Glass Hammer - Live At NEARfest
	Released: 2004 Label: Arion / NEARfest Records Cat. No.: SR1121/NFR 0003 Total Time: 72:43
	Reviewed by: Marcel Haster, August 2004 In the wake of the excellent (first) DVD, Lex Live, comes an incredibly good live album by Glass Hammer. Although the line up is the same as on the DVD, the live CD was recorded at the prestigious North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest 2003 and this performance brought a surprise that is not found on the DVD. In a way, I wonder why bands release both a DVD and a live album, with very similar track listings together, or close after each other, as Glass Hammer is not the first to do this. Either way, I must say the CD is just that bit more interesting, than the DVD, as the sound quality is better. The new line up works very well here, as they bring a masterful performance to the stage. Walter Moore is a fantastic guitar player and I love his solos and riffs. Not heavy, but perfect for the music. Of course the keyboards play a very important role in the sound of Glass Hammer and they have truly outdone themselves for this show. On a few songs, they are joined by a choir, which is made up of (internet) DJ’s, webmasters, members of the band IZZ (who also played at NEARfest at the time) and fans of the band. Especially in the finale of the show, "Heaven," this 18 piece choir, together with the organ, almost turn this song into a heavenly one, with amazing solos by Fred Schendel. The surprise comes in the form of Rich Williams from Kansas, who joins Glass Hammer on stage for a fabulous version of "Portrait (He Knew)," which is really fantastic and brings a piece of the magic of Kansas in it’s glory days back to the fans. I really am at a loss for words. If you really want more, please read my review of the Lex Live DVD, but frankly I think it is not necessary to talk more about Live At NEARfest … you should rather listen to it, for it is the best Glass Hammer disc I have heard so far. Prefect for getting to know GH, but even if you already know them for years, this is a must have. Thank you NEARfest, for inviting these guys to play and thank you Glass Hammer for playing there and letting us enjoy this show over and over again. Similar bands: Yes meets ELP PPO Rating: 10/10 [This review originally appeared at the ProgPower Online review site; see also Tom's and Steph's reviews -ed.] More about Live At NEARfest: Track Listing: Greetings Ladies And Gentlemen (1:36) / Chronotheme (5:06) / Tales Of The Great Wars (10:26) / One King (6:12) / Further Up, Further In (14:28) / Cowboys And Mendians (2:42) / A Cup Of Trembling (8:03) / Portrait (He Knew) (6:27) / Chronos Deliverer (5:16) / When We Were Young (8:14) / Heaven (4:08) Musicians: Walter Moore - Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals Eric Parker - Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar Steve Babb - Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Bass Pedals, Vocals Fred Schendel - Keyboards, Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals Flo Paris - Vocals Bethany Warren - Vocals Susie Bogdanowicz Vocals Matt Mendians - ums The Glass Hammer Choir - Patt Christiansen, Laura Dent, Beth Folland, John Galgano, Tom Galgano, Shellyn Ganger, Christine Holz, Tim Kubit, Janie Lindenbaum, Sean McFee, Brian Neilsen, Jen Porta, Mike Rumpza, Stephanie Rumpza, Karl Schendel, Jon Yarger April Bower - Choral Director, Choral Arrangements Contact: Website: www.glasshammer.com Note: will open new browser window Discography Journey To The Dunadan (1994) Perelandra (1996) Live And Revived (1997) On To Evermore (1997) Chronometree (2000) The Middle Earth Album (2001) Lex Rex (2002) Shadowlands (2004) Live At NEARFest (2004) The Inconsolable Secret (2005) Lex Live (2004) (DVD) Live At Belmont (2006) (DVD) Interview: Steve Babb and Fred Schendel (Aug 2005)