Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Listening to records is a bit like having conversations with strangers...Sometimes, it's just a thread of sincerity that holds your attention; and with Ramona Silver's songs it's enough to keep you talking about the weather all day long. Her tuneful guitars, bass, drums, and church organ may not inspire a new sonic revolution; but her loose arrangements and the calm resonance of her voice leave you wanting more. - rhapsody.com
Ramona Silver is a virtuoso of pop songcraft, and her contribution to the Boston music scene will stand the test of time. - Lexi Kahn
Another pop darling from Boston has arrived. Let us rejoice. And she's quirky, throwing in a child, ukulele, trombone, glockenspiel, organ, and cornet into the standard recipe to spice up her stories. Well done and strangely familiar; after just a couple of spins, you'll catch yourself tapping and singing right along with Silver's sweet, bouncing-on-a-cloud vocals. Silver is gold. - SDL
Ultrasound Review--
Ramona Silver is not an easily understood artist...She sounds like a sisterly version of Jonathan Richman in her oblique, street-simple, yet street-smart lyrics that posit such philosophical puzzles as "Being's just a reaction to everything we can't control" and "You want to be a woman but you're more of a man than I." At times she sounds like a cross between Lisa Loeb and XTC in melding poetic sensibility and intricate songcraft into something that's unique and wonderful (the skewed alternative pop of "Honeydew"). There's no denying the piquant genius behind "Mary's Beat-Up Truck," "B.J.'s Got the Butterflies," and the a cappella "Remarks to Mr. McLuhan." - Steve Morse
Our area has alway produced an array of fine women singer-songwriters, from Aimee Mann to Jen Trynin to Mary Lou Lord, and the next in line is Ramona Silver...she's one of the best young songwriters in any genre that this town has produced of late. Silver brings wit, style and substance to her music, which overflows with intelligent lyrics, smart melodies and more than a little bit of muscle...Undoubtedly, Silver's a major talent waiting to be discovered. - Ken Capobianco
She is a mix of the innocence of Lisa Loeb and the attitude of Ellie Vee of the Charms...Silver can create a radio-friendly ballad like "Tricky World," but she'll quickly remind you of her clever, edgy side with a tune like the title track [Home is Where]. - R Victorino
No one on this earth puts four minutes of genius into a pop song the way Ramona Silver does. This all-too-short EP manages to squeeze in the best singer-songwriter elements of Liz Phair, the lyrical complexity of Elvis Costello, the angular pop of XTC, the innocent sophistication of Harry Nilsson, and the maturity of Aimee Mann, while at the same time making it sound as fresh as when the day was new. Ramona Silver’s music has always been a breath of fresh air for me for many years. Each new release is better and better, gaining more layers of pop sensibilities and singable melodies along the way. I could say this EP is the best thing that she’s ever done, but then a year from now, there will come along another Ramona Silver album to challenge that assessment. If you ever get a chance to see her live, by all means do. Her music is as she is, complex, accessible and completely without pretense. (Joel Simches) - Joel Simches
By tonight, the last night of her April residency at the Lizard Lounge, we're guessing Ramona Silver, one of the more consistently excellent and surprisingly under-appreciated singer-songwriters around town for the past decade, and her band have pretty much nailed the six new tunes on her recently self-released Intermission EP. - Matt Ashare
An "Intermission" not to miss...Whip-smart rocker (and proud Bostonian) Ramona Silver...who has opened for Matthew Sweet and Sam Phillips, is promoting her latest album, "Intermission," which features material sure to please indie, folk, and pop music fans. - Meredith Goldstein
Silver's new CD continues her trend towards upbeat-if-still-irreverent perspectives on life and love, and especially family life. "Home is Where" rides a quirkily fascinating New Wave-like rhythm, while the ballad "Tricky World" suggest Elvis Costello playing in Brian Wilson's sandbox. Typical Silver music, the CD is full of surprises, and also full of understated optimism. - Jay N. Miller
Discography
Ramona Silver has released the following 5 CDs, all of which can be heard at www.ramonasilver.com:
Intermission (2005) -- No one on this earth puts four minutes of genius into a pop song the way Ramona Silver does: the lyrical complexity of Elvis Costello, the angular pop of XTC, the innocent sophistication of Harry Nilsson, and the maturity of Aimee Mann, while at the same time making it sound as fresh as when the day was new. -- Noise Magazine
Death by Candy (2001) -- Full of witty, insightful slices of pop, all sung with soul and openhearted grace..."The Saint at 99" features Silver's luscious vocals, or the rocker "Motherbee," on which she projects "I'm on my way, and I won't be swayed," with a vocal strength to match. -- Skope.com
Ultrasound (1998) -- When the status-quo is getting you down, listen to this. Imagination is rampant on this CD, and while the songs come off as fairly light-hearted, there is nothing light about her songwriting abilities. -- CD Baby Magazine
Trailers (1996) -- Silver exudes a pixie-like energy on this jittery, pop-sweetened confection. Perfect for folks who have grown weary of the much copied "angry young woman" sound. -- Billboard Magazine
You & Me & Hell (1995) -- Tough, penetrating rock & roll that resonates against the sternum, the cranium, and finally, the heart. -- Prism Magazine
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The last 10 years have seen Ramona Silver release 5 CDs, with songs used in both TV and film (Robert Redfords The Horse Whisperer). Silver has toured nationally, including opening for Matthew Sweet and Sam Phillips, and radio appearances such as on KCRWs Morning Becomes Eclectic. Billboard Press called her one of the best songwriters in any genre that this town has produced...wit style, substance, smart melodies and muscle. A winner of Bostons Grammy Showcase and Boston Music Awards Outstanding Local Female Vocalist, Ramona recently released Intermission, a wonderful little taste of Silver's talent, filled with unique flourishes of optimism--six new tunes that capture her vibrant energy. Silver recently completed a successful month of Tuesday-night shows at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA, which garnered kudos from the Boston Phoenix and the Boston Globe.
Born the second youngest of eight children, Silver was a member of her familys singing group at birth. The children sang regularly at church, where she remembers learning a lot of harmony and to sing like you mean it. We sang a mix of traditional gospel hymns and the beginnings of contemporary Christian music, from How Great Thou Art to the soulful songs of Andrae Crouch, and of course we did Hank Williams I Saw the Light'highly emotional music. There was a time when it was all eight of us up there, the girls in matching dresses, the boys in suit coats and tiestwo guitars, a piano, and eight voicesand we really blended beautifully. It was all due to the quiet but firm push of my parents, who both have a deep love for the power of song. I definitely draw from those roots in my performances today, and learned early on that it's a privilege to be a singer, a deliverer of stories and sentiment.
Silver also enjoyed studying piano and writing poetry from an early age, while around her, older siblings filled the air with the sounds of the latest rock records. She learned Adventures of Ivan by Khachaturian on piano, but heard Carole King, Earth Wind and Fire, and everything by the Beatles. In high school her brothers fed her tapes of the Clash and Talking Heads, while she tried her hand at Mozart or Debussy. Silver reflects One day I heard Message of Love by the Pretenders on the radio and went out and bought my first record. Hearing Chrissie Hynde's songs and bravado really made an impression on my own songwriting, just as it did to hear Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville years later. These were women who were individuals, not imitations. It's the character in the song that matters to me. And the fact that a listener might connect with my songs because of sincerity, that's the most I could hope for."
A recent reviewer in Bostons Noise Magazine said this about Silver and her latest release, "Intermission"...I could say this EP is the best thing that shes ever done, but then a year from now, there will come along another Ramona Silver album to challenge that assessment. If you ever get a chance to see her live, by all means do. Her music is as she is, complex, accessible and completely without pretense.
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