silent seymour

It may have been luck, or the way that the four
guys known together as Silent Seymour found
each other may have been work of the cosmos.
Josef Thomas took out a classified ad in
March of 2002 looking for other musicians to
play with, at the same time Greg Serpanchy,
Patrick Antonik and Daniel Cannistra were
looking for someone to sing. The four came
together faster and more effectively than a
wealthy widow finds a potential partner. “We
just tried out two songs for each other, got
together and it worked out well,” explains
Thomas, the raspy voiced singer and guitarist.
“Although it kind of reeked at first, it got better
as the years went on.”
Silent Seymour played their first gig at the 360
in Toronto, moments after convincing the club
owner to let them play. The band struggled to
come up with a name to fit their spacey,
crunchy and melodic sound. “So, we played our
first gig without a name. We called the owner
two weeks later and gave him our name: The
Common Folk. What a shitty name,” deadpans
Thomas. “There was, like, 10 people there; it
was fun though.”
Since the band’s early moments, they’ve torn
through bundles of songs that they no longer
play; either because they feel Silent Seymour
has outgrown the song or they don’t have fun
playing them. “There are some songs that will
find a way back into the set. There’s a couple
songs that some band members don’t want to
play and we’re pretty diplomatic, If one person
doesn’t want to play the song, we won’t play it,”
explains Thomas.
Seymour’s first album, Rocket to Regina was
released in 2005 and includes a handful of
catchy rock anthems that could have easily
been thrown into a radio set alongside such
grudge luminaries as Dinosaur Jr or even
Wilco. “So when does the next album, Fucking
to Fredricton, come out?” I ask.

“We actually had an idea to write 10 albums
and each one would have a name that
referenced a specific place in Canada, like
Subterranean Drone in Nunavut,” quips
Thomas.
The Toronto area quartet plans to record their
follow–up album in September and they’ve
already recorded demos for most of the songs
they want to include on the record. Their web
site features early versions of “Bird Problems”,
a fan favourite during a live Seymour set, and
“Burning Forest”; a spacey, choatic
masterpiece that clocks in at nearly six
minutes. Their sophomore release is slated to
be released in Winter 2006 and is going to be
called I Was A Teenage Zombie.
Thomas describes the Toronto music scene
as a “rat race”; despite the great
soundsystems and flocks of fans and friends,
Seymour prefers playing out of town gigs.
“There’s a lot of ego floating around, and a lot
of attitude. You go to Kitchen–Waterloo and
play a show and the locals are walking by and
giving you hugs and trying to give you beer on
the streets,” laughs Thomas. “It’s a different
kind of atmostphere. The last show we played
in St. Catharines with the Audiovisuals was out
of control!”
After spending a good deal of time watching
Silent Seymour perform and monkey around, it
was clear that humour is very important to the
band’s relationship with each other, yet the
same humour doesn’t tend to get into the
band’s songs. “The songs can be a little
satirical at times, they’re not supposed to be
completely depressing,” notes Thomas. “But
the lyrics and songwriting are definitely more
on the serious side. I think the more you get
the depressing shit out you when you’re
writing, the more happy–go–lucky you are in
real life.” [JORDY YACK] - Pulse Niagara

(519) REVUE By Patrick Finch ALL ABOARD WITH SILENT SEYMOUR Its about pride, and its about time! hollers Silent Seymour frontman Josef Thomas on his groups debut record, Rocket To Regina. Its a call to arms that they follow up magnificently on their GenSub Records calling card. Throughout the records nine tracks, Thomas, bassist Greg Serpanchy, guitarist/keyboardist Patrick Antonik, and drummer Daniel Cannistra plow through their altrock anthems as if their lives depended on it. Thomas voice, (which vacillates between subdued, Waitsian gruffness and fullblown cigarette shredded screaming. Sorta like when Julian Casablancas really lets it out), is the anchor, holding down the violent pushandpull of the driving guitars and the tremendous power of the charging bull drums. All this excellent playing is one thing, but its the songs that stand out, and their instantly memorable popmelodies cutting through the din. Its exciting, new rock at its best. Rocket To Regina may be an indierecord, but it sure as hell sounds like it cost a ton of money being carved out by studio veterans. Silent Seymour have hardly just started though. The Markham based quartet quickly made Toronto their stomping grounds after rallying their big city audiences onto the dancefloor and blowing the hair back of all in attendance. The first break came with an alignment to justundertheradar record company and booking agents, GenSub Records. Head honcho/ indietastemake Darryl Hurs was quick to scoop them up for his fledgling company. They were selling out shows and knocking everyone out. They were so good, he says. Regular gigs at large venues like Lees Palace and the Mod Club followed and the converts kept coming. Earlier this year, Rocket To Regina was released to another soldout audience, and a highprofile showcase at NXNE earned them highpraise, (though their set time constraints prevented them from playing the encore their new adoring audience demanded). Nevertheless, the album has been receiving substantial campus radio play, and its taking the boys to a new level that will allow them their first Canadian tour, to be announced later this year. Its rare when you hear an unknown band for the first time and know that theyre going somewhere. Whether or not Silent Seymour will be the next darlings of Canadian (or even international) indierock has yet to be seen, but it doesnt matter. The fact is theyre making excellent music, beyond their years and their experience, and thats a wonderful thing for all of us. Luckily, before they get too big for shitty bars, Silent Seymour are coming to town for an excellent bill at Kitcheners Circus Room. Joining Silent Seymour on August 12 will be Sub Rosa, and the fantastic Motion Picture Cinema. Climb on board the Rocket to Regina while you can. Its $7 at the door, which will open at 9pm. www.silent-seymour.com http://www.echoweekly.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4627&page=1 - Echo Weekly

The Buzz Starts Here. This week, we shine the spotlight on Silent Seymour, a young indie band from the Toronto area making a fair deal of noise via frequent live shows and a fairly vocal fan base. The bands unique blend of shoegazer inspired guitar textures and ragged indie-rock has garnered them attention from various local and national indie press outlets, and with the release of their new EP Rocket To Regina and the backing of upand-coming indie label Gen-Sub Records, look for their profile to increase substantially in 2005. The nine-track EP displays the bands knack for dynamics (Its About Time) and sports a potential college radiohit in the propulsive Horseshoes and Handgrenades. Look for a nationwide tour in the fall and check theirsite (www.silentseymour.com) for more news and song samples. - Canadian Music Network Magazine

"The buzz surrounding Silent Seymour is more than just that. They are not only steadily selling out shows but making the people move whilst on the floor. You can see people wanting to edge closer to the stage as their set progressed. I blame this on the bands constant musical force driving them to it. The room was full to capacity and the line-ups outside the Drake to get in even larger. They never fail to disappoint which was apparent with this particular live show. These 4 guys are a dependable band always guaranteeing a first-rate experience. The highlight of their performance, for me, was "Its About Time". It starts out with a pleasantly light guitar and eventually rocks it out just enough to catch you off guard. Suddenly the chorus comes in assuring the crowd screaming out or moshing for more. A great setting for the Silent Seymour crew having their cd release at the Drake. Encore screams at end justified the hype!"............... Writer: Penny Hayward: Soul Shine Magazine. http://www.soulshine.ca/reviews/liveReview.php?lrid=137 - Soulshine Magazine

"Suburban-basement rock that's evolving quite nicely. In due time, boys. So, it IS possible to have members of diverse ethno-cultural groups in indie rock. Phew! Lead vox Joe kept his hair constantly in his sweaty face, but in a cool Neil Young kinda way. The audience seemed more excited than the band did, although drummer Dan worked his ass off on the cymbals. "Horseshoes & Hand Grenades" was the showstopper, and an amazingly perfect closer. The crowd shouted for an encore and were brutally rebuffed. I love it when politically conscious bands wear thick suits on stage. The sweat increases tenfold. Corduroys and pin stripes and straight ties, oh my! And let's not forget their chin pubes." ................Writer: Christine Estima http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2005/03/0536.cfm - Chartattack