Artist description Glass Harp is a three man band that dates from the early 1970's. It is a typical power trio lineup (drums, bass, and guitar) as is/was Blue Cheer, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Primus, and Rush. But, as each of the bands mentioned has a sound unique to themselves, Glass Harp has its own unique sound. It can be wild and strange, like Vanilla Fudge, or a spacey kind of folk. Many of Glass Harp's songs travel from soft and airy musical fantasies to down right mystical rock-n-roll jams. Many of Glass Harp's songs take on Christian themes. Phil Keaggy would later embark on a prolific solo career that would continue in this area. Glass Harp was one of the first rock/pop Christian bands and remains one of the finest examples of 20th century Christian music. Glass Harp's music remains solid throughout, always capturing the listeners interest in rhythm, melody, and meaning. by Torrey Nelson

Music Style Progressive Rock

Musical Influences Rock, Jazz, Classical, Folk, Blues

Similar Artists Beatles, Traffic, Yes, Moody Blues, Hendrix, U2,

Artist History In the late '60s and early '70s a power rock trio from Youngstown, Ohio called Glass Harp reached for the stars. They must have made contact, as references to stellar events seem to pervade much of their music. As a reviewer of their debut- album observed,"...no fewer than five songs mention the sky, and three of the remaining ones talk about things like stars, rainbows, and the moon."They were a bare bones group in the tradition of Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, and fellow Ohio band, The James Gang. But Glass Harp developed a signature sound of their own-a progressive one that allowed the members, collectively and individually, to stretch beyond the confines of standard form; breaks in songs for guitar, bass, flute, and drum solos were de riguere , as e xtended improvisations that would take the bands performances into the late hours.The trio's following was particularly amazed by the lighting style and precise technique of the bands 18 year old guitarist Phil Keaggy, who aside from his youth, had the us e of only nine fingers. Neither strike impeded his ability to produce highly lyrical solos. Combined with the tasteful, rhythmic bass lines of Daniel Pecchio and the sharp, assertive drumming of John Sferra, Glass Harp created a wall of sound that would t hrill sell-out capacities across the upper Midwest and beyond.While the band dissolved on the cusp of achieving mainstream rock stardom, they garnered a large and loyal regional following. National notoriety followed as they toured with the likes of, Traf fic,Yes, The Kinks, Humble Pie, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, and Grand Funk Railroad. " They were just the warm-up group," recalls a journalist of the day, "But it was the first time I had heard a local group and felt that I had heard the headline concert."W ith the release of their first album came more national attention, and even more enthusiasm back homeIn all, the band's recorded output consisted of three critically- acclaimed LPs- all released on the Decca(MCA) label-Glass Harp, Synergy, and It Makes Me Glad. In spite of their short lived life, the band managed to imprint an indelible mark on the history of rock 'n' roll. Performing with some of the biggest bands of the day on stages ranging from the Filmore to Carnegie Hall.-John August Schroeter

Group Members Phil Keaggy, John Sferra, Daniel Pecchio

Instruments Electric Guitar & Acoustic Guitars, Drums & Percussion, Bass, Flute, Vocals

Albums Glass Harp, Synergy ,It Makes Me Glad,Glass Harp-Live! At Carnegie Hall 1997, Glass Harp Strings Attached

Press Reviews THE VINDICATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2000REVIEWPerformance by 'Glass Harp'brings audience to its feet-Glass Harp jammed at length andsang its faith-centered messagesfor an enthusiastic audience.By DEBORA SHAULISENTERTAlNMENT EDITORYOUNGSTOWN?Glass Harp received a standing ovation Sunday night before playing a single note.It was a hero's welcome, and well deserved at that. Roughly 28 years have passed since the members of Glass Harp gave their final joint performance in their hometown. Thatfamine ended with a three hour,sold out concert at Edward W. Powers Auditorium that satiated long time fans' nostalgic cravings and created a hunger among new followers who missed Glass Harp during its first go around.Breath of fresh air:The music of guitarist Phil Keaggy, bass player Dan Pecchioand drummer John Sferra still serves as an antidote to trends in themusic industry.-While three-minute-and-under songs earn regular rotation on radio Glass Harp favors extended jams that the musicians seem to perform effortlessly a nd audiences embrace enthusiastically.While others sing morose or overtly sexual lyrics, Glass Harp's faith centered message encourages inner reflection and celebrate life's blessing. While some bands are content to relive their glory days note for note G lass Harp reworked many of its songs and enlisted the aid of members of Youngstown Syrnphony Orchestra. Finally, while some bands can't bring the benefits of recording studio ,wizardry on stage, Glass Harp especially Keaggy has raw talent to spare.- Pecch io had told a reporter before the show that this audience wouldbe kind to the more mature Glass Harp. In retrospect, Pecchio was be-ing too self-critical. The brotherhood among these musicians brought out the best in each of them.Selections: They stuck wi th tra- dition and opened the show with "Look in the Sky." From that point, the set list was a combination of songs from Glass Harp's repertoire and a smattering of each man's post-Glass Harp work. Pecchio's contributed Days Gone By," which he called a "s ong of reminiscence." His elder son, Ted played bass on Child of the Uni-verse," which Pecchio sang-soulfully for his younger son, Danny. They also performed Chalice,"a warm song Keaggy and Sferra wrote jointly about the meaningbehind human suffering.Among Keaggy's offerings were"Shades of Green."a folksy guitarnumber, and "True Believers," an uplifting piece about heeding the Lord's words that reflected Keaggy's passion for contemporary Christian music. With one Keaggy solo after another, listeners felt buoyant, inspired and energized by his playing. Symphony collaboration: The symphony's violinists echoed Keaggy's finger work during a concerto for guitar and strings that opened the second half of the concert.YSO music director Isaiah Jackson conducted the instrumentalists in a successful merger of the rock and symphonic groups, with only a few balance problems. Sadly, a flute soloist's wistful work was heard only sporadically during the beautiful "Southbound." Her solos were more prominent as the group tackled a Glass Harp centerpiece,Changes." Several other brass and string players augmented songs with meaningful audible solos.Sferra's song "Let the Bells Ring"had tangible connections to classical compositions. At its conclusion,several musicians struck large chimes as they walked from the rearof the auditorium to the front. The final song of the evening, "Tender Love," was co-written by Keaggy and spoke of unconditional love. The sheer beauty and joyousness of it brought the audience back to where it had begun the evening?on its feet..--v

Location Youngstown, Ohio - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).