Today we’d like to introduce you to Glancing.
Hi Glancing, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
ELLI: I had been wanting to start an electronic and/or trip hop project for a while. I was introduced to Ryan at Third Eyeland Festival in Galveston in 2024. He was just leaving another project, and we agreed to get together and see what we could create.
In that very first jam session, we ended up landing on something that felt special (and actually turned into a song that we still play as a group), so we were feeling encouraged. Ryan was on his drum machines and a synth, and I was playing bass and singing, so we were thinking the project might take on a darkwave vibe. Ryan asked if he could invite a friend to the next practice who was “a really good drummer,” which would then allow Ryan to focus more on synths. That friend was Sareen, who showed up with his guitar and ended up playing it on the jam we had started as a duo, and Ryan stayed on the drum machines.
After that, every practice we kept discovering that we’re all multi-instrumentalists and gearheads, so we each kept adding more gear and more instruments to end up where we are now. Once we figured out how to successfully connect everyone through MIDI cables, the project really took on a life of its own. We’re also all DJs and fans of many genres, so the project has evolved to encompass alternative rock and many different types of electronic music. The DJ outlook has led us to perform continuous sets with improvisatory transitions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been very rewarding gradually ramping up our friendship / camaraderie, which has led to us continually improving as artists and honing our chemistry as a band. We believe our slow and steady trajectory internally has been very beneficial for us in terms of networking and participating in the Houston musical community, as well as being offered and organizing consistent and diverse gigs.
Some of the struggles we’ve faced have involved, as mentioned earlier, taking a while to figure out how to connect all our gear together, which pieces and configuration make the most sense for the music creation and dynamics of the band. (It’s a lot of gear! And it’s heavy! But it’s necessary lol.)
Because of our varied tastes / abilities / other projects, sometimes we feel it’s been a little difficult for others to categorize us because we don’t neatly fit into a specific genre, which can affect booking. That being said, the general open-mindedness of the Houston community has really allowed us to play a lot of different shows with different artists we all love and learn from.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What we do and specialize in is creating all kinds of electronic music (darkwave, house, techno, ambient, IDM, etc.) using hardware and instruments in a completely live, slightly improvisatory way. We have a jam band ethos and a jazz kind of structure, in that each show is different, but we’re working with similar “skeletons” of songs.
We are most proud of our musical fluidity, diversity, and sophistication. The scene has been very welcoming, and because we’re cross-genre we’ve gotten the opportunity to play all kinds of different shows, from art house to experimental to rock clubs, and even group DJ sets. In fact, we just recently played a headline show on the Axelrad main stage where we DJ’d and performed live over the course of a five-hour set. What sets us apart is our breadth and versatility. Get you a band that can do both!
What matters most to you?
We want to create an experience with the audience, not just performing for them, but with them. We are thankful for every time we get to connect with people in that way, and it’s fun sometimes to surprise them!
We just want people to feel something, many things when they are with us. We like the idea of people walking away not really sure what they just saw, but being entranced by the overall experience.
Apart from that, we want to keep evolving and growing, both individually and as a group.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://glancing.carrd.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/glancing.htx
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/glancing.htx
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/glancinghtx
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/glancinghtx
- Other: https://glancinghtx.bandcamp.com
