Seth Glier’s “Til Further Notice” Is a Moving Ode to John Prine (premiere)

As many of us have, Seth Glier felt the weight of John Prine‘s passing. The singer-songwriter died on 7 April due to complications of COVID-19, marking a heavy moment of realization of the realities of this pandemic as the world mourned for one of country folk’s most enduring names and legacies. “Til Further Notice” is a response to this terrible news, written after Glier heard about Prine’s death. The song is moving in its raw simplicity, set with Glier at his piano and nothing else to fill the room but his voice, delicately delivering its emotive message.

Half of all proceeds from the purchase of “Til Further Notice” will benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund for COVID-19. Glier is set to perform the song live on 25 April at 4.00 pm EST as part of MPressFest.

Glier states, “I was sanding an old door down to wood when I heard the news of John Prine’s COVID-19 diagnosis a few weeks ago. As the orbital sander sputtered to a stop, so did my heart, which had memorized so many of his words. I thought about all the songs he would write right now. The frustrations of homeschooling, the humor of Zoom calls, the tender kindling of the many making masks, and the terror of those frontline healthcare workers who so desperately need them.”

“We’ve heard the words ‘Til Further Notice’ a lot in the past few weeks. They’ve become a signal of prolonged uncertainty and a mantra as we shift to a new rhythm in our daily lives. Growing up in Western Massachusetts, I’ve lived with the words of Emily Dickinson for much of my life. ‘Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.’ Hearing about Prine awakened that little bird, and the following day I wrote this song with my friend Steve Seskin over FaceTime. Never have I felt a time where we are all collectively so emotionally exposed to this feeling of uncertainty. I believe that uncertainty is the place where hope lives and crawls out of from time to time.”

“The following week, while recording ‘Til Further Notice’, I read the news that John Prine had passed, and I cried my way through a few verses of ‘Paradise’ on an upright piano. I like to think that there were a whole lot of us songwriters singing him out down the Green River that night.”

“I hope this song brings comfort to those that need it right now, and if you’re so inspired, I hope you share with someone who you think can use a little comfort and hope.”