Night of Broken Glass puts finishing touches on second CD

Night of Broken Glass is an increasingly popular rock band on the Williston and broader North Dakota concert scene. They can be heard frequently playing shows around Williston, especially those produced by fellow musician David Soiseth, and they've just finished recording their second compact disc.

In addition to Ben Roel, who plays bass, Zak Wells plays drums, and Bryce Harrison, plays guitar and does vocals. All three are also freshmen at Williston State College. Aric Quarne, who also plays guitar in the band, is a senior at Williston High School. Next year all four men, including Quarne, plan on attending the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and continuing the band there.

They have just finished recording their second CD, this one self titled, with 11 original songs, which they hope to master quickly and move out into the market. The young men write, play, record and produce the music themselves in a basement. “We hope that the mastering goes a lot more smoothly than last time because Bryce's recorder broke last time,” says Roel in a follow up interview.

The band's influences include Story of the Year, Blink 182, The Red Hour, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Journey, and The Cars.

And, guitarist Quarne is brave enough to admit to, “Back Street Boys,” as a band influence too. “That's where our boy band harmonies come from,” says Quarne, amid nods of agreement and laughter from the others. Quarne is not only the band's youngest but also its newest member.

Night of Broken Glass started out playing covers of other people's songs at parties and as the opening band for The Red Hour.

Roel and Harrison met in the fourth grade. Both liked guitars and had natural musical ability. They claim they eventually got good at playing along with CD's, and learning songs by ear. Harrison says he still has the five tapes they recorded together as kids. They met Wells as freshmen in high school when they were in band.

Quarne, who is a year younger, was in his own band, Orchard of Pain, when he saw the other three play. Then he joined the WHS Choir and got to know them. So when Night of Broken Glass needed a new member, Quarne was asked to audition.

The four first played together publicly as Night of Broken Glass at the annual Pops Concert at the high school and since then audiences have steadily grown. They have played gigs in Minot, and Wolf Point, Mont., and are “currently looking for more out of town gigs, and hopefully, next summer a tour,” says Harrison.

Night of Broken Glass is among five or six local bands which play at the Old Armory to audiences that range from 100 to 150 people. These shows also attract bands from as far away as Boston and Seattle.

Roel says music is becoming cool, “I'm guessing in a year or two no one will be in football.” Then Wells adds, “I like to think we've played a small part in that.” Kidding aside, music evidently is growing at WHS. There are now three different choirs and two concert bands, where before there was one each. The boys credit a lot of this growth and indeed their own abilities and drive to the influence of the new music teacher at the high school, Eric Rooke. A University of Mary graduate in music education, Rooke, they said, tried to make them perfectionists by getting after them to be exacting musicians.

Rooke says of his former students, “They were some of my top notch kids in band when they were here.”

Their first CD titled "This Means War" was finished in July 2005, and has sold approximately 100 copies. One song from that CD, “Bullet Holes Tend to Ruin Clothes,” was included on a compilation CD called “Eleventh Hour Confessions.” Quickstar Productions put that CD together, gathering “some of the best up-and-coming “Emo” artists from the Midwest music scene,” according to liner notes.

The classification of Emo Rock band, short for emotional rock - lots of screaming - no longer describes the group since they evolved to alternative rock.

But getting one of their songs included, gives the boys hope that one of the 150 copies they give to big record companies will get them noticed. Quickstar contacted them after listening to their music on the band's Web site. Roel was skeptical at first. “I though it was a scam,” he says.

When asked if there is anything else they'd like to say, they respond, “Be excellent to each other,” and “Keep on rocking in the free world.”

The band's Web site is www.myspace.com/nightofbrokenglassnd.

Cheryl Sanderhill can be reached at life@willistonherald.com

Breakout:

Next concert date is Feb. 24 at Winter Fest ‘07 at the Eagles Club in Mandan.

Eleventh Hour Confessions is for sale at Web sites like Wal-Mart.com and Best Buy.com.