About The Band
The Early Days
The Glides perform a brand of music that can best be described as alternative, retro, groove. The band seamlessly juggles elements of dancehall, blues, punk, grunge, indie, and a taste of retro 50’s rock to create their eclectic sound.
The Phoenix, Arizona band, which formed in the summer of 2015, consists of vocalist Travis Kenny, guitarist Mark Harrison, bass guitarist Paul Perron, and drummer Rikki Stixx. Known for their electrifying live shows and dance party atmosphere, The Glides caught the eye of British Blues Guitar Superstar Bex Marshall. In December of 2015, she asked them to open for her at the iconic Rhythm Room in Phoenix.
Coming off of this early success, The Glides hit Full Well Studio for the first time in early 2016 to record their single, “One Time”. The band debuted the single live on Radio Phoenix in February of 2016, and subsequently released it on ReverbNation. After its release, they quickly reached the Top 10 on the ReverbNation Phoenix Local Alternative Chart.
The “One Time” single also garnered some national attention from Jacqueline Jax of AVALiveRadio, who started following the band on Twitter.
One Time (Ms. Gadway)’ by @theglides Amazing energy with fun sticky lyrics that get you out on the dance floor. https://t.co/54WtFcEdco
— AVA Live Radio (@avaliveradio) October 8, 2016
The Glides EP
The Glides EP released October 15th, 2016. Sold out July 2017.The Glides headed back to Full Well in the spring of 2016 to record three more songs for what would become their debut EP. After finishing up with recording, these four Renaissance men hit the road and took their alternative, retro grooves out of Arizona for the first time. They spent the month of July touring the West Coast, and also reunited with Bex Marshall for an encore performance at The Rhythm Room. In August, they played at the historic Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff.
The band took a break in early fall to prepare for the release of The Glides EP. Prior to releasing the EP, two more singles were released for streaming, “Lullaby” and “In The Night”. With the release of these singles local media and radio began to take notice. The CD Release Party on October 15th, 2016 at Fuego Bistro, got mentioned as one of “20 Local Music Picks for October” by Ed Masley of AzCentral.
Mitchell Hillman, in a Phoenix New Times Review, wrote of “In The Night”. “The Glides have been on my radar for most of the year, and when they released “In The Night” about a month ago, the song completely got my attention. It’s an interesting combination of blues rock and grunge that recalls the vibe that I dug about Seattle band Mother Love Bone. It has a touch of metal dressing here and there, most noticeably in the vocals that occasionally sport an occasional Ozzy fixation. Near the two-minute mark, these guys go into this drum solo, immediately followed by a guitar solo, and it kills me every listen. I have no idea why. The results are pretty clear from “In The Night” that they can rock with some of the best in this town, and I hope to see them doing exactly that after the release of their debut record.”
In addition to the local physical release, The Glides EP, was released digitally to Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and other major digital retailers. The full EP is also available for purchase on Bandcamp, and for free streaming on ReverbNation and SoundCloud. (The Glides EP is currently approaching 15,000 total streams on Spotify. The Glides currently have over 11,000 streams on ReverbNation and are closing in on 2000 fans on social media across all calculated channels. The Glides consistently rank in the Top 5 on ReverbNation’s Phoenix Alternative Chart and are currently #3 as of 7/21/2017)
After The Release
After the release of the EP, The Glides got their first taste of FM Radio airplay when Dani Cutler of KWSS 93.9 FM played “One Time” during her 11 o’clock Locals show. In November 2016, The Glides played an acoustic set for the KWSS Donation Drive Show on the air live from Pho Cao. Their fourth single, “Blo Diddley” has also received play on KWSS.
In November 2016, they had their first nationally syndicated radio interview with Jacqueline Jax of AVA Live Radio on her behind the music interview series. The interview about the song “One Time” was published in American Pride Magazine as well. A few weeks later, “Lullaby”, was featured on her New Music Monday Series. They also went back on the road to the West Coast, including an appearance at The World Famous Doll Hut in Anaheim.
Listen to AVA Live Radio Behind The Music #385 Full Episode Featuring The Glides
Glendale Glitters
Not slowing down, The Glides finished off 2016 with a bang. Fans heard them on television for the first time when Fox 10 Phoenix played “One Time” during their local morning news in December. The segment promoted their Christmas Party Show at Tim Finnegan’s Irish Pub where the band held an extremely successful Toy Drive for underprivileged children. They also got the opportunity to play in front of their biggest crowd ever, on the closing night of Glendale Glitters (a local holiday festival which draws upwards of 75,000 people on closing night).
The Glides also capped off the year getting a very nice mention in Dani Cutler’s 21 Local Artists I Fell In Love With In 2016
“Oh man- I’m SO glad Travis and I met, because this band just makes me so happy! Their description of their music is the better than anything I can come up with: “ With two feet solidly in indie rock, the band seamlessly juggles elements of dancehall, blues, punk, grunge, and a taste of retro 50’s rock to create their alternative, retro, grooves. “ Truth! They make me want to get up and dance, and I don’t like to dance.”
One Time Music Video
One Time Music Video Slide Show
In early 2017, The Glides began preparations to shoot their first music video. The video for “One Time” was shot January 15th at a soundstage in downtown Glendale. Summer Marcus starred in the video, playing the role of “Ms.Gadway”. The video was premiered to a live audience for the first time on February 17th at The Starlite Lounge. The video premier party included a surprise appearance by skate, punk legends, Dephinger. The video was released on YouTube (One Time Official Music Video) March 20th and received over 1500 views in its first week!
The release of the video once again caught the attention of the local media and has been played several times on Fox 10 Phoenix news. Mitchell Hillman, now with Sounds Around Town, gave a glowing review.
“Man, oh man, if you didn’t like The Glides already, I’m pretty sure all you need to flip that switch is spending just three minutes, just three minutes and seventeen seconds to completely fall for this group of gentlemen rocking their souls out on “One Time.” Whether it’s the awesome 1960s movie intro with credits, the style of the video with Summer Marcus dancing while the band is suited up or the song itself, which is some of the most fun to come out of this scene in while, The Glides should win your favor in one way or another. Their entire self-titled EP from last year is a solid four track debut with singles galore, but this was easily my favorite for no other reason than Travis Kenny’s blistering vocals here. There’s a retro vibe to be sure, but if they’re revivalists, they’re pulling their groove from an alternate universe where soul filled blues rock like this thrived far beyond where it did in ours. The Glides are damned refreshing, especially when it comes to that indomitable groove.”
Watch One Time Official Music Video
Go Go Go, Racing Ahead
The spring of 2017 also saw The Glides delve into auto racing sponsorship for the first time, becoming a sponsor of the HayWire Motorsports #92 driven by Tommy Rasmussen. Rasmussen drives in the NASCAR Chevrolet Super Late Model Series, primarily at Evergreen Speedway in Washington. The sponsorship includes decals on the rear quarter panel and deck lid of the racecar.
After so much success with their first EP and video release, it was clearly time for the guys to head back to Full Well and give fans what they have been waiting for, new music. After spending several months perfecting the sounds on another 4 tracks, The Glides are about to kick things into full gear with their biggest tour ever.
The Glides will be heading back to the West Coast on a tour (Tour Press Release) to promote their upcoming album Go Go Go which is scheduled to be released in September. The album will feature 8 songs (the four from the first EP, plus the four newly recorded tracks).
The title track, “Go Go Go” will be the lead single from the new album. Early reviews of the single are strong, and the song made its World Television Premier July 23rd 2017, on Fox 10 Phoenix. It has also been adopted as the official theme song of Tommy Rasmussen and the #92 racing team.
These new recordings (a punk song, a funk song, a blues song, and a retro song) truly show the band’s diversity, with production and instrumentation that show of a band that has matured beyond its first recording.
