Westerly's Glenn Thomas returns home behind new album

Jun. 25—It wouldn't be accurate to say "a funny thing happened to Westerly's Glenn Thomas on his way to rock stardom with his melodic power trio Wild Sun."

For one thing, "rock stardom" is a subjective concept. There IS no tried and true formula to arrive at what is at best a "you'll know it IF you get there" destination. Suffice to say, though, that Wild Sun, on the strength of the CDs "Little Truths" (2015) and "Closed Door Talks" (2019) and the "Rigby" EP (2018), were gaining momentum in a national context. They'd signed with the respected American Laundromat label, cracked College Radio's Top 200 charts, opened shows for Eve 6, Blitzen Trapper, Rubblebucket and Langhorne Slim, and were invited to contribute to an Elliot Smith tribute album alongside artists like J Mascis, Julien Baker and Amanda Palmer.

So it wasn't exactly funny — more bittersweet, hopeful and artistically resolute — when Thomas realized his Muse was shifting and his songwriting had veered sharply in a rootsier direction that reflects the work of folks like Jason Isbell, Steve Earle and the Jayhawks' Gary Louris. Thomas moved to Nashville and told his friends and Wild Sun bandmates, bassist Paul Fazio and drummer Cameron Raubeson, he was going to follow his heart and go solo.

The result is "Reassure Me There's a Window," an introspective and consistently lovely album of Americana tunes that seem to reflect on the melancholy of lost relationships as well as cautious optimism about love and life. Though the recording was released last August on Thomas's own Palace Flophouse Records, the pandemic precluded any touring. Friday, though, Thomas performs a sold-out homecoming show in support of the record at the Knickerbocker Music Center in Westerly.

Setting Sun

"I think what happened is that Wild Sun became sort of a box because I was writing songs that weren't best served by a power trio. It just wasn't the right situation and so it became unfair to me as well as Paul and Cameron." Thomas, soft-spoken and thoughtful, is on the phone last week from Nashville, shortly before heading back to Rhody and rehearsals for tonight's show, which will be a full band production.

Among the players joining Thomas onstage Friday will be Raubeson, guitarist Thor Jensen, Tom Kendzia — Thomas's father — on keyboards, and the University of Rhode Island String Quartet.

Thomas says, "(Going solo) was a hard decision because it's a lot of fun to rock with that energy. But it didn't feel genuine to keep writing songs to feed that. I didn't see it long term — which is not to say we couldn't do it again at some point, but it would be rough knowing that we did have some momentum and that's gone now."

If moving to Nashville and the heart of the Americana movement seems a perfectly logical career move, it's also true N-ville is one of the most competitive scenes in the world. Also, just the sheer long-term reality of such a big decision weighed on Thomas.

A new kid in town

"I was totally drained when I came here," Thomas says. "I had no idea what to do, and the competition is tough, for sure. It was easier in Westerly because Wild Sun knew a lot of contacts and we worked our way up among other friends and musicians."

Anticipating the move, Thomas had saved up money to pay rent for a few months and, ultimately, to finance the album that became "Reassure Me There's a Window."

"I remember I got here and drove down Music Row" — an internationally famous street stuffed with record labels, studios and radio stations — "and was looking at all of it." Thomas laughs. "And I thought, 'No problem. I should have a job here in a few weeks.' Uh, NO. That was absolutely not the case."

It's true Thomas has an aunt, Paula Wolak, in Nashville with strong ties to the music community. She has produced/engineered on projects with artists like Mickey Newbury, Tom T. Hall and Tracy Byrd and now teaches audio engineering in area schools. "She's been incredibly supportive," Thomas says, "but her best advice is the reality that you just have to get out and get into the scene."

Thomas describes mapping out clubs and bars that had live music and had open mic nights and songwriters' circles — of which there is hilariously no shortage — from which he hoped to arrange to meet songwriters and producers.

"What I found out is that, yes, it IS competitive, but the songwriters are extremely friendly and willing to help and connect you with other collaborators and musicians," Thomas says.

Settling in

After months, Thomas felt comfortable making appointments with producers to see if he could find someone that would be willing and enthusiastic about his songs to work on an album. One of those meetings was with Jordan Lehning, whose production credits include Rodney Crowell, Joshua Hedley and Andrew Combs, and whose engineering/arranging skills have contributed to albums by Kacey Musgraves, Justin Townes Earle, Ray Price, Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers.

"It was actually pretty simple," Thomas says. "He liked the songs and I liked the work he'd done and he's a really nice, smart guy. We hashed out a plan."

Lehning arranged for the session players and all Thomas had to do — theoretically — was show up and play and sing. And that in fact happened. But Thomas is quick to say he emphatically did not take charge in any "This is my album so here's what I think!" capacity.

A Nashville moment

"Was I intimidated? Oh, yeah, of course," he says. "Before, with Wild Sun, I had no problem about interjecting my opinions or any part of the singing or playing. For this album, though, we had Jordan and a bunch of Nashville session players. I just shut up and listened through the whole project and deferred at every juncture for the whole process."

Thomas says the entire experience was amazing and rewarding and can definitely identity a true "Nashville moment." "At one point, Jordan said, 'You know what we need here? A harmonica.' And he just called Charlie McCoy. Mrs. McCoy answered the phone and said, 'Here he is!' and, the next day, Charlie was in the studio."

McCoy, it should be pointed out, was not only Bob Dylan's band leader for years but also played on hundreds of albums by people like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Waylon Jennings and Loretta Lynn.

"Not only was it amazing that he played, and beautifully, but he just sat around and told incredible stories," Thomas says. You can almost hear him grinning in awe over the telephone.

"Reassure Me There's a Window" received praise from Billboard, Pop Matters The Bluegrass Situation and more, and he's just released a new ballad called "Ice Cream or Dinosaurs" just in time for the Knickerbocker concert.

Plenty of 'Reassurance'

Friday, expect a full recitation of tunes from a wonderfully reflective and mature album full of melodic and throughtul lessons-learned. Highlights include: the aching lament "She is Leaving"; "Shy Hinges" and its mournful pedal steel accenting a wistful chorus; and "Initials," where Thomas, over an almost funereal minor chord intro, and sounding like he woke up with a hangover that makes even whispering hurt, croons, "I hope I get another one / I messed this one up bad."

At the same time, the retrospective speculation of "When You Gone" offers tentative but honest hope. And the anthemic "Whaddya Know" offers whimsical commentary from the perspective that all those late-night barroom experiences offer wisdom — particularly with the realization that ours is one weird culture.

Thomas is in a good place — literally and artistically — although, he says, he has to mow his yard a lot more in Nashville than he did in Westerly. More importantly, he's got a terrific album and feels creative and productive.

"There's a thread through all of this, of looking for reassurance across a lot of facets," Thomas says, "and I think the reflective and introspective nature of the songs comes through. That's what I wanted."