The Glass Ceiling - Dancing On The Ceiling
3D chats with CJ Morello of local act
The Glass Ceiling about their debut EP, Reparations.
Your influences run from Bloc Party to Queens of the Stone Age to The Cure – where do you think your sound sits amongst those disparate bands- Is it more rock or indie-dance-
I think rock will always be at the core of what we do, and you can definitely hear that QOTSA influence in the opening track of the EP, Filling the Hole, where we still really enjoy that dirty rock swagger, but we’re moving more and more into that indie-dance sound with each song that is written. In a way, that’s why we end the EP with 1985, a brighter, dancier track. That’s kinda what we wanted to have left ringing in people’s ears once they’d finished listening to the recording, as that’s where we think we’ll be going with the next one.
You guys recently finished up as runners up in the Uncharted contest. How has that helped your progress so far-
The uncharted comp was a leg up that I think just about every band needs. We went from being in a crowd of Sydney bands one day to playing live nationally on MTV the next.
You chose to record the EP at Studio 301. Was recording there always on the horizon- If so, for what reasons-
We didn’t choose 301 – it was more a choice of who we wanted to co-produce the EP with us. We had a few choices when it came to producers (with a few higher profile names in the mix) but we chose Tim Carr in the end, as the mix of his personality and his skills was perfect for what we wanted. Tim has been working out of 301 for the past six years or so, so we went on his recommendation as well as doing tracking at East Street Studios.
Things are starting to pick up on the live front. Have you guys made a conscious decision to chase after some big-name gigs-
For sure. Over the next six months we plan on being on the road quite a bit, and our focus is definitely on supporting bigger artists. We’re only really started playing shows this year and have played with Evermore, Grinspoon, British India, Van She, etc. These are always the most fun shows to play, so [we’re] really looking forward to doing something similar in the future.
Your official EP launch went down recently. How did that go-
We picked maybe the worst night to have it as the weather last Friday was almost like a hurricane in Sydney! But that aside we had a great turn out at The Gaelic Club, which is an awesome venue. We really wanted it to be more of a party than a gig, so we gave away a heap of free beer and also introduced a lighting aspect to our show, which was great. It was also Jack’s birthday; so to say it was a big night is a huge understatement!
WHO: The Glass Ceiling
WHAT: Reparations out independently / Play Spectrum
WHEN: Out now / Saturday 27 September
MORE: myspace.com/theglassceilingsydney