Tonight at The Basement, local indie-rock legends, Glossary, will play their final Nashville show before heading overseas for their European spring tour. A few weeks ago, we got the chance to catch up with frontman Joey Kneiser, who recently released his solo album, Moonlight for the Graveyard Heart, during a rare break from touring and recording with his band. Now the band is nearing the end of an extensive American tour, and in true Glossary fashion, they seem to have no intention of stopping any time soon.
Throughout seven albums and countless tours, the Glossary sound has remained as solid and unwavering as the tour schedule they maintain. "That was always the plan, to be an American band. We just took all of the things that we loved about American music and tried to squeeze ’em in the band and make them our own. I mean, we are from the South, so most of modern American music, you know, that’s the origins of it. That’s all the Stones were doing– they were trying to sound like an American band," says Kneiser. With a legitimate foundation as a bona fide Southern band and a strong sense of what they want their sound to be, Glossary’s textured rock adheres to a straightforward approach. "In the end, it’s just pop music. We’re just trying to do the song justice, keep it simple and have space, and just try to make the best kind of put-together pop song we can."
Maintaining the balance between rock n roll and soul music, Glossary’s sound can be difficult to define, sometimes causing it to fall into the vague generalization of being described as "Americana music." But with auto insurance companies and banjo players in ironic vests currently claiming the genre as their own, the term "Americana" may not properly represent the music Glossary creates. "Music fads come and go," says Kneiser. But with their feet planted firmly in the roots of their musical heritage, the Murfreesboro five-piece are creating music that is anything but ephemeral.
If you’d like to add a few Glossary albums to your music library, the band is offering some free downloads here, including my personal favorite, The Better Angels Of Our Nature.
Tonight’s show at the Basement begins at 9 pm. Kent Goolsby will be supporting. –Brianne Turner