Today we’d like to introduce you to The Glumlots.
Hi The, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For two weeks in a row in July of 2024, masked Neo-Nazis marched in downtown Nashville. It shocked me to my core, but then I started to think, and it occurred to me that this was just a natural progression from our state government passing a law which prevented the teaching of much of black history in public schools. To paraphrase the old saying about ants, “You want Nazis? Cause that’s how you get Nazis!” So, I wrote the song “Rat’s Nest”. I had a lot more to say in this vein, so I kept writing. I’m Stephen Simon, BTW, and I write, sing and play guitar.
I had a few songs together, but what good were they going to be if they didn’t get played. So, I asked my friends Bob Marcinkus, (bass) and Dave Trimeloni, (drums), if they wanted to be in a punk rock band, and they were totally jazzed to get going. I contacted my old bandmate, Jay Lawrence, (guitar), had to have him on board. Ta da, you’ve got yourselves a good old fashioned political punk rock band. And when I say old, I’m not kidding. Jay and Bob and I are all right around 64 years old, Dave is a good deal younger, but don’t worry, he’s cool. Don’t be fooled. We’re old, not soft. This is hard rock. Screaming guitars and pounding drums! Bring your ear plugs! If you forget, hit me up. I try to always have spares on hand.
Our music calls back to the early days of punk rock, with influences like Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols. It’s straightforward rock and roll with an unhinged quality that reflects the anxiety in the air today.
We spent about a year in Dave’s studio banging things out, the result of which was our eponymous album; The Glumlots, (streaming everywhere). We’re gigging around town and having just the most fun possible. Folks are aware that our country is in big trouble, and they are as angry as we are, if not more. The Glumlots are here to let you know you’re not alone. You can channel that anger into meaningful change and have fun doing it! The Glumlots gigs are anything but a gloomfest. High energy music, good vibes, letting out all the stress of living under an authoritarian regime, it’s a great time! You should join us!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It can be hard to feel like there’s a point to any of it. You rack your soul trying to create something that will motivate people to take an interest in the world, and then you hear about some AI created pop star topping the charts. But then you remind yourself to look around. There are lots of folks looking for art with depth, something that resonates with their experience. If you get out of yourself for just a second, you can find the genuine article all around. Sure, I would love for someone to dump a truckload of money in our laps. but that’s not why The Glumlots do it. I’m happy to say, we are so very much not alone in making music for the love of music!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We do political punk rock! We’re focused on truth telling, and making that a good time for everybody. As a society we are in disrepair and we didn’t get here by making a few bad choices. We got here by making hundreds of thousands of terrible choices over the span of several decades. The biggest worst choice has been to lie to ourselves about who we are and what we stand for.
We are known for high energy hard driving rock and roll, and fun.
I like to think we are proudest of each other. We all have lives to live. None of us can afford to make this band our singular focus. but when we play, we play with conviction! Nobody steals our joy!
We’re older than most, louder than some, and willing to get up and do it again, whatever “it” might be.
How do you think about luck?
We are absolutely lucky we aren’t dead. One of us seems to have been born with some common sense. The other three, not so much!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theglumlots.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.glumlots/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theglumlots
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_glumlots
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-glumlots
- Other: https://theglumlots.bandcamp.com/album/the-glumlots
