Review: Glass Gifts Live @ Spike Hill Music 11/13/2010

Last Saturday, 11/13/10, Glass Gifts performed a free show at Spike Hill Music in Williamsburg. I had been excited to see him perform since first listening to his self-titled debut LP and I'd heard that he had performed recently at several CMJ events.


After the performance I had a chance to meet up with Glass Gifts, aka Rich Cupolo. I was surprised that this performance was not more heavily attended, although Rich explained to me that this was only his fifth live performance as Glass Gifts. From the way he moved comfortably around on stage, switching between his monome and keyboard, to the quality of the music he was producing, and the awesome visuals on the screen behind him, I found it hard to believe how fresh on the scene he was. He told me that he plays keyboard/guitar in the band 'The American Dollar,' and while his involvement in that band gave him a firm musical foundation, as well as a large following, he's very passionate about his new Glass Gifts project, and dance music in general.

All in all, he played for about an hour, playing all the tracks off his debut EP 'Glass Gifts', as well as a couple of new tracks including the Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith remix, "Not in Love," seen here.



Glass Gift's sound is unique but well defined. Rich said he drew a lot of his influence from bands like Oasis, the Disco Biscuits, and DJs like Pretty Lights, though it's evident in his music that his influences go far beyond that. From Hip Hop to Blues and Jazz, Rich merges and blends multiple genres amazingly and fuses them in a seamless manner. I could easily see Glass Gifts performing at larger venues, to larger crowds, and look forward to seeing him perform again in the near future.

If you haven't listened to his self titled debut, or the Crystal Castles remix yet, I recommend you check it out here, he is definitely a fresh new artist to watch. Also check out his Facebook, and of course, right here, for updates about upcoming shows and new releases.

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