Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview Glass Mattress
Eric Davis of Glass Mattress
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Probably dressing up and dancing around like Michael Jackson when I was about 4 or 5. Around the same time my uncle had a tape recorder and let me play with it. I remember being in the basement and just singing the phrase “Hot Lava” over and over for about 5 minutes until they got annoyed and took it away from me.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I heard the Velvet Underground and the Sex Pistols and realized I could probably make music like that myself. So I bought a bass and started learning my scales.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
My wife Boong and I moved back to my hometown in 2021. Once we got settled, we started jamming with people with the intent to start playing out and recording. We met Colin and Simao and started writing songs from then. We’re with Charlie, our third guitar player now, but we keep plugging away.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
We try to keep a groove and be melodic. Yo La Tengo, Pavement, and the more accessible side of the Velvet Underground have always been touchstones for us. But really it’s a simple 4-piece. We still believe in the rock and roll format and writing songs within that. Sometimes we stretch it, but in the end we always want people to be able to tap their feet and sing along.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Lately we’ve been recording everything but the drums ourselves. I think it gives us more freedom to explore different melodies and sounds. Of course, it is nice to have a deadline to push yourself and having all that stuff at home sometimes means we procrastinate.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process? I write at home on my telecaster. Like I said, we do the drums in a proper studio. Then
guitars, bass, and vocals are all done on my desktop computer with an interface and a simple SM-57 mic. Arrange it on N-track and then hand it over to our friend Chris, who mixes it. We know next to nothing about the mixing side.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I have a continuous spotify playlist going with some friends. It’s called Monday Morning Mixdown if you want to find it. Anyway, this year most of my favorites have been coming from Europe, actually. I’m thinking of Good Wilson, Pot-Pot, and The Essential Ether.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision? I spent 10 years living in South Korea. That’s where I met my wife/bass player and
learned (somewhat) to play guitar and sing. And I think it made me realize I’m quite American. Living away from home makes you realize how you fit and don’t fit into your home country. Korea was a great place to play music. There’s a lot of venues in a small space. Public transportation is great, so it’s easy to get around. But the indie scene there was too introspective for me. People sit down when you play and they want to hear every lyric and ponder over it. They respect you as an artist, but it’s from a distance. I prefer what I consider the American way, where everyone is packed into a small room, standing right in front of you. People are drinking and maybe not observing as closely, but the overall atmosphere is stronger. You’re all there together, creating this experience that can only come from live music.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work? There’s no real message. I hate it when rock music is reduced to a slogan or some
protest line. As far as emotion, I just want us to hit a range of emotions. I guess we’re not a very angry band, so we can skip anger. We’re too old for that. But otherwise, I want us to be cathartic one way or another.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Listen to other people. Try to surround yourself with people who are smarter and more talented than you.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I’d love to play Pitchfork. It’s the only festival I’ve really enjoyed. I know it got bought out and the lineups don’t seem quite as good as before. Last year they had Alanis Morisette and I thought that was really lame. But I’ve been a couple times and it was always really
pleasant. It’s small and the sound is usually pretty good. It’s great if you can watch the headliners as the sun is going down.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why? Probably Stephen Malkmus. I’d have him play lead guitar. I love it when he plays lead on
the Silver Jews, like on American Water.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links) bandcamp: https://glassmattress.bandcamp.com/track/sleepy-ajussi
spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Epp7Ei0XMb46yhF3yXwvB?si=8gxgabrbQ8aILXxGPUt3BQ instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glass_mattress/
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
We’re trying to settle on a new drummer while we finish recording and mixing 3 songs. Our next single, Back at home, should come out in the spring.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way? I just hope they realize there’s good music being made in places like St. Louis. You don’t
have to move to NYC or LA or London to make something relevant.
