Bravo Silva
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Bravo Silva

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Press


"The New York Times"

Drawing on the spiky and melodic sound of the early Police and U2, the New York band Bravo Silva sings deadpan odes to the city of strangers, though not so deadpan as to exclude playing soaring, ecstatic choruses and having some fun with kitschy keyboards. - The New York Times


"Spin.com live review"

Led by Henry Silva, the musically inclined son of Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, and Joel Bravo, the band generously piles on synth, drums, horns, guitar, bass, and even more auxiliary percussion to create '80s influenced pop licks. Last night's the performance did not disappoint. Opening with the catchy, marching-band beat of "The Other Man," the band wooed the packed venue as Silva's Bono-esque vibrato sang through a half dozen of danceable, clappable, and all-around anthemic melodies that made them the crowd's choice, and, of course, Sophie's as well. - Spin.com


"The L Magazine (band to watch)"

Gimmick-free, 80s-influenced rock songs with a modern production style.

Bravo Silva's press clippings contain no shortage of comparisons to 80s pop bands. And their music does have a vaguely 80s feel to it, though I've never been able to pinpoint exactly where it comes from. The rhythm section is solid, but not particularly flashy, while the guitars are tight and admirably restrained, only letting go at the most opportune times. There are no irritating synths to speak of, and certainly no cheesy effects. What there is, though, is an impressive array of utterly brilliant melodies that are immediately memorable, without being sugary. And this, singer Joel Bravo points out, might be where all those vague comparisons stem from. "You find strong melodies in 80s music. The pop songwriting in the 80s was incredibly creative. It's a decade worth revisiting."

But still, they don't want to be known as backward looking. "We're conscious of the 80s tag. It's a fair one," says Joel. "The hope is our next album will move us further away from any sense of revivalism."

That album might take a little longer to come out than the band would like. They've received a healthy amount of internet buzz, and when asked about that early hype as a stellar unsigned band, Bravo concedes, "It's both helped us and hurt us. We love the independence and the control, but now we're ready to record again, and we're hoping to do it in a studio, but we have no money. A label could help with that."

Considering the strength of their material and their outstanding live shows, it's hard to believe people won't be lining up to work with them. Not to mention Paper having recently named Joel and co-founder Henry Silva two of New York City's most beautiful people. It's an honor the hirsute Silva takes in stride. "I've done some body-hair modeling for MTV and Lexus, so that probably helped." - The L Magazine


"PAPER Magazine (2006 most beautiful people)"

It's refreshing to find a New York City rock duo who really love each other. Hank Silva (left) and Joel Bravo have been playing together since they met during their freshman year of college. Their bond is apparent onstage as they rock out, heads inches apart, brows intensely furrowed, jaws appropriately set, eyes unironically closed. When Bravo Silva are not being Bravo Silva, Joel composes music for theater and Hank acts (he has a small role in Robert De Niro's upcoming film The Good Shepherd). But the band, which includes three other members, is where they're focusing most of their energy these days. "I would say Joel and I are kind of in a marriage," says Hank. "We started out as really close friends, and now we're in this contract together, sharing the burden of getting this band off the ground."

Well, boys, your burden just got a little bit lighter: Bravo Silva's eponymous debut is a dazzling collection of ethereal, mildly tortured, classic-rock-inspired pop goodness. Their songs are reminiscent of Police ballads, but there's something distinctly of the now about them. Instead of alienating audience members, Hank and Joel aim, when writing songs, to bring audience members into their world. According to Joel, "We are constantly figuring out how to keep people listening." He continues, "We're not writing music to be interesting for interesting's sake -- we're attempting to write music that's interesting in our consciousness." - PAPER Magazine


"Stereogum.com"

Stereogum's been keeping a close eye on Bravo Silva for a good while now. And we like what we've been seeing! So we're proud to premiere some freshness the band recorded just two days ago. Take a listen, then head to Bravo Silva's MySpace and grab their awesome track "Strawberry Blonde" to understand where the band's coming from. They're still loving the 80's, and they're still into complex harmonies, but unexpected rhythmic turns, group chants and holler-backs point to new possibilities. - Stereogum.com


Discography

November 2005, Bravo Silva s/t full length

Photos

Bio

Bravo Silva makes pop rock music that is at once extremely listenable and sonically complex. The songs take a crash course through 80s radio rock melody, singer/songwriter verse, and 70s prog rock theatrics. Lush and textured soundscapes call to mind the arrangements of Blonde Redhead and 10cc, and pop-oriented melodies draw from The Outfield and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.