For over 30 years Steve Babb has been the mainstay of American veterans Glass Hammer. In 2022 – around the time the band released At The Gate, and he published his first Skallagrim novel – he offered Prog a glimpse inside his world.
Where’s home?
Chattanooga, Tennessee. All the band members live within a few miles of each other.
What’s your earliest prog memory?
When I was 17 a friend was getting into punk, having decided prog was too pretentious – he gave me his entire collection of Yes and ELP albums.
First prog album you bought?
Rush’s Fly By Night, around 1976. I was a Tolkien fan, saw the name Rivendell on the back and had to grab it.
And the last?
Apart from the 1,000 copies of Glass Hammer’s At The Gate I just paid for?Probably Lunatic Soul’s Through Shaded Woods.
What was your first prog gig?
Rush on their 1977-78 Farewell To Kings tour, at Chattanooga’s Memorial Auditorium. I was in the front row, directly in front of Geddy Lee.
And the latest?
We played the 2018 Cruise To The Edge and I clearly remember enjoying Haken.
Best prog gig you ever saw?
Yes on their Masterworks tour, in Nashville, 2000. Chris Squire was on fire that night.
Newest prog discovery?
Kaipa’s latest album, Urskog. I hadn’t heard anything from the band in a while, and this one’s so uplifting.
Any guilty musical pleasures?
I’m a big 80s pop fan – would The Human League count? Then there’s a modern dance/electronica duo called Sofi Tukker; they’re really cool.
What do you collect?
Tolkien special editions and box sets. I’ve got a shelf full of his more obscure books, like The Children Of Húrin and The Fall Of Gondolin.
Favourite prog venue?
Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, in Trenton [New Jersey]. We recorded Live At NEARfest there in 2003. It seats about 2,000, and the view from the stage is awesome.
Your prog hero?
Rush – all three of them. The wall of sound they created as a three-piece, and their loyalty to each other and their fans, is just amazing.
Outside of music, what do you do?
I get to a Florida beach as often as possible, I love to read historical fiction, and I also go on the occasional hike.
Recommend us a good, proggy read.
Anything by Bernard Cornwell, and there’s always my book! Skallagrim – In The Vales Of Pagarna is a straight-ahead sword and sorcery/heroic fantasy novel that started as a short story and turned into 180,000 words. It’s the first in a four- or five-book project.
Have you ever had a prog date?
My wife Julie! I hadn’t been with her long before I discovered she had a copy of Rush’s Caress Of Steel, and she’s a big Genesis fan too. She’s a rare one...
Which prog muso would you most like to work with?
I got to work with Jon Anderson on our 2007 album Culture Of Ascent and he taught me some things about songwriting. I’d love to do it again.
Which prog album gets you in a good mood?
Genesis’ Foxtrot, particularly Supper’s Ready. We listen to it quite often at home around dinner time.
Favourite prog album cover?
Jon Anderson’s Olias Of Sunhillow. That drew me to the album before I’d even heard it. I love it.
The most important piece of prog music?
For me Yes’ Awaken is the pinnacle of rock music. In some magical way that song transcended rock music and soars above it. I am taken to rapture every time I hear it.
