GLASS CHAPEL
- MOVEMENT MAG
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
1. Give us an introduction to yourself / the band members and the instruments each person plays.
Glass Chapel is a post-punk band formed in 2022. Originally it started as a solo synth project but, that quickly changed when guitars were added and a line up was formed.
Jake Phillips - vocals, guitar, production
Angela Sitzler - synth, bass
Nick Phitides - guitar
2. How did you get started? When did you begin, what influenced you, who helped you along the way, and were you trained or self taught?
The band got its start when local friends Limo Scene told me they were looking for a support act at the now defunct Rain Dogs. I happily said yes and scrambled to put together some song ideas I had been sitting on. The band really found its footing in 2023 when Angela Sitzler & Nick Phitides joined the line up. We all worked at Bold Bean Coffee Roasters and bonded over our love for Drab Majesty & The Cure which made things easy.
3. What was your first live performance like? Also, what has been your favorite and least favorite show so far, and why?
Early shows were a lot of trial & error. I would say yes to pretty much anything and then rush to write new songs as I was just testing stuff out at the time to see what this would turn into. The only songs that survived that period were Blister and the synth line to Foreign Rain.
4. What has been your biggest challenge to date?
Being in a band can be quite expensive when you’re trying to step outside of your hometown. As lame as it sounds, money is the only thing holding us back from doing this more.
5. What sets your music apart from everything else out there?
I think what sets our music apart from others is our different influences & mostly being self taught. We each come from pretty different musical backgrounds and that comes together to form a unique perspective when combined. I have my cousin Andrew Cardin to thank for teaching me how to write songs and the basics of music production. We have a band together called Everything To Me that we’ve been doing since 2020.
6. How do you personally define success for yourself or the band? Do you feel being based in Jacksonville has benefited your career more or less—and why?
We got a letter once from someone who discovered us after trying to find modern bands that sound like The Cure. Reading a hand written note mailed to us by someone living at the other end of the country with how our music impacted them was extremely beautiful and inspiring. Being in Jacksonville can feel discouraging at times but, it’s nice to know there’s a whole world out there.
7. What projects are you currently working on or promoting?
We just recently released a new EP called Remixed that features 5 remixes of songs off our self titled album. The artists who took on the remixes all did amazing work and took the songs into completely new territory. Other than that we are still promoting our self titled album released in October of last year.
8. Have you toured yet? If so, how far outside of Jacksonville have you made it, and where would you love to play most that you haven’t yet?
We have toured all over Florida and are currently planning our 2026 fall dates. We are very excited to play a lot of new cities around the south east. In the past we have also played in Georgia and South Carolina.
9. What are your craziest “on the road” or wild adventure stories?
Once we were booked at an out of state brewery for a goth night. We didn’t know the venue was outdoors or double booked with an army of 5 year olds celebrating a birthday at the same time as the goth night. It only gets worse as it was the sound persons first night and there was just blaring feedback the entire time as kids ran around the goths. I think the birthday party went pretty great at least.
10. If you could collaborate or perform with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
My uncle, Frank Phillips, was the guitarist of Stevie Stiletto and a handful of other bands. Growing up I would always hear stories about them opening for U2 and touring Europe. He isn’t with us anymore but I think he would have really been happy with Glass Chapel.
11. What do you do with your time outside of the band?
Outside of the band we all have multiple jobs so we stay very busy. Angela is a hairstylist and Nick just graduated from UF with his masters in fine arts. Lately I’ve rediscovered my love for skateboarding with all the new skate parks that have opened.
12. Name one thing you love most about the Jacksonville music scene.
Our scene here is small and always changing but I’m really thankful for the venues & promoters that want to work with us. There’s a lot of small bands and people here who want to see each other succeed.
13. What are your top three favorite local venues and record stores?
We love playing The Walrus and anything JoHanna Moresco puts together. We also recently had a great time playing at Hard Love for a benefit show supporting the Florida Immigrant Coalition. I typically only buy music from touring artists or Tiger Records.
14. Best advice for local bands?
Rick Colado taught me a lot about planning shows as a DIY band and how if you’re creative enough there are no limits. My best advice to people wanting to create music or art is to just start and learn as you go. Don’t ever use AI for anything and let your creativity speak.
15. Where’s the best place for fans to connect with you?
We typically post everything important on our instagram @glasschapel_fl but, we are pretty much on every social media and music platform so just search for Glass Chapel.
