NO PANE, NO GAIN

“I suggested swords and sorcery, and everyone was like, ‘Ooh, that’s very cliché!’ and I said, ‘Fine, let’s do it, let’s embrace the clichés and just run with it!’”

If this year has proved anything, it’s that making plans is an absolute mug’s game. That’s been particularly true for musicians all over the planet, most of whose touring and promotional escapades have been abruptly curtailed. You have to feel for Glass Hammer, in particular. The Tennessee prog veterans have been enjoying a strong run of creative form in recent times and these DIY underdogs are more popular than ever, so the release of new album Dreaming City should have been a walk in the progressive park, followed by a noisily attended lap of honour. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas. Coinciding almost perfectly with the album’s release, brutal tornadoes tore through Glass Hammer’s home town of Chattanooga in mid-April, decimating miles of homes and businesses and injuring 19 people.

So when enquires how things are going for the band’s core duo of Steve Babb