The Glorious Sons

Canadian rock band

The Glorious Sons

The Glorious Sons performing live in 2018

Background information
Origin| Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Genres| Alternative rock, hard rock, Southern rock, heartland rock
Years active| 2011 (2011)–present
Labels|

* Black Box Music (Canada)
* BMG Rights Management (US & Australia)
* Earache Records (Europe & Japan)

Members|

* Brett Emmons
* Jay Emmons
* Adam Paquette
* Josh Hewson
* Peter Van Helvoort
* Steve Kirstein

Past members|

* Andrew Young
* Chris Huot
* Chris Koster

Website| theglorioussons.com

The Glorious Sons are a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario. Formed in 2011, the band signed with Black Box in 2013. Since then, The Glorious Sons have released two EPs and four full-length albums.

## History

[edit]

### 2011–2013: Formation, Shapeless Art

[edit]

The Glorious Sons were founded as a five-piece in 2011 and issued their first EP, Shapeless Art independently in 2013 featuring their first radio single, "Mama" which reached #6 on the Canadian rock radio charts. Shapeless Art was produced by John-Angus MacDonald and mixed by Gordie Johnson. The band signed to the eclectic Canadian label Black Box Music later that year, and re-released the EP alongside the single "White Noise" which reached #2 on the Canadian rock radio charts. The band toured nationally to support the EP, including dates with Head of the Herd, The Balconies, Teenage Kicks and more.

### 2014–2016: The Union and "Sometimes on a Sunday"

[edit]

Between tours in March 2014, the group then began recording their debut full-length, The Union[1] at Catherine North Studio in Hamilton, Ontario, with producer John-Angus MacDonald of The Trews.[2] The album was completed in June 2014, including remixed versions of the tracks "Mama" and "White Noise" from the Shapeless Art EP, and two tracks added later that summer; the singles "Heavy" and "Lightning" produced by Gavin Brown. The album was released on September 14, 2014, with "Heavy" as the lead single, which reached #3 on the Canadian rock radio charts. The album produced the subsequent singles "Lightning" and "The Contender" which reached #2 and #1 respectively on the Canadian rock radio charts.

To support the release of The Union, the group toured Canada supporting Airbourne[3] and The Trews.[4] They also toured the United States with 10 Years[5] and performed at festivals such as Rock on the Range, Rocklahoma, Northern Invasion, Carolina Rebellion and more in 2016.

The Union was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Rock Album,[4] and The Glorious Sons were nominated and won "Group of the Year" and "Rock Group of the Year" at the SiriusXM Indie Awards at Canadian Music Week in 2015.[6]

In October 2015, the band released the self-produced stand-alone single, "Sometimes on a Sunday". The song was produced at North of Princess Studio in Kingston, Ontario. It was released digitally on October 30, 2015, and saw a physical release as the B-side of the "Kill the Lights/Sometimes on a Sunday" limited-edition 7" released in November 2017.

### 2017–2018: "Kill the Lights" and Young Beauties and Fools

[edit]

On January 27, 2017, they released their stand-alone single, "Kill the Lights". The track was produced by Jason Murray and the band at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario in August 2016. The music video for the song was shot in Toronto, Ontario in December 2016, with the live performance scenes shot at Sneaky Dee's. The song peaked at #2 on the Canadian rock radio charts following its release. Though initially only released digitally, the track was included as the a-side of the Kill The Lights/Sometimes on a Sunday limited-edition 7" released in November 2017.

The band began recording their second full-length album, Young Beauties and Fools in Los Angeles in February and March 2017 with producer group Fast Friends. The album was mixed in July 2017 by Matty Green, and the lead single "Everything Is Alright" was released on July 21, 2017. Following the release of the single, the band signed international label deals with Earache Records in the UK, Europe and Japan, and with BMG Rights Management in the United States and Australia to release the new album.

Young Beauties and Fools was released on October 13, 2017. The band supported the album release by joining rock group, Greta Van Fleet, as support on select dates of their American Tour (between August and November 2017). "Everything Is Alright" peaked at #1 on the Canadian Alternative rock radio charts, and see airplay internationally including BBC Radio 1 championed by Daniel P. Carter.[7] "Everything Is Alright" was named as Edge 102.1's #3 song of 2017,[8] and Indie 88's #28 song of 2017.

At the Juno Awards of 2018, Young Beauties and Fools won the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year.[9]

### 2019–2023: A War on Everything

[edit]

On June 5, 2019, they released the first single from their third album A War on Everything, entitled "Panic Attack". To promote the album, the band announced a US tour with British rock band The Struts that took place over the summer of 2019. On July 17, 2019, the title, cover, and tracklist of A War on Everything was unveiled, alongside a release date of September 13, 2019. On this date, the band also released the song "Pink Motel" from the album. On August 16, 2019, the band released a third song from the album in anticipation of its release, "The Ongoing Speculation Into The Death of Rock and Roll".

Following the release of A War on Everything, the band announced a headlining North American tour on September 23, 2019.[10] The tour would feature guests Des Rocs on American dates and Black Pistol Fire on Canadian dates.

On May 18, 2021, the band released a new single called "Daylight".[11]

On August 29, 2023, the band announced the departure of Chris Koster on social media.[12]

### 2023-Present: Glory

[edit]

On September 6, 2023, the band released their fourth studio album, Glory.[13] The album was supported by the singles Mercy Mercy and Lightning Bolt. They are touring in support of the album September 2023-February 2024.

## Personnel

[edit]

### Current members

[edit]

* Brett Emmons – vocals, guitar, harmonica, keys
* Jay Emmons – guitar, vocals
* Adam Paquette – drums, vocals
* Josh Hewson – piano, guitar
* Peter Van Helvoort - bass guitar, vocals
* Steve Kirstein - guitar, vocals

### Past members

[edit]

* Chris Koster – guitar, vocals (2015-2023)[14]
* Andrew Young – guitar, vocals (2011-2015)
* Chris Huot - bass

### Touring musicians

[edit]

* Tony Silvestri – piano, acoustic guitar (2015–2016)

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

Release title  | Release date  | Label(s)  | C peak

|
|
|

The Union | September 14, 2014  | Black Box  | 23
Young Beauties and Fools | October 13, 2017  | Black Box (CA), Earache Records (EU, JP), BMG (US, AU)  | 16
A War on Everything | September 13, 2019  | Black Box (CA), Earache Records (EU, JP), BMG (US, AU)  | 13[15]
Glory | September 6, 2023  | TGS Records  |

### Live albums

[edit]

Release title  | Release date  | Label

|
|

Little Prison City (Live at Rogers K-Rock Centre) | July 25, 2018  | Black Box
Live at Longboat Hall[16] | March 1, 2019  | Black Box

### EPs

[edit]

Release title  | Release date  | Label

|
|

Shapeless Art | November 13, 2013  | Black Box
The Young King Sessions | January 26, 2022  | Black Box

### Singles

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Peak chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

CAN
Rock
[17] | US
Rock
Air.
[18] | US
Alt.
[19] | US
Main.
[20] | US
Rock
[21]
2013  | "Mama"  | 11 | — | — | — | —  | Shapeless Art
2014  | "White Noise"  | 3 | — | — | — | —  | The Union
"Heavy"  | 5 | — | — | — | —
2015  | "Lightning"  | 5 | — | — | — | —
"The Contender"  | 6 | — | — | — | —
2016  | "Sometimes On a Sunday"  | 18 | — | — | — | —  | Non-album single
2017  | "Kill the Lights"  | 3 | — | — | — | —
"Everything Is Alright"  | 1 | 46 | 32 | — | —  | Young Beauties and Fools
2018  | "Josie"  | 2 | — | — | — | —
"S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun)"  | 1 | 6 | 24 | 1 | 9
2019  | "Panic Attack"  | 1 | 13 | 36 | 1 | 28  | A War on Everything
"Pink Motel"  | 24 | — | — | — | —
"Kingdom in My Heart"  | 2 | — | — | — | —
2020  | "Closer to the Sky"  | 6 | 42 | — | 19 | —
2021  | "Daylight"  | 37 | — | — | — | —  | The Young King Sessions
"Young King"  | – | — | — | — | —
"I Will Destroy the Void In You"  | – | — | — | — | —
"Hold Steady"  | 1 | — | — | — | —
2023  | "Mercy Mercy"  | 3 | — | — | — | —  | Glory
"Lightning Bolt"  | – | — | — | — | —
"Dream"  | – | — | — | — | —

### Music videos

[edit]

Year  | Song  | Director(s)  | Ref.

|
|
|

2013  | "Mama"  | Steve Townsend  | [22]
2014  | "White Noise"  | Harv  | [23]
"Heavy"  | Tim Martin  | [24]
2015  | "Lightning"  | Harv  | [25]
2016  | "Sometimes On A Sunday"  | Dane Collison  | [26]
2017  | "Kill The Lights"  | [27]
"Everything Is Alright"  | Colin G. Cooper  | [28]
2019  | "S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun)"  | Gavin Smith, Issa Shah  | [29]
"Panic Attack"  | Brume  | [30]
"A War On Everything"  | Matthew Kalinauskas  | [31]
2020  | "Don't Live Fast"  | Gavin Smith  | [32]
2023  | "Mercy Mercy"  | Matt Barnes  | [33]
"Dream"  | [34]

Non-album singles

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

* 2015 Juno Awards - Rock Album of the Year (Nominee) [35]
* 2015 SiriusXM Indie Awards - Group of the Year (Winner) [6]
* 2015 SiriusXM Indie Awards - Artist of the Year (Winner) [6]
* 2018 Juno Awards - Rock Album of the Year (Winner)
* 2020 Juno Awards - Rock Album of the Year (Winner)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Glorious Sons biography, Allmusic
2. ^ Review of The Union, Musicaddict.ca
3. ^ Hartwick, Matt. "The Glorious Sons - The Union". Kingston Music Reviews. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
4. ^ a b "Kingston band The Glorious Sons nominated for Juno". The Whig. January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
5. ^ Price, Johnny (2015). "Interview: The Glorious Sons". Rock Revolt. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
6. ^ a b c "2015 SIRIUS XM Indie Awards Winners Announced | 2017 Canadian Music Week April 18–22, 2017". cmw.net. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
7. ^ "Radio 1 Rocks Highlights, Rock Show with Daniel P Carter - BBC Radio 1". BBC. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
8. ^ "The Edge's Top 20 Songs of 2017". 102.1 the Edge. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
9. ^ "Junos 2018: the complete list of winners". CBC News, · March 25, 2018
10. ^ "The Glorious Sons Bring "A War on Everything" Tour Across Canada". exclaim.ca. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
11. ^ "The Glorious Sons Return with "Daylight" | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
12. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com.
13. ^ "Spotify". Spotify.
14. ^ "Glorious Sons, guitarist Koster 'parting ways' | The Kingston Whig Standard".
15. ^ "Post Malone Is King Of The Charts For A 2nd Week". FYIMusicNews. September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
16. ^ "LIVE AT LONGBOAT HALL / S.O.S. Unplugged". theglorioussons.com. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
17. ^ "The Glorious Sons – Chart History: Canada Rock". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
18. ^ "Chart History: Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
19. ^ "The Glorious Sons – Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
20. ^ "The Glorious Sons – Chart History: Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
21. ^ "Chart History: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
22. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Mama (Official)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. September 16, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
23. ^ "The Glorious Sons - White Noise (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
24. ^ "The Glorious Sons - "Heavy" (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. October 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
25. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Lightning (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. April 10, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
26. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Sometimes On A Sunday (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. April 8, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
27. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Kill The Lights (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
28. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Everything Is Alright (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. December 11, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
29. ^ "The Glorious Sons - S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun) [Official Video]". www.youtube.com. YouTube. January 18, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
30. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Panic Attack (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
31. ^ "The Glorious Sons - A War On Everything (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
32. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Don't Live Fast (Official Video)". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
33. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Mercy Mercy (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
34. ^ "The Glorious Sons - Dream (Official Video)". www.youtube.com. YouTube. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
35. ^ "Nominees & Winners | The JUNO Awards". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved January 11, 2018.

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI

Artists|

* MusicBrainz