In August of 2013, Gordon Glantz had gone to a Steve Earle concert in Sellersville, Pa. During the show, Earle started talking about the kinds of songs he had written for \u201cThe Low Highway\u201d record he was touring behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earle related anecdotes about traveling through smaller towns and seeing boarded up factories, which offered him a look at a different side of America. That had an impacton Glantz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy interpretation of what Earle said was that there are people out there whose stories aren\u2019t being told,\u201d said Glantz, a veteran journalist in the Philadelphia area. \u201cIt comes out of the Springsteen cloth a little bit. All of the songs on \u2018The Low Highway\u2019 album were right to the point, no layers, no interpretation of poetry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The inspiration provided by Earle redirected Glantz\u2019s longtime passion for songwriting, the end result of which is a collection of 19 songs on the recently released \u201cGhost Town,\u201d under the band name by Gordonville U.S.A. For this record, Glantz worked closely with Tom Hampton, a Nashville-based veteran utility picker, songwriter and vocalist who has spent several years enmeshed in the local Philadelphia music scene. It\u2019s Hampton\u2019s lead vocals and musicianship \u2013 along with other session musicians \u2013 that can be heard on the record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the goals Glantz had with this CD was mastering the art of the story song. He has always admired the songwriters who could pull that off with authenticity \u2013 Harry Chapin, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot and, particularly, Bruce Springsteen (Earle is known as the country version of The Boss and regularly covers his songs in concert). He hadn\u2019t to this point seen himself as that type of songwriter, despite some attempts with mixed results, as he was more comfortable as protest\/statement songwriter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll roads in my writing kind of lead to Springsteen,\u201d said Glantz, a lifelong Springsteen fan. \u201cAs I wrote more of these songs \u2013 even though Steve Earle got me thinking like that \u2013 I found that Springsteen has a certain way of writing that I felt like I tried but never quite got right before. Even though I wanted to write more like Springsteen, maybe I was writing more like Peter Gabriel or Roger Waters, a little more poetic interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As someone whose strength is lyrics, Glantz was looking for someone to take the definitive musical ideas that were in his head and translate it into music. He reached out to Hampton, with whom he had worked \u2013 and developed a kindship with \u2013 on previous projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Hampton was in the Philadelphia area, the two would get together and Glantz would relay his vision for the songs, providing the lyrics and an idea of what he thought the song should sound like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI started out feeling like I was working in the service of Gordon\u2019s songs and in the service of realizing Gordon\u2019s songs,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cThe project kind of felt like work coming out of the gate because I really didn\u2019t have a solid bead on what his objectives were, what he wanted it sound like or even if I was the right guy for the project. But after we got into a rhythm and started working, it got to a point where it just became effortless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So effortless, in fact, that in addition to the 19 songs on \u201cGhost Town,\u201d there are another 70 to 80 songs that are already in the can, with some close to completion and others with a scratch vocal and guitar on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe musical part has always been the easiest part for me,\u201d sad Hampton. \u201cWhen I\u2019m writing for myself, the music tends to dictate the subject matter a lot of the time. The fact that Gordon already has the lyrics, that part of the cake baked and that makes it easier. He\u2019s got a set of lyrics and he wants it to sound like this. All I have to do is find the right mood for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Glantz said he is thrilled with the finished product. He believes he\u2019s captured Springsteen\u2019s spirit in songs like \u201cBetter Than Today\u201d and \u201cMake it Back Alive.\u201d And Hampton has put together a video for the song \u201cAngry White Male\u201d that can be seen on YouTube that falls into the protest\/statement portion of Glantz\u2019s songwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All the songs from \u201cGhost Town\u201d can be heard on YouTube, Spotify and other digital formats (iTunes, Pandora, etc.). The physical record can be ordered on CDbaby.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo get a publishing deal would be ideal,\u201d said Glantz. \u201cIf I could even get a song on TV \u2013 on something like the Hallmark channel \u2013 where I hear 15 seconds of my song in the background; that would be great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been writing songs since high school. I just want to be heard at this point in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hampton will continue to do his session work – he plays more than a dozen instruments – live and in the studio. He released a solo album titled \u201cFriends and Heroes\u201d in 2013 and is currently working on another album of original material that he hopes to be ready within the next year.
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