SILVERSTEIN

SILVERSTIEN

Unexpectedly, the story of SilThe soul of the band still is there, to realize how much you’ve been you don’t want them to sound like verstein is a numbers game. but there are definitely some outwriting and thinking inside the box, a different band entirely. I think we Your winning numbers today liers, like “All On Me,” as Told acand you start to realize you can get took a good opportunity here to try are 4, 5, 9, 20, and infinity. knowledges. “We’ve always been a this really organic sound, it's like some different things and with the The Burlington, Ontario-based guitar-driven band; we’ve always almost real and that's cool and climate of music these days and act have been alive and kicking been a heavy band, when you boil you go and play it and add distorhow people are consuming it. Plus, for twenty years, but you wouldn’t it all down. When you take a song tion or layers – you start to wonder there’s a lack of rules in terms of know that from the strength and like that that’s written and recordwhat is this? And now you're dealwhat bands are allowed to do with bold artistic vision showcased on ed using synths and keyboards, ing with numerous different levels the genre now and have fans stay their ninth record, A Beautiful Place with guitars and drums just there of textures to where you do you with them; it seems like it just made to Drown, out March 6th via UNFD. for texture, that changes the whole have just an infinite number – para lot of sense to make the record essence of what our band has aldon the pun – of tones and textures we made.” Vocalist Shane Told has been on ways been.” that you can play with.” record admitting that Silverstein’s These shifts aren’t limited to the old records are some of the band’s ”At the same time,” he continues, “All of a sudden,” he shares, “you noise. There’s a total change in biggest musical influences to this “that’s one track in the middle of the just open your mind up to the posperspective lyrically that translates day, not from the standpoint that record. There’s also an emotional sibilities because you changed to a really powerful listening expethey have to write new versions of side of that song. When that song your own rules. Then you start to rience. This record is more empathose old records, but from the was put together, we could have wonder why do we have any rules thetic in thinking of others and how view that it’s best to continue to retaken those soaring keyboards and ever? Why do we have to operate the world is affecting them rather capture that love of music that was turned them into electric guitars to with all these parameters that have than how situations in the world there all those years ago. A Beautimake it sound like American Footbeen limiting to us and stifled our are affecting you. ful Place to Drown not only embodball or something, but it didn’t feel creativity? Once we got past that, ies the best parts of Silverstein; it honest to do it that way. That song and once we realized that “All On “That's absolutely intentional,” Told applies a new and colorful filter to will definitely turn some heads, but Me” was going to go on the record, admits. “Paul Marc was really the showcase that they’re better, bravthose are the kinds of chances we we could do other things and push driving force on this record, but er songwriters now. wanted to take.” ourselves. It was fun writing songs we spoke a lot about that, and we that are pretty classic Silverstein, spoke a lot about very few songs “I think inevitably people are alThere isn’t a number that came like “Stop,” but with a newer mindreally, are about me or attacking ways going to look back to the into play with the sound of the reset than the one we had been stuck you. Yeah, a lot of it is more talking first couple of records we made cord, except it’s how Silverstein on since we started in the 90s.” about your own fault in the record, as some kind of litmus test. That’s have reformulated how they write and I think that that's a pretty big where we started and what we’re songs using a bit of math. It’s a That liberation has to come with change We have a thing up here in known for, and we’ve embraced funky, fresh addition of rhythmic maybe sort of just repositioning. Canada called #BellLetsTalk, and I that era of our band, too – dobounce that started when guitarIt's interesting to do the math and don't know how much it gets down ing album tours, like we’re about ist Paul Marc Rousseau came on think your fourth record as a band to the States. Bell Canada donates to do. Those albums are still near in 2012, as Told shares. “Yeah, with to me was the first one where Silmoney every time someone uses and dear to our hearts, but nowregard to the rhythmic thing, when verstein really took creative chancthe hashtag. It got to a million adays when we're trying to push Paul Marc joined the band, the first es sonically and thematically, with dollars this year, and it's all about forward and make new music, I record he did was This Is How The the metallic concept record A mental health awareness and rethink we do draw inspiration from Wind Shifts, and the difference he Shipwreck in the Sand. It also had moving the stigma associated with those old records and it's just natmade... the first song he played awesome guest features that took it.” ural to do that, but at the same was “Stand Amid the Roar,” and things to new territories. So this is time we're never going to be able he played that initial super rhyththe fourth record with Paul Marc, “There's definitely that part of this to top those records if we were mic riff, and we loved it right away. and the album includes wonderful record,” he continues, “that is trying to make another DiscoverThat was an element we didn’t utifeatures in a little bit of a twist on touching on that relating to people ing the Waterfront verbatim.” lize that much – we were more of the sound, as well as a more prodealing with those issues, like oura melody-driven band. He’s just nounced sonic shift. selves. Being empathetic to that is “If we had a computer analyze that expanded on that in every record extremely important, I think for evrecord,” he adds, “what would it and really nailed it on this record. “That's a really interesting take on erybody, but especially for us bechurn out? If you tried to recreIt’s been a great way to sort of it, for sure,” Told posits. “That's kind ing songwriters and singers in emo ate it, you never would be able to. spice things up for us. When you of a cool narrative. I don't think it's band, that's kind of like the number So I think with A Beautiful Place to take a great melody and add a obviously that simple.” one thing we should be focusing on Drown, it’s our ninth full-length super interesting rhythm behind it, – for people being able to relate record, and our biggest change that can take things over the top.” “The first three records were done and knowing that we’re all in this from one record to another. When pretty much exactly the same way,” together.” you go from When Broken is Easily Told wasn’t kidding about the sonhe continues, “and the third record Fixed to Dead Reflections, you can ic shift – there are ideas on the we didn't have a lot of success. ArIt can’t be an emo album if there see there’s a difference there, but record that absolutely work in the rivals and Departures was my least isn’t a little bit of woe is me, right? the jump between each record context of what Silverstein do well favorite one we’ve ever done, so Yet, A Beautiful Place to Drown feels isn’t very big. With this one, this is – but it’s absolutely stuffed with inwe had to do something differentlike the least emo version of Silverthe biggest jump in terms of sound, teresting little experiments. “I think ly. I think that that ideology is good stein we’ve heard, and it’s definiteproduction, some of the things we put a lot of rules on ourselves to keep that in mind, and I think ly the most unique. Thankfully, for we tried. Just look at our first sinearly on,” Told acknowledges. “I it's good because every chance, long-time fans of the band, it’s also gle, “Infinite.” That song has a lot of don't really know why. They were we've ever taken as the band, it's their most powerful statement yet. things in it that we wouldn’t have kind of self-imposed rules based worked out for us. Yeah, so we've �� �� �� tried a couple of albums ago and on being a punk band. For exambeen conservative a lot of times wouldn’t have even thought were ple, the idea to use non-real instruin our decisions, and I think that possible when we were doing the ments, like a synth, it never seemed a lot of our fans appreciate that first few records.” like that was okay. You just start because if you’re fan of a band,