INTERVIEW: Silent Rival – catch them tonight opening up for fellow LA dudes Night Riots!
Opening up for fellow LA band tonight at BMH, Silent Rival will be stepping up to the plate as well as the clutch opening act of a show. It’s an important job for a band to have and I’m sure Silent Rival will please the crowd just fine! We spoke to the band before the show about the new single, the new music that’s in the works as well as the writing process that Silent Rival really prides themselves on!
Come early tonight to the show to catch this talented act, we’ll be there with bells on!
You just released the new single, “Just One Voice”, in early May. Can you tell a little bit about the story behind the track, how it came together?
We were on tour, just hanging out in the hotel room in Colorado. Joz was casually playing guitar, humming, and recording it in his phone. When we got home I was listening to a bunch of demos we had in different stages of progress. There were about 20 songs and “Just one Voice” grabbed me right away. It was so much fun to sing along to. The lyrics were inspired by a bunch of different events, both personal and world events.
You just passed the one year anniversary of your debut album, “The Kindness of Strangers”. Are you currently working on new music?
Yes! We have a handful of songs that we recorded just before leaving for tour. We’re writing on the road and as soon as we get home we’re going to start recording some more. We’re really excited about the new songs. They’re a more extreme version of us.
You released the debut album independently. How do you think that helped or even hindered the band if so?
I’m sure it both helped and hindered in different ways. But I try not to dwell on the past or get too analytical. We don’t always have access to the same resources as a major label and sometimes we have to work with what we’ve got. But ultimately the thing that matters most is that we have the freedom to make whatever kind of music we want. Of course the creative process is unpredictable at times: songs take on a direction of their own, there are other influences that affect the outcome, but for the most part, we got to do what we wanted. And this time around with the new album, we’re being even bolder.
Do you feel the songwriting process still changes for the band or has it fallen into a pretty steady rhythm? Maybe something new you’ve tried recently?
We’re always trying new things! And we still have the most fluid process I’ve ever witnessed. There are never any rules and we’ll try anything until it’s “there”. When I hear the first generation of a song and then hear it finished, I’m blown away by it’s evolution. We are all about reworking and rewriting things, and we throw things out pretty easily. Sometimes we come back to them, and some are still waiting for us.
For fans who haven’t seen the band before, what can they look forward to from the sets? How have you been planning the shows? Are you road-testing new material, mostly playing the new album?
We’re energetic and “in your face”. We play most of the up-tempo songs from ‘The Kindness of Strangers’ and our single ‘Just One Voice’. There’s a new song that’s very close to getting added to the set and we can’t wait. It’s a fun one.
Within the next few months, what are some focuses/goals for Silent Rival?
We’re going to be touring as much as we can and somehow in between tours we’ll be working on new songs. We’re not sure exactly how were going to find the time, honestly. We’re trying to write as much on the road as possible so we can get ahead of the program. The biggest thing coming up is the release of our music video for ‘Just One Voice’ within the next month. We had a lot of fun creating it with Lisa Mann, and the shots we saw blew our minds. We can’t wait for the final product and can’t wait to share it with everyone.
