Glenn Kaiser - Swamp Gas Messiahs (2020)

Glenn Kaiser has been a musician since the late '60s. In 1971, he formed the group that would later become Resurrection (Rez) Band. Glenn fronted the hard rock Rez Band for more than 25 years before setting out on his own to pursue other musical avenues. In 1999 he formed the blues rock trio Glenn Kaiser Band (GKB) with former Rez bassist Roy Montroy and drummer Ed Bialach. Glenn's solo career is centered around the blues, especially with handmade cigar box guitars and other "found object" instruments, but also with lapsteel, acoustic and electric guitars and harmonica.

His extensive discography - over 35 recordings to date - includes projects of rock 'n' roll, R&B, worship, American roots and, the thread through it all, blues. In 2012, Glenn and blues harmonica great Joe Filisko recorded their live concert at the final Cornerstone Festival (Glenn Kaiser and Joe Filisko Live) and continue to share the stage when schedules allow. His 2011 project Cardboard Box was inspired by the plight of Chicago's homeless and the symbolic use of found-object instruments like cigar box guitars as trash-to-treasure. Its proceeds continue to benefit a northside homeless shelter, CCO.

In 2016 came Long Way from My Home, where the handmade cigar box and diddley bow guitars are even more prominent. The recording is essentially one-man blues, though Joe Filisko features stealthily on four tracks with harmonica, and accurately represents what one will get when Glenn performs solo - subtly brilliant blues.

Swamp Gas Messiahs is the latest, with the official release in October 2020. Of his motivation on this more politically hued project, Glenn states, "I’m a child of the 60's when protest records from musicians such as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Buffy Sainte Marie, Peter Seeger, and many more spoke to the injustices in our world. Then and now political 'gains' too often yield horror to 'the least of these' world-wide...."