Provo band Grey Glass is unabashedly alternative

Provo band Grey Glass is unabashedly alternative

(Courtesy of Grey Glass)


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Editor's note: KSL.com does a monthly feature on local musicians and bands in the community. If you have an up-and-coming band or musician in mind, feel free to email your submission to jklopfenstein@ksl.com. Please include a contact email for the artist, if available.PROVO — When Grey Glass singer and guitarist Tal Haslam moved from San Diego to Provo, he started playing open mic nights — not just to show off his songwriting skills, but also to find musicians who wanted to start a rock band.

But that was easier said than done.

“I have always been mainly influenced by alternative rock, which there isn't a ton of in Provo or Utah for that matter,” Haslam said.

He was looking to create a Foo Fighters-meets-Radiohead vibe.

“Initially I made compromises with band members to soften up the sound, but eventually the ones who couldn't stand my louder tastes left the band. We all love to mix it up, but loud is fun for us and it will probably only get heavier from here.”

That musical evolution is evident across the band’s three EPs, starting with its understated self-titled debut in 2015, to the slightly heavier Colorblind EP the following year, up to its newest and most ambitious release, The Middle After Death.

Though the new EP contains just six songs, it covers a lot of distance along the sonic highway. There’s dreamy rock ("Fell Asleep"), classic rock and funk ("Coma"), and even slithery synths ("Sorry").

“While we all love to get loud, our tastes are pretty diverse from member to member, so during the writing process we naturally bring in diverse influences and ideas,” Haslam explains. “With limited resources and a short tracklist, I think we wanted to showcase our different strengths with a variety of songs — plus, we just get bored if we keep it too similar.”

Though it’s tough for him to choose a favorite track on the EP, “Seconds” is definitely a standout.

“It has a lot of passion behind the lyrics and the instrumental track came together well,” Haslam says. “Scott Wiley at June Audio produced the track and also put his professional touch on it, which was great.”

The band — Haslam, Scott Knutson (drums), Eli Pratt (bass, keys), Casey Ball (guitar, synths) — is certainly pleased with the new EP, but Haslam says Grey Glass is most excited about playing the songs live.

“If I could describe our live show with one word it would be ‘raw,’" he said. “Lots of bands nowadays use backing tracks to make their live sound virtually identical to the perfectly edited recorded sound, and that's just not for us. We like to play everything live and while with that comes mistakes and imperfections, we prefer the raw energy to perfection.”

The band has been a live mainstay in the Provo scene for years. Now that the guys are done with college, they’re looking forward to taking their live act outside of the Beehive State.

Before they do, they’re playing shows in both Provo at Velour on May 25 and at Kilby Court in Salt Lake City on June 1.

The full Grey Glass catalog is available on its website.


Editor's note: KSL.com does a monthly feature on local musicians and bands in the community. If you have an up-and-coming band or musician in mind, feel free to email your submission to jklopfenstein@ksl.com. Please include a contact email for the artist, if available.PROVO — When Grey Glass singer and guitarist Tal Haslam moved from San Diego to Provo, he started playing open mic nights — not just to show off his songwriting skills, but also to find musicians who wanted to start a rock band.

But that was easier said than done.

“I have always been mainly influenced by alternative rock, which there isn't a ton of in Provo or Utah for that matter,” Haslam said.

He was looking to create a Foo Fighters-meets-Radiohead vibe.

“Initially I made compromises with band members to soften up the sound, but eventually the ones who couldn't stand my louder tastes left the band. We all love to mix it up, but loud is fun for us and it will probably only get heavier from here.”

That musical evolution is evident across the band’s three EPs, starting with its understated self-titled debut in 2015, to the slightly heavier Colorblind EP the following year, up to its newest and most ambitious release, The Middle After Death.

Though the new EP contains just six songs, it covers a lot of distance along the sonic highway. There’s dreamy rock ("Fell Asleep"), classic rock and funk ("Coma"), and even slithery synths ("Sorry").

“While we all love to get loud, our tastes are pretty diverse from member to member, so during the writing process we naturally bring in diverse influences and ideas,” Haslam explains. “With limited resources and a short tracklist, I think we wanted to showcase our different strengths with a variety of songs — plus, we just get bored if we keep it too similar.”

Though it’s tough for him to choose a favorite track on the EP, “Seconds” is definitely a standout.

“It has a lot of passion behind the lyrics and the instrumental track came together well,” Haslam says. “Scott Wiley at June Audio produced the track and also put his professional touch on it, which was great.”

The band — Haslam, Scott Knutson (drums), Eli Pratt (bass, keys), Casey Ball (guitar, synths) — is certainly pleased with the new EP, but Haslam says Grey Glass is most excited about playing the songs live.

“If I could describe our live show with one word it would be ‘raw,’" he said. “Lots of bands nowadays use backing tracks to make their live sound virtually identical to the perfectly edited recorded sound, and that's just not for us. We like to play everything live and while with that comes mistakes and imperfections, we prefer the raw energy to perfection.”

The band has been a live mainstay in the Provo scene for years. Now that the guys are done with college, they’re looking forward to taking their live act outside of the Beehive State.

Before they do, they’re playing shows in both Provo at Velour on May 25 and at Kilby Court in Salt Lake City on June 1.

The full Grey Glass catalog is available on its website.


![Spencer Sutherland](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2645/264502/26450230\.jpeg?filter=ksl/65x65)
About the Author: Spencer Sutherland plays in a punk band called [Johnny Tightlips](http://johnnytightlips.com) and writes about music at [pinksterday.com](http://www.pinksterday.com). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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