The Glasspack
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| Record Labels: | Riverock Records, Better Days Records, Noise Pollution 4 Walls Records Small Stone Recordings, Beer City Records, Sleeping Village, Fusion Records | ||
| Years Active: | 1999 - 2010, 2014 - Present? | ||
| Started By: | "Dirty" Dave Johnson | ||
| Based In: | Louisville | ||
| Largest show: | 500+ people, November, 2001 @ The Double Door in Chicago, IL with Nebula and The Immortal Lee County Killers | ||
| First show: | 02/1999 | ||
| Last show: | August 21 2010 at Uncle Pleasant's | ||
| Reunion show: | September 7 2019 at Headliners | ||
| Number of Members: | varies | ||
Biography
Formation and Small Stone (1999 - 2010)
Formed in the new millennium by singer-songwriter and front-man "Dirty" Dave Johnson, The Glasspack is the answer to the worn-out southern rock of the classic rock airwaves and the sudden staleness of modern hard rock radio. Distinctly of Louisville, this creative and unique Kentucky band has pulled its influences from the best of the 60's jam rock and 70's hard rock/punk, thus obtaining a very wide variety of listeners and fans. The band can usually be found lugging its equipment around the U.S. and Canada listening to anything from CCR and MC5 to Bad Brains and Fu-Manchu. They have been seen busting guitars on each other, playing guitar behind their backs, with their teeth, and anyway humanly possible. Johnson has even been known to set his crotch on fire, as well as his guitar, which skills gained him a Fender Music endorsement in 2005.
In 2001, the Glasspack released their first full-length CD entitled "American Exhaust" on Dave's record label, Riverock Records. With this first full-length release, they received distribution in America, Europe, and Australia. After this release and a constant bar touring schedule of 2001, the band was picked up by Small Stone Recordings in Detroit, best known for its straight rock attitude and releasing new music by musicians from such bands as Screaming Trees, The Melvins, Clutch, and many others. The Glasspack went on to record albums "Powderkeg" and "Bridgeburner" for Small Stone Records with guests from Monster Magnet and Big Chief. Both records were distributed world wide and received much appraise from local Louisville and global press including the Courier-Journal, LEO, Stonerrock.com, Kerrang, Lollipop, and Maximum RockNRoll.
The Pack, as fans know them, has been seen touring and rocking with the likes of The Frogs, Sick of It All, Melt Banana, Cherry Valence, The Hookers, Gaza Strippers, Snapcase, Nebula, Easy Action, My Morning Jacket, King Kong, Elliot, AFI, The Immortal Lee County Killers, Coliseum, and the Shipping News. The band has also been a part of many festivals like the Mountain Dew Action Sports Tour Initial Records' Krazy Fest, New York's CMJ Marathon, Austin's SXSW Festival, Lebowski Fest, and the Stoner Hands of Doom Festival. Some of the stages they have graced include Headliners (Louisville), the Ritz in Austin (TX), the Garage in Hollywood, the 360 in Toronto, The Double Door in Chicago, and even C.B.G.B.'s in Manhattan.
The bands music is a popular in the area of licensing from Small Stone Records directly and Rumblefish Music Licensing in Portland, OR. The Glasspack's music can be frequently found in various episodes of MTV's "Viva La Bam" and "Homewreckers" shows, FOX's "Fuse T.V." and "Fuel T.V." shows, and even video games like Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage" by Activision and ESPN's "2K5 Pro Baseball," scoring them a spot in the ASCAP society.
The Glasspack has now finished it's fourth full-length release, entitled "Dirty Women." The record is set to release sometime in 2006 or 2007, again on Small Stone Recordings. The next year The Glasspack would play Roadburn Festival in The Netherlands, their only European show. In 2009 the band would play the Evergreen/Cinderblock CD Release show and then in 2010 would perform a split release show with Trophy Wives for their tenth anniversary.
Moon Patrol (2014 - Present)
Sometime during the band's hiatus, "Dirty" Dave Johnson would work with former collaborator Mark Abromavage (Kinghorse) along with Chris Abromavage and Jae Brown (Satellite Twin) to form The Decline Effect, a political punk rock band. That band's debut show would happen in 2011 with an album and a string of shows to follow.
In 2014, The Glasspack announced that a fifth album entitled Moon Patrol was in the works, initially intended to be entirely instrumental and somewhat of a departure from their previous sound. On 9 July 2019 it would be announced that The Glasspack would be returning to the live stage for the first time in nearly a decade, performing at Headliners Music Hall on 7 September 2019 (With Call Me Bronco, Sound Company, Wiirmz). The band is also returning to the studio to finish work on the space rock album entitled "Moon Patrol". On 31 October 2020 the band would release covers of Misfits and Samhain for free on their Bandcamp. The band also announced that Moon Patrol would be intended for release in 2021 via longtime label Small Stone Records. However, this would be postponed to 2024 and set to be self-released.
Members
- "Dirty" Dave Johnson - Songwriting, Vocals, Guitars, Keys (1999 - Present)
- Brett Holsclaw - Guitar, Drums, MC, Vocals (1999 - 2005, 2008, 2019 - Present)
- Nick Hall - Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer (2008 - Present)
- Billy Lease - Guitar, Bass (2014 - Present)
- Dave Chale - Drums (2020 - Present)
Former Members and Other Contributors
- Zach Dorsett - Bass (1999 - 2001)
- Andrew Garrett - Guitar, Bass (1999 - 2004)
- David Wright - Bass (2002)
- Marc Moody - Guitar, Bass (Unknown Time Period)
- Chris Matthews - Bass (Unknown Time Period)
- Chris Owens- Bass (Unknown Time Period)
- Todd Cook - Bass (2004)
- Tony Bailey - Bass (Unknown Time Period)
- Jerry Cunningham - Bass (Unknown Time Period)
- Chad Omen - Bass (2007)
- Brian Foor - Drums, Keys (Unknown Time Period)
- Matt Odenweller - Drums (Unknown Time Period)
- Greg Morris - Drums (Unknown Time Period)
- Matt Tucker - Drums (Unknown Time Period)
- Eric McManus - Drums (2005 - 2008)
- Peter Searcy - Bass (2008 - 2010)
- Dave Mancini - Bass (2008 - 2010)
- Tony Rymniak - Drums (2008 - 2010)
- Mark Campbell - Drums (2014)
- Rodney Roads - Guitar, Bass (2014 - 2019)
- Rico Rakutt - Steering Wheels, Photography, Management
- Leland Thurman - Dirty Bird
Guest Appearances
Releases
- "the Glasspack/Road Warriors' E.P." EP/CD (Better Days Records), (Riverock Records)
- "the Glasspack/American Exhaust" LP/CD (Riverock Records), LP/Red Vinyl (4 Walls Records)
- "the Glasspack/Powderkeg" LP/CD (Small Stone Recordings)
- "the Glasspack/Bridgeburner" LP/CD (Small Stone Recordings)
- "the Glasspack/Dirty Women" LP/CD (Small Stone Recordings)
- "the Glasspack/Muddy Nasty River Split" EP/Brown Vinyl (Sleeping Village Records)
- The Glasspack/Trophy Wives Split 7" (Noise Pollution)
- Moon Patrol (TBA)
Compilations
- "Underground Invasion: Volume 4" LP/CD (Beer City Records)
- "Dedication From The Sullen Waters Of The Ohio" LP/CD (Fusion Records)
- "Cheap Thrills: Volume I" LP/CD (Better Days Records)
- "Cheap Thrills: Volume II" LP/CD (Better Days Records)
- "Saturday March 24, 2001 Show Compilation" EP/CD (Noise Pollution)
- "The Motherlodge Lodge: A Tribute To The Rudyard Kipling, Volume I" LP/CD (Mother Lodge Records)
- "Sucking the 70's" LP/CD (Small Stone Recordings)
- "Sucking the 70's 2: Back in the Saddle Again" LP/CD (Small Stone Recordings)
- "Hammer Down: Volume I" LP/CD (Motor Brand Clothing Promo CD)
- RISE CD (Louisville Lip)
- Head Cleaner Double Cassette / Digital (Gubbey Records)
Shirts/Merch
- T-shirts, girl shirts, posters, lighters, shot glasses, and cds are and had been available locally at Ear-X-Tacy Records.