Rating: 
Summary: Energy, Virtuosity, Beauty, And Joy
Review: Last year, upon hearing that Glass Hammer was on the card for the NorthEastern Art Rock Festival (NEARfest), I resolved to go, thinking simultaneously that music of the complexity Glass Hammer records must be nearly impossible to perform live, and that a 51-year-old man at a two-day rock concert was an essay topic even without reference to the music. As things turned out, personal developments compelled me to miss NEARfest 2003. It was a pity for several reasons, all of which are beyond the scope of this review. But just yesterday, a DVD arrived in the mail from Sound Resources of Chattanooga, Tennessee: a reviewer's copy of Lex Live, a filmed Glass Hammer concert at the Rhythm 'N' Brews music club in that city. I was somewhat surprised. Still, I'd exchanged some very pleasant letters with Fred Schendel and Steve Babb, the creative nucleus of Glass Hammer, after I recommended their magnificent 2002 release Lex Rex, so I thrust away the suspicion that the DVD had been sent to me by mistake. One way or the other, I am supremely glad to have received it. The concert at Rhythm 'N' Brews was an event of singular quality. Even rock groups that perform comparatively simple music frequently bobble their notes or their lines on stage. Not Glass Hammer! Despite the terrifying complexity of the selections they played, I couldn't detect a single wrong note, nor a single misstep in rhythm. The concert led off with the "Chronotheme" from their Chronometree album, a rousing retro-prog piece reminiscent of early Keith Emerson, but with more wit and less self-referential flash. After a brief pause, the group swung directly into Lex Rex, the prog-rock oratorio that has stunned the progressive music world. The performance was a revelation and a delight. I'd wondered how a symphonic-progressive composition like Lex Rex could be brought out of the studio and onto the stage. Its multi-layered composition, contrapunctal, cannonaded vocals, and all-around difficulty seemed too daunting to approach live. The studio allows musicians to correct many a misstep before their audience ever hears it; the stage is entirely unforgiving. There was nothing to forgive. There was energy, and virtuosity, and beauty, and joy. The Schendel-Babb "nucleus" was joined onstage by: -- Guitarist / vocalist Walter Moore,
-- Acoustic guitarist / bassist Eric Parker,
-- Drummer Matt Mendians,
-- Vocalists Susie Bogdanowicz, Bethany Warren, Flo Paris, and Sarah Snyder. The performance of Lex Rex was slightly altered by the necessities of a concert setting -- few rock clubs have two grand pianos available at any moment -- but it came off as perfectly as if it had been written to be performed onstage in the first place. Woven into its midsection was another selection from Chronometree: "Chronos Deliverer," which has a soaring choral vocal quite in keeping with the exalted story of Lex Rex. The concert ended with "Heaven" from the Perelandra album, another spiritually stirring and quite appropriate piece. As videography, Lex Live isn't a masterwork, but then, it was never intended to be. It's essentially a straight depiction of an extraordinary performance of an extraordinary body of work, very sparingly enhanced in post-production with gentle special effects here and there. That should be quite enough. As thrilled as I was to see this concert captured this way, it made me doubly sad to have missed NEARfest, where I might have had the chance to meet these nine fantastic musicians and congratulate them on their achievements. If you enjoy filmed concerts and complex, thematically rich modern music, you'll love Lex Live. I guarantee it. You'll never again see virtuosity of the level of Fred Schendel, Steve Babb, Walter Moore, and Matt Mendians, as captured on this disc. Nowhere else will you hear modern music of this difficulty, performed live to this standard of excellence. And no matter how long you live or where you go, you'll never in your life see beauty or joy to compare with the face of Susie Bogdanowicz as she sings with Glass Hammer. Treat yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Glass Hammer has a brand new fan....
Review: Curiosity got the best of me when Amazon recommended this DVD, and having read the reviews I decided to buy it. You know how you get a feeling about certain bands even though you haven't heard them? Well, intuition certainly worked this time! My only complaint is that Rythym N' Brews is too small a venue to hold this much talent. The place must have been literally ready to explode! The musicianship is outstanding and takes professionalism to a new level. Thank God for the internet, for I probably never would have discovered Glass Hammer ( what a shame )without it. I also connect with their Christian themes, although non Christians can certainly be awed these wonderful musicians. ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: Vivus Rex!
Review: Excellent work! An enjoyable watch! This DVD showcases the incredible talent that Glass Hammer possesses, from beautiful vocals of Susie Bogdanowicz and other GH singers Flo Paris, Bethany Warren, and Sarah Snyder, rocking bass lines from Steve Babb, and unblieveable keyboard solos from Fred Schendel. Not to mention an awesome drum solo from new memeber Matt Mendians. A great filming for an incredible set, including most of the music from Lex Rex and a few songs from Chronometree, culminating with a powerful rendition of "Heaven", that leaves the viewer's mind echoing the triumphant cry: "Above!" The performance is excellent, as is the music, with bright, crisp vocals all throughout in intricate harmonies. Still, my favorite part of the DVD is the special features. The footage of the eight musicians crammed into a hotel room (which they claim is bigger than their practice room in Chattanooga) filled with beautitful music chronicles the highlight of the NEARfest performance for several members of the band. Interviews at a prescreening party gives a look at some of the newer members, and the band's humor carries throughout especially as Steve and Fred show off their equipment to a camera passed back and forth between them. A personal favorite of mine, the DVD offers a small clip of Jon-Michael Babb, an adorable 2-year-old with a head of curls, working the taurus pedals. Part of a fan's bootleg of NEARfest also shows up, with a small preview of the band with the large choir. All and all, this DVD is a great buy, both for current fans of Glass Hammer, or those who want to check out the greatest American band on the prog scene!
Rating:
Summary: Vivus Rex!
Review: Excellent work! An enjoyable watch! This DVD showcases the incredible talent that Glass Hammer possesses, from beautiful vocals of Susie Bogdanowicz and other GH singers Flo Paris, Bethany Warren, and Sarah Snyder, rocking bass lines from Steve Babb, and unblieveable keyboard solos from Fred Schendel. Not to mention an awesome drum solo from new memeber Matt Mendians. A great filming for an incredible set, including most of the music from Lex Rex and a few songs from Chronometree, culminating with a powerful rendition of "Heaven", that leaves the viewer's mind echoing the triumphant cry: "Above!" The performance is excellent, as is the music, with bright, crisp vocals all throughout in intricate harmonies. Still, my favorite part of the DVD is the special features. The footage of the eight musicians crammed into a hotel room (which they claim is bigger than their practice room in Chattanooga) filled with beautitful music chronicles the highlight of the NEARfest performance for several members of the band. Interviews at a prescreening party gives a look at some of the newer members, and the band's humor carries throughout especially as Steve and Fred show off their equipment to a camera passed back and forth between them. A personal favorite of mine, the DVD offers a small clip of Jon-Michael Babb, an adorable 2-year-old with a head of curls, working the taurus pedals. Part of a fan's bootleg of NEARfest also shows up, with a small preview of the band with the large choir. All and all, this DVD is a great buy, both for current fans of Glass Hammer, or those who want to check out the greatest American band on the prog scene!
Rating: 
Summary: 5 STARS, COMPARED TO WHAT?
Review: First of all let me set a baseline for this review. I am comparing this DVD to other live DVD's that I have purchased, which I would rate at a 4 to 5 rating. Those DVD's are from the following bands: Jethro Tull, Kansas, ELP, Yes, Journey, Styx, Transatlantic and Toto. I purchased this DVD solely on the reviews places on this website. I had never heard Glass Hammer until my DVD arrived and I watched the concert. Let me also say that I am a big fan of good musicianship, and become an even bigger fan when the lyrical content of the songs is something that I believe to be important; so when I read the previous reviews of this DVD I became very excited and placed my order. Lets address the audio portion. This DVD causes me to have a deeper appreciation for the talent and expertise needed to engineer and mix a "top" quality live DVD. In each of the other live DVD'S I listed above with a 4 to 5 rating, the instrumental and vocal recordings are mixed in a way that each individual part can be heard and appreciated. I am able to distinguish the melody line from the harmony line, or two or three different instrumental lead lines from each other as they musically intertwine throughout the songs. Unfortunately that is not the case on this DVD. The audio portion seems to come as an overwhelming wall of sound. At times I could see that several people would be singing, and yet I couldn't begin to tell you what any of the songs were about because the melody and words were buried somewhere in that wall. That was very disappointing to me considering the content of the lyrics. I was looking forward to hearing and understanding the words to these epic songs. At one point I decided to focus on the bass playing, so I attempted to listed to the actual musicianship, and tone of the bass. Well, I couldn't hear enough to tell if the bass player was good or not, and when he changed basses for a different sound, I couldn't hear a distinguishable change - still a wall of sound. In addition, the drums sounded flat! That was no more evident than during the drum solo when the drummer sounded like he was playing on a set of small oatmeal boxes. Drum solos, if they are going to be played and recorded need to sound big, not like they are being played ten miles away without amplification or effects. On the other hand, the keyboards were big and distinguishable. However, they were just too loud. I know it sounds like I'm impossible to please, but some of the other bands that I rated a 4 to 5 also play very busy and intricate music, and they managed to get a quality audio mix. Finally, I have to acknowledge that Glass Hammer is playing at a much smaller venue, and is obviously working on a much smaller budget than the bands on my other live DVD's. Thus, the lighting and camera work aren't as good, the stage is small and crowded, and there is no drum riser. That in itself is worth about .5 in my rating. Obviously, opinions differ; and if I had had the chance to view and listen to this DVD prior to purchasing it, I wouldn't have purchased it. I would have been intrigued by it, but I wouldn't have purchased it.
Rating:
Summary: wishes from Germany
Review: Glass Hammer is considered one of the leading Progressive Bands of the USA. Actually, at their studio recordings they are the two-man project of Steve Bapp and Fred Schendel. On Lex Live they perform as a complete five-member ensemble with three female background singers. They do contain the essental musical resources to convey the compexity of their arrangements, also when appearing live. Recordings of their album Lex Rex make up the bulk of their concert. By including the bonus section of their DVD, - among others the Tales of the Great War video, - two hours suffice as running time.
All in all, a highly recommendable live DVD rendered by a first class band.
Rating:
Summary: wishes from Germany
Review: Glass Hammer is considered one of the leading Progressive Bands of the USA. Actually, at their studio recordings they are the two-man project of Steve Bapp and Fred Schendel. On Lex Live they perform as a complete five-member ensemble with three female background singers. They do contain the essental musical resources to convey the compexity of their arrangements, also when appearing live. Recordings of their album Lex Rex make up the bulk of their concert. By including the bonus section of their DVD, - among others the Tales of the Great War video, - two hours suffice as running time.
All in all, a highly recommendable live DVD rendered by a first class band.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive Stuff!
Review: I can't better any of the more in-depth reviews posted here so I won't bother to try! I only wish to raise one point. Like an earlier reviewer I have an extensive list of music DVDs (Rush, Yes, Dream Theater, Led Zeppelin etc.) and I have watched them all to varying degrees of repetition with one exception... Lex Live stands head and shoulders above all my DVDs irrespective of quality of sound, lighting, camera work and all the other marks that DVDs are "supposed" to hit for one reason and that reason is sheer enjoyment! The music is heart-felt and performed with consumate skill and the performance is nothing short of addictive. I've had this disc on constant rotation since I bought it (in fact, when I watch a movie on DVD, Lex Live comes out, the movie goes in and then Lex Live goes back in again once the movie's over!) With Lex Live being constantly played in preference to Yes, Genesis or Led Zeppelin, I'll let you draw your own conclusions...
Rating:
Summary: I still have goose bumps...
Review: I just had the opportunity to experience this DVD on a 12 foot screen with concert level sound.
I am honestly speechless! I considered the cd "Lex Rex" a modern day masterpiece of progressive rock music.
I had wondered if Glass Hammer were studio wizards or could they achieve this incredible sound and energy in a live performance?
"Lex Live" answers my question. I now count Glass Hammer among the few bands that are able to take a studio masterpiece and perform it on stage to a higher level than the original recording. Yes, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Peter Gabriel can do it and so can Glass Hammer! This was one of the finest performances of music that I have ever seen! All I can say is WOW! I still have goose bumps. I promise that I will be traveling to wherever the next Glass Hammer concert is. Thank you Glass Hammer for keeping the flame for progressive rock alive.
Rating:
Summary: I still have goose bumps...
Review: I just had the opportunity to experience this DVD on a 12 foot screen with concert level sound.
I am honestly speechless! I considered the cd "Lex Rex" a modern day masterpiece of progressive rock music.
I had wondered if Glass Hammer were studio wizards or could they achieve this incredible sound and energy in a live performance?
"Lex Live" answers my question. I now count Glass Hammer among the few bands that are able to take a studio masterpiece and perform it on stage to a higher level than the original recording. Yes, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Peter Gabriel can do it and so can Glass Hammer! This was one of the finest performances of music that I have ever seen! All I can say is WOW! I still have goose bumps. I promise that I will be traveling to wherever the next Glass Hammer concert is. Thank you Glass Hammer for keeping the flame for progressive rock alive.
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