Seth Glier () is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist, and activist.
Career
Seth Glier was born in Shelburne Falls, MA.
and subsequently studied at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School
PVPA in
South Hadley
South Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke Colleg ...
, Massachusetts. He attended
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
for a year before dropping out to be able to tour full-time. Since then, he has averaged over 200 shows a year,
and shared stages with artists such as
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
,
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...
,
The Verve Pipe
The Verve Pipe is an American rock band from Michigan. It was formed in 1992 in East Lansing by Brian Vander Ark, Brian Stout and Donny Brown.
History
In November 1992, Brian Vander Ark of the band "Johnny with an Eye" signed a production dea ...
,
Edwin McCain
Edwin Cole McCain (born January 20, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His songs " I'll Be" (1998) and "I Could Not Ask for More" (1999) were radio top-40 hits in the U.S., and five of his albums have reached the ''Billboard ...
and
Ani DiFranco
Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums.
DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influe ...
.
He has appeared as a mainstage artist at the
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival and dance festival held at Dodds Farm in Hillsdale, New York.
History
The first festival was a two-day event in 1988, held at a ski slope. In 1991, the festival mo ...
(NY) and the
Kerrville Folk Festival
The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The Kerrville Folk Festival was founded in 1972 by the husband-wife team of Rod Kennedy an ...
(TX).
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
compared Seth to
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
and
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
.
In 2015, Glier released his fourth album, ''If I Could Change One Thing'', on
MPress Records. The album was considered a successful move into mainstream pop, a departure from his previous, more acoustic albums.
A music video for the title track, a duet with
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
alum
Crystal Bowersox
Crystal Lynn Bowersox (born August 4, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter and actress who was the runner-up on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. She was the first female finalist in three years.
Bowersox's debut album, ''Farmer's Daug ...
, premiered on Billboard.com.
In 2016, Glier gave a TEDx talk sharing his insight on the challenges and gifts of care giving for a family member, and how it influences his life, art and music.
Glier's 2021 album ''The Coronation'' combines elements of folk, pop, and electronica
and explores themes of growth, forgiveness, and envisioning a better world.
Awards
Glier's 2011 album, ''The Next Right Thing'', for which he recorded his own vocals
in his parents’ basement
was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
in the category of "Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical."
In 2011, he took home Best Love Song for his track "Naia" at the 10th Annual
Independent Music Awards. In 2012, "Next Right Thing" won Best Social Action Song at the Independent Music Awards.
Causes
Glier is an outspoken advocate for autism awareness and has been a national spokesperson for the
Autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
awareness organization
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...
. His song "Love Is A Language" was inspired by his nonverbal autistic brother.
Glier was previously an artist partner with ChildFund International. Glier showcased
ChildFund
ChildFund, formerly known as Christian Children's Fund, is a child-focused international development organization that provides assistance to children facing poverty and other challenges in 24 countries, including the United States. ChildFund's h ...
's work and encouraged his fans to reach out to children in crisis by sponsoring a child (or multiple children) with the organization.
In 2018, Glier toured in Mongolia, China, and Ukraine as part of the American Music Abroad program, an initiative of the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
's
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...
.
A 2020 tour of Mexico planned with the American Music Abroad program was canceled due to COVID-19.
Discography
*''The Trouble With People'' (2009)
*''The Next Right Thing'' (2011)
*''Things I Should Let You Know'' (2013)
*''If I Could Change One Thing'' (2015)
*''Birds'' (2017)
*''The Coronation'' (2021)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glier, Seth
Living people
People from Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts
American folk singers
American male singer-songwriters
Grammy Awards
Independent Music Awards winners
American pianists
1988 births
Guitarists from Massachusetts
American male pianists
American male guitarists
21st-century American singers
21st-century American male singers