Five Firsts: John Glenn of The City Never Sleeps

NAME: John Glenn
BAND AFFILIATION: The City Never Sleeps
INSTRUMENT: Singer

1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … “Europop” by Eiffel 65. I was about 10, and the only music I had at home were my parents’ classical or classic rock CDs, my brother’s rock mixes that he tapped off the radio and abandoned on dusty shelves and my own tapes off the radio. I remember I was at a book store with my parents and saw Eiffel 65 on display and recognized the “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” song from the radio. I just kind of stood there listening to it for what must have been 40 minutes. I thought it was so different from all the rock and classical music with all the over-produced synthetic sounds and the repetitive catchy hooks. I really loved that album at that time. I listen to it now, and it sounds kind of cheesy, but even today I play an acoustic rendition of “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” fairly regularly.

2. THE FIRST CONCERT THAT I EVER SAW WAS … I’d gone to many concerts throughout my life, like musicals and school trips and what not, but the first concert that I really count was the Warped Tour. I remember thinking it was so cool seeing an entire festival of bands in person that I’d only seen on TV or listened to in my headphones.

3. THE FIRST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT I EVER OWNED OR PLAYED WAS … When I was three my mom hired a young violin-playing music student in college to give me violin lessons. There also was always a piano in the house that I tinkered with, but the first instrument I really owned and taught myself is the guitar when I was 14 years old. I saved up my allowance and bought the cheapest guitar and combo set I could find. It was a blue Johnson. I would sit up in my room and play that guitar for house and hours. I didn’t even know how to tune it. I just tuned it to some open tuning and played with my thumb. Over time, I learned how to tune it and play chords and write songs with it and sing with it. It’s still the instrument I’m most partial to besides singing.

4. THE FIRST SONG THAT I EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC WAS … “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” on the violin when I was three, and a countless number of songs in choir and musicals, etc. The first song I ever played in public as a rock band was “Swing, Swing” by the All-American Rejects.

5. THE FIRST BAND I WAS EVER IN WAS … Deadlast. I started it with Curt, the drummer I still play with today. This was during our sophmore year of high school. I was really new at the guitar, and it was his first time on a kit. We worked at a fast food place together and would go in his basement after work or after school and make the most awful racket with our instruments for hours. Eventually, we got a little better.

In support of their brand new CD, “Madison,” John Glenn steps up to the microphone with the City Never Sleeps for a free show with Olivia Quillio at Brown’s Brewing Co. in Troy at 8pm on Thursday (December 1). The band will also be opening for Badfish at Northern Lights in Clifton Park at 7pm on Tuesday, December 27. Also sharing the bill will be Scotty Don’t and Uncle Joel’s Comb. Tix are $15 in advance; $20 at the door.