Glassjaw
A hard(core) work ethic
'There's something incredibly earnest about the old-school New York punk scene.
The generation of post-hardcore bands, like the Underdogs, the Judges, and the Gorilla Biscuits, prided themselves on their ethics and their message as well as the music they played. Glassjaw, who is playing at the upcoming Warped Tour, considers themselves to be at the tail end of that generation. It's a fair and accurate description.
They are passionate Long Island boys whose work ethic extends far beyond the band's output.
"Everybody's gotta get T-shirts," began guitarist Justin Beck on a break from his job. "There ain't no money in rock 'n' roll, so you do this from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m."
Beck is said to be the funniest and most outgoing member of the band. Our interview time proved these statements to be true, but incomplete. In addition, he is extremely down-to-earth and levelheaded. He is a sage musician whose worldly experience, gained both from touring and real-life experiences, are points on which he prides himself.
"You either get a job or you be a lazy bum. I'm a big fat geek and I don't party much. So, what else would you do?"
Work 14 hours a day, apparently.
Glassjaw is riding high off of their well-received last release, "Worship and Tribute," and the support from their new label, Warner Brothers. With so much going for them, they probably don't have to have jobs to support themselves right now. It doesn't appear that Beck works to build up a worldly fortune, though. He works because it keeps him productive and down-to-earth.
In addition to his job, he also maintains the band's website and does graphic design as well as working on numerous other odds and ends throughout the year. He proves to be a good example for all of the band members who are in control of both their lives and the future of the band.
Beck does not tell the typical tale of being screwed over by a major label. It was actually an independent label that gave them a rough ride but also taught them how to navigate the direction of the band.
"At the end of the day, you're the one driving the car, steering the wheel. It all depends on where you want to go with your band. You can limit or exploit yourself as much as you want."
It was a rough road for a while, though, and Glassjaw may have felt like they lost the ability to control that car for a while.
"We were warned not to go to Roadrunner (their former label) and the question is, 'What didn't make us leave the label quicker?' It was the worst experience being treated like a piece of shit. It almost brought us to the point of breaking up. In the music industry, the product you sell is human beings and they don't give a shit about their product at all."
Producer Ross Robinson, whom Beck refers to as "the band's godfather," bought the band out of their contract with Roadrunner. He may have also served as an inroad to the band's Warner Bros. Records contract.
"Now we get treated like human beings and not just like a piece of plastic."
It's almost a fluke that all of this happened because the band did not even want to work with Robinson to begin with.
"(Robinson) was working with all of this nxefxbfxbd-metal shit. He worked with bands like Korn, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit and we thought, 'What the hell is he going to do with us?'"
Little did Glassjaw know just how much he could do for them.
The band's NY underground sound has now been blended with big-studio production for a result that is accessible all across the board. Even with this newfound accessibility, the band still stands by their old-school credos.
"We came from underground punk, hardcore and metal. It's a pedigree of ethics, philosophies, and brain wave patterns that's different than the new school of kids coming from the alternative generation."
It's not fame or fortune that matters to Glassjaw; it's not even the style of music that you play. It's why you are doing what you do.
"It's fine if a band is playing Mickey Mouse music, if that's what you want to be doing. It's the bands that strive to get signed that I can't associate with. I don't understand that mindset. If you get signed, it's no big deal but why start a band just to do that? That's just not right."
It is this seamless combination of old-school post-hardcore beliefs, musical abilities, and a hard-working mindset that makes Glassjaw the perfect choice for the commercially-sponsored and musically diverse Warped Tour this year.