Following the music
A conversation with local 'dirtbag dream rocker' Alicia Glass

For this week’s “Between the Beats,” I sat down with local “dirtbag dream rocker” Alicia Glass, whose 2024 EP “Close/Open” is without a doubt the best local music release you didn’t know you were missing. I cannot wait to see Glass’ record take off and feel a weird sense of humility in getting to bear witness to the rise of such a local talent. Full of ambitious garage and grunge anthems, replete with impressive production and undeniably catchy hooks, the album is an absolute local treasure from start to finish. It was largely self-produced, to boot. I recently sat down with Glass for a quick chat to hear more about her journey into music, collaborating with her partner and fellow musician Jeff Sontag, and her upcoming show at Cold Storage (formerly Channel 37) on March 1, along with fellow rockers Hotel Draw and ORA. Pause on the doom scrolling and go find Glass on Bandcamp or other digital streaming platforms as you enjoy our chat. As always, see you on the dance floor!

SS: Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you come to live in Durango?

AG: I moved to Durango to go to college at the Fort, where I studied writing with a poetry focus. And yeah, I stayed in Durango for a while. I feel like I’ve been off and on for years. I try to leave, and then I always come back. I was in Hawaii for 3½ years, working on a goat dairy farm, and moved back in 2021.

SS: Were you a musical kid growing up?

AG: I played the flute in marching band, actually. I always loved music and liked to sing and write, but it was always just for my friends, family and myself. I feel like my aunt really got me into music. She’s 10 years older than me and moved in with us when I was four. I just remember sitting on the floor in her room, listening to Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis Morissette and No Doubt.

SS: Did you have a sense at that time, “I want to do this some day?”

AG: I was obsessed with Gwen Stefani when I was little. I definitely wanted to be her as a kid. But yeah, it took me some time. I always played guitar and stuff, but I only knew cowboy chords. I never really knew how to play. It wasn’t until the pandemic that I started really trying to learn music theory and all that.

SS: Was guitar your major tool for discovering music?

AG: Definitely. I always liked to sing and write. I think I always had this idea that I would need someone to collaborate with who would play guitar, and I could just sing and write. But that never happened, so I was like, well, I guess I need to learn to play guitar. So, I started teaching myself on YouTube.

SS: Tell us about the sound you’re trying to cultivate.

AG: I call it “dirtbag dream rock.” I guess the dirtbag element probably comes from living in RVs, especially in Hawaii. I lived in an RV for a while, and I was a surf bum, drawing inspiration from that. Then it evolved into rock. I started learning how to produce, but I was very much in the indie dream-pop world. Then I started playing electric guitar and working with my partner, Jeff Sontag, who produced almost all of the EP. The sound started becoming more rock-oriented. Those ’90s rock influences started coming out when we worked together, which was really cool.

SS: What was one of the greatest surprises of getting to collaborate with Jeff?

AG: I feel like we really get each other creatively, feed off one another, and inspire each other. Because we’re not in a band together – it’s kind of my stuff that we work on – it helps with not having relationship pressure. 

SS: You’ll be playing at Cold Storage on March 1 with Hotel Draw and ORA. Are you playing solo or with a band?

AG: I’m so excited for that show – such an awesome opportunity. I’m going to play with a band for the first time, which is really exciting. I’ve got Cameron Wright on drums and Sam Zavislan on bass. We’ve been practicing for a few weeks now, and it’s been really cool to collaborate with other people, let more people in and see where the music goes.