Written by Kylie Akins
For Gloriana, the four-part harmony that performed on the Benson stage last Tuesday, Sept. 1, music is the gravity that pulled its members together from all over the country. Brothers Tom, 28, and Mike Gossin, 24, both began their musical careers in New York at age 5 with the piano. At 12 they picked up the guitar, and they became a musical duo in 2007.
The brothers moved to Nashville, where they discovered Rachel Reinert, 20, from California through her Myspace account, featuring songs from the first publishing deal she made at the age of 15. Her voice was what the Gossin brothers were looking for, and the three began performing together.
The final member of the group, Cheyenne Kimball, 19, of Florida had already won NBC’s “America’s Most Talented Kid” at age 12 and released her first album by 13. After watching Gloriana perform in Nashville one night, she approached the band with the interest of joining. Kimball brought her mandolin skills to the band and completed the quartet Gloriana is today. Thus, the “Gloriana baby was born,” as Reinert likes to say. Their self-titled debut album was released earlier this year by Emblem Music Group.
“We all shared the same passion for music throughout our whole lives,” Mike said. “That’s the thing that ties all of us together. We love music; we’ve all done it for a very long time, and it’s always been a dream of ours.”
Their first album is a mix of self-written and pitched songs. The group chose as their unanimous favorite the first and only song they wrote together on this album, “Time to Let Me Go.”
“It was written about something I was going through at the time,” Reinert said. “I was 18, and I was moving away from home, getting away from everything and everyone I knew. That one hits close to home.”
The group agreed that love and heartbreak are clear themes throughout this album.
“It’s the one universal thing that everybody in the whole world can relate to, so a lot of our songs are written about it,” Mike said.
Being signed artists was their “dream come true,” but it still meant being on tour and away from home nearly 300 days out of the year.
“You’re almost in an alternate universe where you’re just closed off to everything,” Reinert said. “You don’t really get to see your family or friends a lot. Sometimes relationships suffer. It’s kind of tough from that aspect. But at the same time, we get to do what we love, and we live very amazing, adventurous lives.”
A musician’s life is characteristically filled with fame, fans and constant touring, which often take over a normal life.
“I think you take the little things for granted; that’s the one thing you come to realize,” Mike said. “Waking up in your own bed; being stationary; being around friends and family; to be able to just sit on your couch and watch TV.”
Living on a tour bus they affectionately call the “Tube,” the band said they have had to learn difficult lessons about living in close quarters.
“I think that the one thing I have learned throughout this whole experience is to be tolerant of other people,” Mike said. “It’s hard to imagine people think a tour bus is so awesome. But not one person is the same on this bus, and somehow we make it work. I think that is reflective on everyone being respectful of each other and learning to live in this small tube.”
But amid the hectic schedules and cramped living arrangements, Reinert said there is always a way to lighten the mood.
“See that gray moustache?” Tom said. “Mike is actually known for his fake moustache collection. We are on tour with Taylor Swift right now. So every night we go out and do a song with her and Kelly Pickler. Mike has this new thing to try to make one of the girls crack up while they’re singing. We have a lot of practical jokes going on.”
From pulling pranks to performing on stage, the group said their experiences have made them as close as brothers and sisters.
“We’re just goofy,” Reinert said. “If you could imagine living your life in this bus: you gotta keep it light, you gotta have fun, you gotta laugh, you gotta enjoy it, and you gotta get out when you can.”
