We were recently interviewed by the amazing music journalist, Kingmi Baby in Colorado Music Buzz. Below is the full, unedited interview that you can only see here. Let us know what you think!
February 01, 2013
Silent Still – Interview
by Kingmi Baby
The Silent Still is a viciously unique band, combining music, history, and inspirational ideology apparent in everything they do, they are an unforgettable act. I was able to steal some time from them to ask some questions about recent activity, big changes, and secret societies.
KB: So first off, how are you guys? You have been working hard in recent months.
TSS: It’s been a wild ride. After playing Time Traveller’s Circus, things have only gotten busier and busier, but in a good way. In fact, the Circus was the last part of an audition for a great new percussionist who flew in for the show. But who he is a secret that is unlockable in our crowd-funding campaign. We’ve did a complete makeover with the band in 2012, solidifying our Neo-Victorian flare, diving deeper into the history of The Silent Still Society, and gathering an absolutely incredible team from across the nation that take this band far beyond the music.
KB: You guys recently released some stuff for download on your website. What can we expect and how can we get our hands on it?
TSS: We put together a great digital package for everyone that we’re really excited about. Long-time fans will be excited to find updated and finalized versions of their three favorite songs from us; songs that we believe will also speak to new fans about the core of who we are musically. We also included two short stories based on The Silent Still Society archives. We spent a lot of time going through the archives to pick out stories that give the best insight into the history this band is largely based on. Thankfully, I didn’t have to change much about the stories, because I think everyone will love the slightly Lovecraftian feel their original authors had. And lastly, we included a print quality poster of a digital painting I did of one of the creatures from the Society’s backstory. You can get yours directly from our crowd-funding page, www.bradg5.sg-host.com/getcoolstuff, or from our our home page.
KB: Tell us about the Silent Still Society?
TSS: I know we keep mentioning the Society, so I’m glad you asked us about it. Our band’s name is obviously based on them, and we find their mission of creative expression, helping people come free from obstacles, personal growth, and living to ones full potential to be truly inspiring. The Society has a pretty dark past under the Church, and is full of some pretty bizarre stories, but I think as musicians that only drew us in even more. We even posted a video about their rich history on Youtube. They re-founded in 1883, separate from the Catholic Church and religion. And although their last 130 years hasn’t been without its own crazy stories, it was so clear that the band shared the same values on such a deep level, and that their history is such a huge, deep and continual source of inspiration and stories, we couldn’t help but base the band on them.
KB: Is it real? If so can I sign up?
TSS: Are the Freemasons real? Granted, there are a lot of insane conspiracies and fantastical stories around Freemasonry that make some question the reality of it all, but the organization and work of Freemasonry is very real. The Silent Still Society is no different. Many people haven’t heard about them until now, because they have largely kept their work secret, not out of fear, but out of humility. As a band, we saw an opportunity to bring them into the digital era and start spreading their message. It has been slow coming, but they’re opening up to the public little by little. I don’t know where all the lodges currently are located, but I imagine if there’s one close, you can sign up. The World Lodge is in Edinburgh, and is still pretty closed to the public from what I can tell. I imagine it will take some time before they truly open up their doors to everyone. But that won’t stop us from pushing their comfort zone! They have a website now, and I think that was a HUGE step for them. Anyone can check it out at www.thesilentstillsociety.org.uk
KB: You guys are also launching a Kickstarter campaign?
TSS: We’re launching the campaign for several reasons, really. First, we saw it as a great opportunity to raise money for an awesome charity that helped my oldest son wake-up from Autism. If you know an Autistic child, even one high-functioning, then you know just how difficult it can be for them to connect to the world around them. Not only can they not have the emotional connection we all want with the people around us, they also find it very difficult to function in every day things that we take for granted. Can you imagine being trapped in a body that simply won’t do what you want it to, from simple tasks to even conversations with others? My son went through that. It’s hard to describe the overwhelming emotions I had when he first hugged me, a true, sincere, and affectionate hug. You can find out more about the charity that helped him at www.giveautism.com.
Second, we saw an opportunity to launch some amazing experiences for our fans that help us build this band together with them. We want to do much more than entertain or connect with our music. We want to connect with our fans in a way that gives them great outlets and resources for creative expression and projects of their own. What we’re offering through our crowd-funding is only the first wave of a much larger plan to help our fans see there own creative dreams come true. A conversation about those plans could take up an entire book.
Third, like most bands, we wanted our fans’ help recording an album. However, we wanted to give them a whole lot more than just one album. With my knowledge and history as a recording engineer, even owning a recording studio for a while, and our ability to get pro-level quality gear without spending hundreds of thousand in a recording studio, we decided that everyone would win by our building our own recording studio. The fans win because we can keep recording albums without paying so much money to a studio each time. We win because we can hire anyone we need to record us in our own studio, or even do it ourselves, and take however long we need to get the quality our fans deserve.
Lastly, not only will the crowd-funding help us record album after album, because of the types of things we’re offering it will also help us create many more amazing products and experiences for our fans for years to come. There’s so much value packed into everything we’re offering that I can barely begin to describe it here. Go check it out now for yourself at www.bradg5.sg-host.com/getcoolstuff.
KB: What kind of stuff can fans get by donating?
TSS: We’re offering much more than any other band we’ve ever seen offer to their fans. Of course we have the expected fair, like an album, Skype lessons or chats, posters, and the like. We took those a step further and tried to jam pack as much stuff as possible into each package, while keeping the prices much lower than people are used to in crowd-funding. Additionally, we’re offering memberships that ensure ongoing experiences with the band that includes everything from every album we put out during the membership, member-only events, and the band helping you make and even sale merchandise of your own, all the way to being featured in our videos, VIP treatment, and even a whole weekend with us for you and a friend that includes a vintage limo ride, photo shoot with the band, 2 nights at Denver’s amazing Brown Palace Hotel, a one-of-a-kind Masquerade mask, and a Gigantic mystery gift package.
KB: Do you guys have anything planned for the future? Any upcoming shows or releases?
TSS: Uh oh, you just opened up another book’s worth of information, hahaha! We’ll try to keep this short. We have a lot of plans, from music to silent film concerts to music videos and events that go far beyond a rock concert. And when I say that it goes far beyond “rock concert,” think a Masquerade Ball meets Cirque Du Soleil meets a full-out Rock Concert. We’re currently collaborating with everyone we can that fits into that world. That means for the next year or so, we have plans for carnival injected rock concerts and quite a few album releases, on top of all the amazing things we’re offering in our memberships.
