GLENN SCHWARTZ
photo courtesy of Dom
This page is dedicated to Glenn Schwartz. It will contain reviews from shows , personal stories, and eventually a little bit of history about Glenn.
Anyone interested in having things related to Glenn posted here, please email jazz1@slapjazz.com
*** JUST ADDED: A fantastic video clip from May 29, 2008 (courtesy of Damian Johnson) ****
The Glenn Schwartz FAQ (updated 3/25/08)
Some photos of Glenn Schwartz through the years can be found here
Reviews from Dom for April & May shows will be up soon. In the meantime, here's a summary of what's been going down @ Hooples the last few weeks:
April 10: A glorious show with a monster 2nd set including: TWO versions of Mountaintop, a hot Motor City jam, and Undertaker. The 3rd set included a 10 minute version of "Ode to Glenn Schwartz (promises, promises) followed by a 15 minute version of "Your Close Friend." Rock solid.
April 24: If you were going to see one set all year, set 3 of this show was probably it. Starting with a massive "Ode to Glenn Schwartz" this set was amazing. Following "Ode," GS was preaching a bit and looking everyone in the eye that was up close. He finally caught the eyes of me & Blanco. Looked at me, looked at Blanco, looked back at me, looked at Blanco, and then launched into a sweet version of "Stepping into the Sunshine." This was followed by a good blues rant about the American female as well as the AT&T salesman that visited the Schwartz residence earlier in the week. After asking the crowd for suggestions, Glenn finally heard us and launched into a fine version of My Poor Generation. As if all of these FANTASTIC SONGS in one set wasn't enough, he then whipped out "All My Sorrows." We figured it was over, but then the band launched into a serious "blues" jam. The 12 or so heads that were up front apparently were just what was necessary for Glenn to play what has since come to be known as "BLUES FOR GOD." If ANYBODY out there was fortunate enough to be taping this show, you have one of the greatest guitar performances in human history on record. At one point, the band was so ON that the crowd erupted into jubilant euphoric cheers and wails of happiness. It was like the Browns winning the Superbowl, the Indians winning the world series & the Cavs the nba championship, all at the same time, BUT BETTER!!!
May 1: Another great show. 1st set highlights included a solo set opener of "Children of the Day" as well as the always huge "Motor City." The 2nd set included "Pretty song in D," "Friends Don't Treat Me," and a nice "All my Sorrows" opener.
May 8: MOTHERS DAY. Glenn was in fine form on this day. Often preaching about the strength of character of mothers as well as their ceaseless labors. In a good mood, he whipped out "Pretty song in D," "People Get Ready," "I'll fly Away," "John the Revelator," and "Undertaker (with motherly overtones)."
May 15: Glenn opened this show on DOBRO guitar, solo, with slide. He played it for about 15 minutes. It was transcendental. At times reminiscent of an Indian raga. When the band took the stage we were treated to "Pretty Song in D," "Motor City," "Proud Man jam," "Ode to Glenn Schwartz," and some good old fashioned preaching and hymns. By chance, an old military friend of Glenn's showed up at this gig. I believe his name was Ray. The 2 of them served together in Germany in the early 1960s and apparently both OD'd one night and almost died. Glenn was happy to see Ray and played hard to him. It was the 1st time they'd seen each other since the 1970s. A beautiful night for all.
May 22, 2008
The 1st set began with a solo version of "Children of the Day." Simple, poignant, good. Paul & Geno take their places & Glenn runs thru short versions of various tunes. A good workout for the band. A little “Pretty Song in D,” some other random jams, and then they go into “My Poor Generation.” Glenn’s guitar was extra trebly for this version. The band sounded like something out of 1968. Trashy, bright, and hinting at psychedelia. “Hinting” might be an understatement. What transpired in this version of MPG was a completely tripped out, deconstructed reading of the tune. However, after reciting various verses of the tune, GS settled on “Puffing pot, you live in slop,” and proceeded to repeat this line for God knows HOW long. It was very strange. He kept saying this line and then occasionally laughing loudly ( all in a very exaggerated manner). Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of fixating on this line, the set was over.
The 2nd set was completely ridiculous. Following a blues jam, the band then had the longest finish to a song in the history of perform-ed songs. This “ending” must have lasted something like 15 minutes and was the most daring, free form jamming that I’ve EVER seen this band perform. It was ballsy, insane, and fun.
Set 3 was rather uneven, and was briefly saved when Glenn sang “Get off your trike and get on a bike” and Laz yelled “Children of the day!” (mistakenly, but fortunately). GS then busted out a little children of the Day. At one moment Blanco walked by and GS rubbed the neck of the guitar against Blanco. A beautiful moment.
A completely bizarre show, (set 3 aside). And unfortunately, we’ll never hear set II again.
tz
June 12 , 2008
I got to Hoople’s at about 10:30. The 1st set had already ended. On my way in, Sam told me that the 1st set was just about the best set he’d ever heard. I was curious. After getting to the front, Dom & Brett both confirmed that the 1st set was MASSIVE. The X factor this evening was Brother McFadden’s brother on bass. I’d seen him play with Glenn before in the configuration known as “Doppel McFadden,” but it had been a while. Tonite was not “Doppel McFadden,” but it WAS Glenn joined by the best Irish rhythm section in the world.
I won’t give a song by song review, but I’ll tell you that GS was bombastic this evening. His playing was precise and relentless. Every song was taken up just a few more notches that usual (and that’s about 40 notches beyond anything ever play-ed by humans in the last 34 years (since 1974)).
There was some Motor City, Wagon Wheels (to open the 2nd set), a little bit of “When He Returns,” a shred of “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” (1st time ever) “I’ll Fly Away,” and allegedly a very hot “Ode to Glenn Schwartz (promises, promises) “ in the 1st set. Unfortunately, from what I’ve been told, there is no audio archive of this show, but there was a guy taking video of the 3rd set. Alas, someday we’ll see the machine gun style attack that was perpetrated via Glenn’s guitar this evening on the internet.
I think McFadden on bass was an inspiration to Glenn and pushed him farther than we’ve seen (technically) of late. His bass playing is ROCK SOLID. He simply does not let up nor does he play bad notes . Hence, since GS recognizes this, he takes his whole approach to the guitar to a level that is simply unconscionable to us mere mortals.
July 31, 2008. * The Lost Keys *
Arrived at 10:30 during the 1st setbreak. Word was that GS did NOT bring his PA and/or microphone. To this moment we still have no clarification as to why there was no PA head or microphone. Nonetheless it was a solid "summer" show. Lots of heads in attendance including Laz who Glenn was VERY happy to see and showed it by slamming his hands on Laz's shoulders, then making a choking motion around Laz's neck and finally scruffing up Laz's hair. As my wife put it, Glenn meant: "Where've you been", "I could kill you for being away so long", "Happy you're back!"
The 1st set was OK, but things were hampered by a drunk woman. 2nd set was average. I think GS was severely hampered by not having a microphone because he played a lot of quiet tunes and did a lot of noodling. By the time set 3 rolled around, most women were gone and Glenn was finally at ease. We were treated to a monstrous blues jam followed by a sweet "Stepping Into the Sunshine." ALWAYS A TREAT! Following this GS tore into a MASSIVE instrumental version of "Ode to Glenn Schwartz (Promises, Promises)." My GOD! He was Coltranesque, he was machine-gunesque, he was everything I love to hear @ Hooples. After about 4 or 5 minutes of intense jamming Glenn stopped the band to sing a verse but got distracted by a woman in a dress down the aisle at the bar. He went off HARD on her and the show was over.
After reflecting on the shows since late May, I've concluded that summer shows are on the whole "decent" (which is still FAR beyond the quality of most artists GREAT performances - "My worst is better than your best!"), but fall/winter seems to be the time when the vortex is always within reach. As a side note, this show featured Glenn spotting Blanco halfway down the bar near the dartboard and saying "The only GOOD Catholic is a DEAD Catholic...MIKE WHITE!!" and Dom having his keys accidentally (and temporarily) swiped by an older fellow with a nice young date and her assistant. Fortunately the keys were returned.
photo courtesy of Dom
September 11 , 2008.
I must confess that this was my 1st GS show in about a month. You see, Glenn has decided that he will no longer bring his PA system to Hooples. Hence, all hope of hearing Glenn's singing and preaching loud and clear has been dashed. This all began about 5 weeks ago and since then I've not made it a point to come to shows. But tonight, I had rehearsal so I figured I'd come down. This no PA thing has got me a little frustrated and a little disinterested. My favorite parts of shows are his lyrical pieces like "My Poor Generation" or "Ode to Glenn Schwartz ( promises, promises )" or when he takes on some Dylan gem like "Masters of War" or "I Believe in You." But now, it's just a musical power trio. He does occasionally sing through the pickup of his guitar, but this pales in comparison to having an actual PA system. Alas...
At about 9:25 he began tearing it up with a great version of "All Night Long" which he sang loud enough (sans PA) for us up front to actually hear the vocals. Following this, GS gave us a German language lesson and ran through various German terms and their English equivalent. He also said that he felt like he had a new head (in German) and a new beginning. The band then took off into a solid set consisting of various blues jams as well as "Ode to GS" and a few other tunes that normally are sung. They were ON FIRE.
Finally a set break, Pete shows up with a ruptured achilles' tendon or something & then set 2 which was a complete shredfest. Glenn, Gene & Paul were SO ON tonight that I (almost) didn't miss the vocals. Everyone's playing was crisp, strong and interesting. Just when I thought Gene was leading the whole thing, Paul would lay down some drum chops that would change the direction subtly and the trio would be off and running again. They won ALL the races tonight, both sprints and marathons.
With the above being said, if this show had a PA system, it would have gone down as one of the best in the last 10 years. Everyone played at an exceptionally high level and the song choices included "Pretty Song in D" (perhaps the DEFINITIVE version), "Friends Don't Treat Me," "Mountain Top!" "Ode to GS" as well as other. A fantastic performance, but I'd REALLY like to see the PA return to Hooples.
A final note: Dom has emailed me reviews of many July/Aug shows which I will post soon as well as some GREAT photos.
TZ
September 25 , 2008
*EPIC*
As I walked up to the open side door of Hooples at 10pm, Sam was standing in the doorway. GS was playing "Mountain Top!" Even from that poor aural perspective, I could tell that the band was ON this evening. I entered thru the front door and made my way to the front end of the bar next to Dom. The band was raging. I settled in. Buffalo Steve was there, Pete crutched his way up to the front, Stak as well. The trio's playing was at a high, HIGH level. While MT is not one of my faves, this version was sizzling. Song ends, Blanco finally finds his way from the wine bar. Herb is in a good mood and shakes my hand. A minute later he taps me on my shoulder, sets down a Dewars on the rocks and says "It's Scotch Season!" He's got a great memory. Although I didn't want to have a drink @ Hooples, I figured one wouldn't hurt. Band kicks into a version of "Promises, Promises (OTGS)." My GOD. 7 seconds in and we're in DEEEEP. Beautiful, strong, holy. GS is locked in. After a few minutes of jamming on the theme, he brings it down into "Take What You've Got and Do With it What You Can." This unfortunately was a cue to a fellow in the audience to begin challenging GS with some quotes from the bible and it snuffed out what was shaping up to be one of the great sets in recent history. Alas, GS had enough and threw his guitar down and even said "maybe you'll leave when we take a break." Fortunately he did.
Chilled w/Buffalo Steve, Blanco & Pete out back @ set break. It was a beautiful clear night. Steve leaves to pick up a bandmate @ the Greyhound station. The band goes back on and they're playing a very funky cool jam. We agree that it's unlike anything we've heard them do. We go in. The 2nd set more of the same focused, energetic music that we heard snippets of in set 1. It's heavy and mesmerizing. While this goes on, #1 USC is losing to Oregon State late in the game. (USC is favored by 24 pts).
GS takes a set break as the game is winding down. USC brings it to 6 pts with less than 2 minutes to play. I decide to leave on a high note. As I walk out, I realize I never paid Herb for the Scotch. I walk back in and I hear GS playing some slide guitar. I pay Herb and walk to the front and here comes "Old Man Daniel." I ain't goin' nowhere.....
A great version of OMD. GS singing sans microphone (as he has since mid-Aug) but nailing the words. The game is still winding down, I'm glad I came back, onside kick, Oregon St. recovers. Blanco calls for "Water Street." It comes, and it comes hard. The heaviest version I've witnessed since the 2001 version from "Get Yourself a Diesel." The game ends, everyone rushes the field. GS is playing the WS chords and marching, victorious. God has won. The ducks have won (for what its worth). GS marches on. Heavy, heavy, heavy. He played all the little nuances from the studio version as well as things that he hasn't played on WS since 2001. ASTOUNDING. I'm levelled by all of this. NOW I'm ready to go on a high note. NOT
He then says, "What's that other song? Oh yeah, "My Poor Generation!" And proceeds to pound out the chords. Unfortunately Gene was a bit lost on this one, but the effort was there. He then went into a moving version of "When He Returns." Chilling. Following this song he made it a point to say, "Only a Jew could write a song like that. God favors the Jews. They can do things better than most people. I'm proud to have the name Schwartz!!" This was a strange emotional turn for the night, but as intense as everything else was, it fit right it. GS then did a little more preaching and Paul & Gene started to get up. Buffalo Steve yelled "One more!" And GS said, "We saved the best for last, of course we'll play one more!" Gene & Paul quickly took their places & the trio proceeded to tear into a massive blues jam to cap off the night. Sweet Lord.
In life, sometimes I think I know what's going to happen. I think that I can control things or anticipate things. This night was another reminder that I have very little control over anything. I showed up with no expectations (if anything, negative expectations due to the no microphone situation) and was treated to a power packed, moving evening of SPECIAL music. Had Herb not have given me that Scotch, I probably would have missed a once in a lifetime 3rd set of magic.
As a side note, Gene and Paul are playing at an amzingly high level these days. While Paul has always been the consumate professional and backbone of the outfit, Gene's confidence has grown immensely in the last few years andHis bass playing takes the band to heights not reached in years past. His tone is heavy and his playing is crisp. His staccato technique never fails to raise the musical ante. God bless these men. We're fortunate to witness this art every week!!
Reviews of Glenn Schwartz's gigs
2007
2008:
March 13 (dom & tz) -> includes a photo from the show
March 20, 2008 (tz) -> GLENN'S BIRTDAY!!
Photos from 3/20/08 coutesy of Dom
LINKS:
Here's a link to an article in the Cleveland Scene from 2004
Here's a nice article on Gene Schwartz from the Cleveland Free Times
Here's a funny article from Sept 2007 with a nice picture of Glenn
Here's some nice video of the Schwartz Brothers at Scene Pavillion (old Nautica) 7/4/07
The All Saved Freak Band Official Site (lots of Glenn stories & some photos)