Jon Glassman

Luna Rex has a heck of an easy-going sound for influences that range from prog, jam and grunge, according to lead singer and rhythm guitarist Jon Glassman. The band from West Palm Beach formed in 2009 and features colorful lead guitar work by Paul Axelband and an unrelenting rhythm section in bassist Heath Silvern and drummer Jason Hermes.

Their new album, All Kinds of Terrain sees official release this March. Covering 10 tracks that average about five minutes, though some breach the 6-minute mark and one runs 11 minutes, the band’s debut album captures the relaxed chemistry with these musicians. If the music was tricky to compose, he does not let on. “Often times, I come up with a very simple chord progression and vocal theme, and we get the basics of the song down. Then we just jam it very loosely in practice quite a bit and look for holes and places where the other guys can stretch out and get a nice groove going.”

But the songs also come from a personal place for Glassman, who writes all the lyrics. “For years, I found it very hard to express things/emotions to the people around me. But through writing and music, I could pour out tons of creative energy that no one could judge me on. They couldn’t judge me in my living room or on the front porch, of course, but once I realized that it was fun performing music outside the house, I didn’t care who judged me much.”

He’s also a multi-faceted writer, having written a novel, which he independently published late last year. Jonny Bails Floatin and the Luck of the Bioluminescence gains inspiration from his music. “I was thinking about our band and how lucky I was to have met such good friends and musicians,” he notes. “I told myself that I better be careful working in the yard with the hedge trimmers because this would be a bad time to lose a finger. The idea of a musician losing his

fingers intrigued me, and a plot developed because I couldn’t stop thinking about the many animals and organisms in the world that have the ability to re-grow parts. Jonny Bails Floatin was born. I’ll stop there, I don’t want to give away too much of the story!”

Luna Rex have an album release shows at:
Dada with Luxury of Company on Saturday, March 1
Propaganda with Luxury of Company and Palomas on Friday, March 28
Download it on Bandcamp.
You can find Glassman’s book on Amazon.
Album Art and poster in this months print edition by Paul Caprio.
~ Hans Morgenstern | The Independent Ethos