Premiere: Seth Glier’s “Water on Fire”

To the world, from the heart

Seth Glier’s new album, Birds, brings heavy topics into the daylight; grief and loss give way to strength and resilience, doubt offers a sense of optimism. The Grammy nominee and two-time Independent Music Award-winner has never shied away from thorny ideas or difficult tasks, and the songs on Birds—whether personal or political—remind us that our world is fragile, and all the more magical for it.

Glier started recording in a New England autumn, when he recalled “The air is full of honesty, the sky is full of geese, and there is bright gorgeousness woven into the dying of things.” An accomplished pianist, guitarist and a remarkable songwriter, Glier brings humanity and hope to audiences everywhere.

Glier told Elmore, “I wrote ‘Water On Fire’ to explore the falsehood between freedom and capitalism. We often say ‘what’s good for business is good for the country’ then ignore the environment, the history, and the people affected. ‘Water On Fire’ was inspired after a conversation with a friend in Oklahoma who’s been dealing with daily earthquakes in his home ever since his state started aggressively fracking. I believe that climate change might be taken a bit more seriously if we started calling it what it actually is, which is violence. Violence against our resources, violence against our species, and violence to our children.”