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Glass Beams is a mystery, intentionally. Let’s start with the name. There’s no clear allusion to a structural support, a work of art, or a reference found in literature. By word choice, the suggestion of transparent strength may be the intention.
The band’s jeweled masks have a degree of transparency. You can make out, at times, their eyes, or maybe in the shifting light, it’s just a hint of darkness where the eyes are supposed to be.
The strength can be found in their fusion of music. The founder/leader of the band, Rajan Silva, is the only known member who, influenced by the Concert for George (Harrison) which featured Ravi Shankar alongside icons such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne, wanted to merge western and Indian music. What they have created works, as evidenced by selling out the first night at Variety Playhouse and the addition of a second show the following night, captured here, which appeared almost at capacity.
Comparisons are often made to Khruangbin, who at a surface level plays a similar type of funky, trippy instrumental music. But while Khurangbin draws from many influences, Glass Beams mines Eastern influences including musical scales and tabla-inspired rhythms, overall emphasizing a trance or meditative quality.
That quality was foreshadowed by a stage hand spreading incense, perhaps sandalwood, just prior to the band taking the stage using something similar to a Catholic thurible. The band’s choice of golden, orange and yellow hues in costuming and lighting heightened that mystic feel throughout the set.
Adding to this isn’t the absence of vocals, per se, but their occasional breathy chants that follow the beat. And chimes, lots of chimes, in all the right places.
The band also has an inward stage presence. The mystery guitarist focuses only on the bassist, presumably Silva, who in turn only occasionally turns to the audience. Otherwise, the band seems within their own mind space, feeding off of each other.
Altogether, it’s an awesome show to catch, and they’re certain to command larger venues quickly… when they come up with more material. That their set lasted only an hour didn’t subtract from the experience, but it leaves the audience a bit short.
A short interview with Silva can be found at Rolling Stone India.
City of the Sun began the evening, which one fan described as an acoustic Explosions in the Sky. There are some instrumental post-rock comparisons there, but City of the Sun also includes electric instruments but they do not have keyboards. Lead guitarist John Pita is the highlight reel, but bassist Matt Fasano keeps things very interesting on the low end, and drummer Zach Para is another visual focal point. Styles touched on Latin influences, but the soundtrack aspects of taking their time transitioning from softer melodies to crescendos creates a general enjoyable vibe coupled with emotion.
The band has recently toured with Thievery Corporation, but they would prove to be the perfect opener for Glass Beams. The din of conversation ceased to reveal a very attentive audience focusing on the music. The band hasn’t released much in the way of recordings, but Pita indicated that this is their last performance for a while and, later, that they would be back. Maybe with a new album?
The setlist below is from the stage list, only the first of which is from their album. If the others find their way onto recordings, that would be a great thing! Hopefully the band will headline their own tour as they’re clearly worth a lengthier performance.
Setlist:
