Silverlane

By KATE DAVIS
Banner Staff Writer


A flourishing musical scene, catering to a host of different genres without rebuffing
the integral hometown connection of the artist, can be found in the bars, halls and other venues in Orangeville. As the scene continues to grow, so does the experimentation of style expressed by local talent. For the group Silverlane, Orangeville encompasses an accommodating environment perfect for an easy development of their unique sound.
The band — consisting of lead guitarist Adam Kozak, bassist Mike Ashton, guitarist Jason Masina and brothers Matt and Dave Kalinauskas on drums and vocals,
respectively — began their journey with a decidedly community-based approach. As a rock act with the ability to produce downtempo and acoustic melodies with ease, Silverlane thrives on stylistic creativity and honing their individual sound.
Silverlane began as a bunch of buddies jamming together, and after some member shifting and a scholastic hiatus, evolved into its current form of dedicated musi
cians.
Aside from citing international artists such as Switchfoot, Jimmy Eat World and Fugazi as just a few influences, the band also notes that other local artists motivate
them. ‘locally I really like Pant City; he’s a friend of mine,” says Kozak, adding that seeing other Orangeville bands gaining
success is a great motivator.
For Matt, even his own bandmates
impact his playing outlook. “Recently Adam~ influenced me a lot,” he says, “(it’s) kind of a work ethic toward music and approaching it in a way that satisfies what you want to hear and not worrying so much what other people think.” As a group, their bond of friendship plays an integral role in their success and
helps them work through any hardships.
“The best part about our band is the people,” Masina notes. “We’re all really good friends, so we can get through pretty much anything.”
With three of the band members creat ing the songs, their close relationship goes a long way in maintaining the integrity of
the music.
“It’s cool when you feel like the feed back you’re getting Ifrom fellow band members is honest and constructive,” says Matt. This has enhanced the kind of material the band is producing, and the creative
upswing is leading toward a host of new projects, including a music video and eventual full-length CD.
Playing in their hometown serves as a positive environment when it comes to their development as a band.
“The general consensus is that the most productive shows come from rocking the suburbs,” Dave says, adding the only draw back is the lack of an arena venue for acts
to play in. Recognizing their small-town roots, and the long road ahead of them, the band maintains its sense of humour and ability at laugh at itself.
Playing in an unnamed small town, the band arrived to an empty venue, save for a bandmates’ grandma who told Matthew to
turn down the volume of his drumming. “It was such a bust,” Matt laughs, “but I bet Coldplay don’t have stories like that.” - The Orangeville Banner

Thursday December 11 2008 By Adam Martin-Robbins Orangeville's Silverlane joins local band Hello Kelly, plus three other acts, for a show tonight at Broadway Tabernacle in Orangeville. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are available at the door. Print this article
Email this article When Orangeville indie-band Silverlane takes the stage at Broadway Tabernacle tonight at 7 p.m., fans should brace themselves for a high-intensity rock concert.

“It will be a full volume show,” says drummer Matthew Kalinauskas, sitting in a small guitar-display room at Acoustic Traditions music store in Orangeville’s west end.

“We like to bring our energy from the basement to the stage — we have lots of it,” adds his brother David, who is Silverlane’s frontman. “We play a heavy driving rock.”

Tonight’s show, which includes local act Hello Kelly and several other indie outfits, is just one of several the band has lined up. On Saturday night they’ll perform — along with Hello Kelly again — at The Space in Fergus, then on Dec. 19 they’ll play they’re annual unplugged Christmas show at Acoustic Traditions.

Along with their busy performance schedule the band has also been churning out a number of new songs — and that’s just the way they like it.

“We’ve always got projects in the works,” says 20-year-old David.

“We’ve got so many songs we can’t get through all our material,” adds Matthew, 23.

But it wasn’t always that way, the brothers acknowledge.

The band’s current lineup, which in addition to the Kalinauskas brothers consists of lead guitarist Adam Kozak, keyboard and guitar player Jay Masina and bassist Mike Aston, has only been around for about 18 months.

When they first started the band a few years ago they were having a hard time finding a bassist who fit in.

“Jay was on board from the start; bass players, on the other hand, came and went like they were going out of fashion,” explains Matt. “They were all great, it’s just I guess the planets weren’t lined up properly yet. Shortly after Dave, Jay, and I recorded our first EP, It’s Dark Enough Already.

“About a year into the band’s existence and about four or five bass players later, our friend Adam Kozak offered his assistance, in any way, to the band… So we said ‘sure’, and Adam played bass for us for a while.”

A short while later they found the bassist they’d been looking for.

“Adam works at Acoustic Traditions Music Store here in Orangeville, and a lot of musicians come through the doors,” continues Matt. “One day, a dashing young man by the name of Mike Ashton waltzed in the store looking for some strings… They got to talking about music stuff the way musicians do and in the end, Adam invited Mike to an acoustic show he was going to be hosting in a few days… The second time Mike came by they got to talking about Silverlane and Adam offered, if Mike wanted, to come out to a Silverlane practice… So Mike came out and the planets finally clicked into place.”

“The biggest thing now is new material; we’re more efficient about putting it together and playing better as a band,” says David.

With all the kinks worked out, Silverlane put together their second three-track EP, Neanderthals to Concert Halls, this spring.

That disc covers the full range of the group’s sound from guitar-driven pop-rock songs like The Engineer to Cold Play-type ballads like The Shadow — which is about a dog.

“I’m still in school, and come home to practice,” says David, who’s studying International Development at York University. “My dog would give me the biggest guilt trip. It’s about leaving my dog, Shadow, every weekend.

“It’s the one song we play that’s most unlike the other songs — we all loved it from the get go.”
And it wasn’t even supposed to be on the EP.

The guys played songs together for close to a year before setting out to record Neanderthals because they wanted to make sure they were comfortable and had the songs down cold. But when they got in the studio they changed direction, scrapped all the songs and recorded three different tracks.

“My favourite thing is working on new things always,” says Kozak, who at 30 is the band’s elder statesman. “I like to keep it fresh; if I had it my way we’d be in the studio all the time recording new stuff.”

Despite their prolific song writing, Matt says, they haven’t decided when they’ll be laying down tracks on their first full-length CD.

“We’re excited about the new music we’ve got in the works, but we haven’t set a date to record yet,” he says. “But that’s not to say we’re not talking about it. Stay posted.”

They have, however, recently released a video for Head Above, which they’re trying to get some play on MuchMusic. (In the meantime it can be viewed online on YouTube).

All of that’s pretty impressive given all the band members have other full-time commitments. Masina, like David, is a student studying business at Ryerson, while Ashton is completing an apprenticeship. Matt works for a downtown animation firm, and Kozak manages the music store full-time.

And they’re not all formally trained musicians either. Only Ashton and Masina, who learned under guitar legend Bobby Edwards, have studied music. Matt learned to play drums from a friend’s father who doubled as the bassist in their high school band, while David and Kozak are self-taught guitarists. Though for Kozak, it’s a bit of a family tradition.

”I’ve never taken a lesson in my life; growing up it wasn’t feasible,” he says. “My dad was a guitar player. He played the blues, so many of my riffs are influenced by that.”

The band’s ability to pump out new music and perform regularly is due in part to their work ethic, and their pride in seeing their efforts pay dividends. One of the biggest challenges for an indie band based in Orangeville is finding a venue to play, explains Kozak. So they’ve learned to team up with other local bands — like Hello Kelly — to put together shows.

“We have to work together,” says David.

“There were a lot of pre-constructed shows — with kids who just went because it was a thing to do,” says Matt. “It was a kind of lazy way to rely on getting a show… I find it rewarding when I see the results (of putting together a show ourselves). I appreciate the fans — they’re there because they want to be there.

“We have a lot of appreciation for anyone who come to our shows.”

Anyone interested in catching a Silverlane show can get details by visiting their website, silverlanemusic.com, or email them at silverlanemusic@hotmail.com. - Orangeville Banner