Daniel KarasekWith summer in full swing and the bulk of the pandemic behind us (or at least we all thought, get the damn vax y’all), shows are cropping back up at venues across Atlanta. Many of these feature homegrown artists putting themselves back out there after a long and difficult hiatus. We haven’t seen many big-name national bands come through just yet, which has really helped keep the focus on the local scene. With so many people starving for live events, quite a few of the post-pandemic shows I’ve been to have been sold out. It’s been an exciting thing to see.
Part of the reason for the high turnouts is that restless, need-to-get-out-or-go-mad fervor we all experienced at some point during isolation. But a lot of the drive for seeing shows seems to be a shared love for artists who honed their craft over the past year. The most recent show I went to, glimmers at the Masquerade in Purgatory, was one of these sold-out events.
I’ve been following glimmers since they were just Maggie Schneider on vocals, acoustic guitar, and keys backed by her lovely troupe featuring Alex Norrell and Alex Downtain on guitars, Ari Patwary on bass, and Jeremy Russell on drums. I helped with releasing their “Mixed Signals” music video. I’ve listened to all of their recorded output. And at this recent show, I got the opportunity to chit-chat with the band about their journey through the last tumultuous year. With five music videos released in 2020, I was interested in discovering what kept the spark alive for such a young band. Read the interview below.
Ari Patwary rocking out in Purgatory
What was the last thing y’all did as a band before the pandemic?
Maggie: We played at the Masquerade on March 11th. It was a fun show. It was the first time we played “Not Good at Goodbyes.” We like to leak songs.
Jeremy: It was like a rollercoaster. No one knew what was happening. Could be a two-month thing. Then six months passed. It kept progressing. Grim and dull from the beginning.
Alex D.: I had already heard about shows coming later in March but those shows got canceled. It was weird and bizarre.
How did y’all survive as a band throughout the pandemic?
Alex N.: We had tours and so much stuff planned. We ended up clinging to each other. Zoom calls, video games. A lot of Rocket League.
Jeremy: Mario Kart.
Maggie: That’s when I got my Switch.
Alex D.: We ended up doing 2 or 3 Zooms a week.
Maggie: We did virtual happy hours
Who does what in the band?
Alex D.: We all wear our own hats. We all help out to a degree.
Maggie: I love the social media kind of thing, creating fun pieces of content, handling business things, and booking events.
Jeremy: I’ve been called the busman. I’m in charge of making sure everything is running; I’m the driver for the tour bus. The pandemic kept us busy with the bus. It was a whole ordeal.
Ari: I focus more on marketing and ad agency stuff. I work with Maggie on social media. I’m in charge of the money, the technology side, and conversion advertising.
Alex N.: I’m the gopher. Y’all need anything, I kinda help out. I have to keep up with the best guitarist, Jimmy, and singer, Maggie, in Atlanta.
You managed to sell out your first show since everything shut down in 2020. To what do you attribute this success? Is there a secret sauce?
Alex D.: There is not a secret sauce. It’s how we work together as a unit. We are a large gear with little gears turning together.
Maggie: We thought about rebranding in March of last year. We had a nine-month plan. We stuck with it. We all have our own jobs.
Alex D.: Right before the pandemic, Maggie planned out the rest of the year. We followed it to a T. We had every end covered.
Maggie: We have a great support system with Underground Collective and Jeff Menig.
Alex N.: These are the most positive people I have ever met.
Alex D.: Our secret is that we are friends first, band members second.
Ari: Ego is the death of art. You have to be genuine in what you do.
glimmers lighting up the crowd
What advice can you give to other local musicians to help them navigate this new pandemic landscape?
Alex N.: Learn to enjoy the pain.
Maggie: Don’t let anyone tell you the kind of artist you should be. Don’t make art that is disingenuous to who you are.
Alex D.: Be true to yourself.
Alex N.: Know that it won’t always work. Know what you want.
Ari: Be present. Just be present.
Hard or soft tacos and why?
Maggie & Ari: SOFT!
Alex N.: I abstain.
Alex D.: If they’re street tacos, then soft. If they’re American tacos, then they have to be hard.
Jeremy: No real preference, but being a vegetarian I like beans as a substitute. So hard is better for the crunch.
What should we as glimmers fans be looking forward to? Anything on the horizon? Will you play any festivals?
Maggie: Actually, we are playing at Valley Vibes Music and Art Festival on September 4th. We have some tour dates we are planning. We are also writing new music.
Alex D.: We are doing a cover of an MCR song for Ghost Killer Entertainment.
Maggie: Ghost Killer Entertainment is a large social media music promotion group. They are doing a big tribute event to My Chemical Romance. We are covering “This Is How I Disappear.”
Any final thoughts?
Alex D.: We are all animal people. I have a dog named Luke.
Maggie: I have a dog named Jessie
Jeremy: My dogs are Rory and Foley.
Ari: I have a beta fish named Tanjiro and 57 plants.
Alex N.: My dog is named Addy.
More Info:
Web: glimmersband.com
Facebook: @glimmersband
Instagram: @glimmersband
Twitter: @glimmersband