, out May 15th via Palace Flophouse Records. “Reassure Me There's a Window veers from his previous releases in the realm of atmospheric and visceral rock and into contemplative indie-folk,” says PopMatters. “There's bittersweet reflection to be unearthed in Thomas' new single, the ‘All You Can Do.’ A subtle melange of string instrumentation helps to paint a plaintive image, swirling into a percussive, low-key folk jam…there can be a hopeful tinge garnered from its message, the implication being to let some of life's low-points be and to focus on what can be changed.” Thomas wrote “All You Can Do” about the resolve to accept things the way they are, which often is the hardest thing to do, and says “The lyrics came pretty quickly thinking of how sometimes, despite our best intentions, things aren't always as we want them to be, and not to get too worked up about it."

LISTEN: “ALL YOU CAN DO”

“All You Can Do” follows the release of “Catherine Ames,” a much-needed slice of catharsis and sonic sunshine, inspired by Cathy Ames, the antagonist of John Steinbeck’s East Of Eden - a song about holding on to pain and anger as though they are part of your identity, and understanding that healing and moving forward takes time. Lead single “Oriole,” written after a recurring bout of insomnia about that moment when the sun begins to rise and the birds began to sing. “I thought it would be funny to ask the birds the questions that were keeping me up, since they were all unanswerable anyway,” Thomas has said. “When I set the words to music, I thought it would be fun to make the music sound…lively, like a 60s pop song with serious lyrics.”

LISTEN: “CATHERINE AMES” 

LISTEN: "ORIOLE"

Reassure Me There’s A Window features tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements. Each of the album’s 11 tracks center around the human condition - ideas of love and loss, isolation and connection, and wondering what more is out there. Thomas writes songs that cut straight to his truths; by putting his life and the human condition under the microscope, his songs articulately observe the big questions with small details, paying careful attention to his understanding of himself and the seasonality of life. 

Thomas, who cut his teeth fronting Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun, has shared stages with bands like Langhorne Slim, The Wombats, and Blitzen Trapper. He began writing songs that didn't fit within the rock-centric framework and decided he would strike out on his own, stretching his creative muscles. The album was produced by Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell, Andrew Combs, Joshua Hedley); with its throwback flair, Reassure Me There's A Window is a lush, sweetly-arranged collection of articulate folk-tinged songs. 

A sycamore sways in spite of its weight,

like unmeant words that you can’t unsay.

Past days hang in a frame on the wall,

constantly come to pass, but they still linger on.

Cries for the everyman, cries for the law,

cries for the ones who have given up.

Prayers will be said, but they work too slow

when you have to fix the things that someone else broke.

It’s all you can do.

I looked to the crowd and I felt so small.

Have to wonder why I even worry at all.

Got the tools in the box and a plan and a game,

but the bartender winks and I order the same.

It’s all you can do.

Secondhand premonitions

can’t solve the world in a day.

Keep keeping on with the thinking,

but I still don’t know what to say.

It can patter like the rain or rush like the flood,

all that’s gonna be left are the things you’ve done.

So say one for me and I’ll say one for you.

Cheers to trying to make it through.

It’s all you can do

CONNECT WITH GLENN THOMAS:

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube

GLENN THOMAS UNVEILS STEINBECK-INSPIRED SINGLE “CATHERINE AMES”

Nashville-by-way-of-New England singer/songwriter Glenn Thomas has unveiled the latest single from his forthcoming LP Reassure Me There’s A Window, out May 15th via Palace Flophouse Records. “Catherine Ames,” a much-needed slice of catharsis and sonic sunshine, inspired by Cathy Ames, the antagonist of John Steinbeck’s East Of Eden. “She’s pretty evil and causes a lot of pain for the main character,” Thomas explained to Americana-UK in its premiere of the track. “This song is about holding on to pain and anger as though they are part of your identity. Forgiveness is not the same as forgetting, and as with any kind of healing and moving forward, it takes time.” When Thomas realized he had let go of something from his past that had been a painful burden for years, he wrote “Catherine Ames” to embody the purifying effect from relief he experienced, using a character name from one of his favorite authors given the similar and relatable themes of resolution and moving forward in East Of Eden. Americana-UK called Thomas’s new single is “a gently reflective song which concentrates on the healing virtues of time – and how pain has made him a better, more resilient, person.”

LISTEN: “CATHERINE AMES” 

“Catherine Ames” follows “Oriole,” written after a recurring bout of insomnia. “There was that dreaded time before the sun began to rise where the birds would start chirping. I thought it would be funny to ask the birds the questions that were keeping me up, since they were all unanswerable anyway,” Thomas told Atwood Magazine. When I set the words to music, I thought it would be fun to make the music sound…lively, like a 60s pop song with serious lyrics.”

LISTEN: "ORIOLE"

Thomas, who cut his teeth fronting Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun, has shared stages with bands like Langhorne Slim, The Wombats, and Blitzen Trapper. He began writing songs that didn't fit within the rock-centric framework and decided he would strike out on his own, stretching his creative muscles. The album was produced by Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell, Andrew Combs, Joshua Hedley); with its throwback flair, Reassure Me There's A Window is a lush, sweetly-arranged collection of articulate folk-tinged songs. 

The album's 11 tracks - tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements - center around the human condition - ideas of love and loss, isolation and connection, and wondering what more is out there. He writes songs that cut straight to his truths; by putting his life and the human condition under the microscope, his songs articulately observe the big questions with small details, paying careful attention to his understanding of himself and the seasonality of life. 

Thomas will celebrate Reassure Me There’s A Window with an album release show on May 13th at The 5 Spot in Nashville. Be sure to follow him via the links below for updates.

CONNECT WITH GLENN THOMAS:

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube

GLENN THOMAS RELEASES NEW SINGLE “ORIOLE” & ANNOUNCES NEW LP "REASSURE ME THERE'S A WINDOW"

Nashville-by-way-of-New England singer/songwriter Glenn Thomas has released “Oriole,” the lead single from his forthcoming LP Reassure Me There’s A Window, out May 15th via Palace Flophouse Records. “I wrote this song after a bout of insomnia, where I wouldn’t fall asleep until early in the morning each night,” Thomas told Atwood Magazine in its premiere. “There was that dreaded time before the sun began to rise where the birds would start chirping. I thought it would be funny to ask the birds the questions that were keeping me up, since they were all unanswerable anyway. When I set the words to music, I thought it would be fun to make the music sound…lively, like a 60s pop song with serious lyrics.” “Folky, calm, with a skip in its step, its rhythm is familiar and bright,” Atwood Magazine said. “Raised in New England, Thomas encapsulates that ambience of small town daydreaming. “Oriole” is a reminder that, whether we’re with our own thoughts or sharing company with nature, we’re never solely alone- regardless of how delirious we feel.”

LISTEN: "ORIOLE"

Thomas, who cut his teeth fronting Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun, has shared stages with bands like Langhorne Slim, The Wombats, and Blitzen Trapper. He began writing songs that didn't fit within the rock-centric framework, and decided he would strike out on his own, stretching his creative muscles. The album was produced by Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell, Andrew Combs, Joshua Hedley); with its throwback flair, Reassure Me There's A Window is a lush, sweetly-arranged collection of articulate folk-tinged songs. Of Reassure Me There’s A Window, Atwood Magazine said, “The album, recorded in Nashville, follows a similar easy-going reflectiveness as ‘Oriole,’ with the additional guitar twangs and the sound of violins like hazy streaks of sunset while traveling solitarily on an open road.” 

The album's 11 tracks - tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements - center around the human condition - ideas of love and loss, isolation and connection, and wondering what more is out there. He writes songs that cut straight to his truths; by putting his life and the human condition under the microscope, his songs articulately observe the big questions with small details, paying careful attention to his understanding of himself and the seasonality of life. 

Thomas will celebrate Reassure Me There’s A Window with an album release show on May 13th at The 5 Spot in Nashville.