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SILVERTONES
New Hi-Fi Westernbilly Styles Vol. 1
Independent
Rock, Rockabilly
This wax swings, baby! Windsor's the Silvertones
capture the mood of the early days of rock'n'roll, not
with austere reverence but with loving caresses. The
band bursts forth with an original tune, "Boogie
Woogie Dynamo," to set the party tone and "These
Four Walls" to break your liquor-soaked heart. The
production is clear and pristine, with some great
mood, particularly on "Lonely Sky." There is none of
the stereotypical reverb and echo that you might find
on novelty rockabilly records; the Silvertones are true
to the spirit of the song as such and not the era. This
can be heard on the cover of Faron Young's "Wine
Me Up" and Fred Rose's "Roly Poly." The title says it
all, New Hi-Fi Westernbilly Styles, Vol. 1. We can only
hope for volume two to swing this way real soon.
Carol Harrison - December 12th 2001
- Carol Harrison
SILVERTONES
NEW HI-FI WESTERNBILLY STYLES
(Ind.)
The dance floor is filling up quickly. No wonder cuz the Silvertones are
playing. Everything from sweet sweet swing to boogie woogie to classic jiving
country, this music is meant for the feet and ears. A couple of breathers for tears in yer
beer, and then the dance fires up again. Fancy picking and heart-breaking voices
never go outta style. Country music, real country music runs the gamut of
no-depression to total depression and the Silvertones deliver on both accounts."
- JOHN SEKERKA
Discography
New Hi Fi Westernbilly Styles Vol. #1.
Photos
Bio
Country and Western, Rockabilly, Western Swing, Jazz, Blues and Rock 'n' Roll. These are the roots of virtually all the music being explored and performed by the Silvertones. From traditional artists as diverse as, Jimmie Rodgers, Buck Owens and Johnny Horton, to Louis Jordan, and T-Bone Walker, to Eddie Cochran and Carl Perkins, the Silvertones incorporate different styles and eras into their act. This kind of diversity is also evident in their original material; from the Swingabillied "Boogie Woogie Dynamo" to the bluegrass sounds of "Can't Forget" to the honkytonk ballad "These Four Walls".
The Silvertones were formed in the fall of 1997 by brothers J.P and Christian Mayville as a side project and an excuse to play some good old 'hard core' country & western music. At that time Christian was writing and playing in a pop band called Racecar, which had quite a bit of regional success with their indie CD and web site, including CMW & NXNE festival showcases in Toronto and venues south of the border including Detroit, New York City, New Orleans & Boston. Meanwhile J.P was playing lead in a Toronto based Lounge-Rockabilly act called Johnny Guitar.
In early 1998, drummer Chris Solet from Racecar came on board after that band split up. By November 1998 the Silvertones recruited Gary Smyth on the bass guitar and the four members immediately clicked. By 1999, the boys began to build a collection of original material and a host of great cover songs. As time passed and the band evolved from a one dimensional country band to one that could play many different styles of music and it became apparent that a recording project would be the next step to take.
The Silvertones entered the Sound Foundry recording studio (Windsor, ON) in late August of 2000 and, in the course of six months, while juggling 4 full time jobs, they managed to record 20 songs (13 original numbers and 7 great old cover songs) with engineer Chris Pistagnesi. The band was very fortunate to have some extremely talented musicians contribute to the recording, including Kelly Hoppe from the band Big Sugar on harmonica and saxophone, young 17 year old Marq Roy from the band Train 45 on mandolin and banjo (both of whom appear on the new Chris Robinson album), Dale Rivard on pedal steel, Dr. Brian Burke on saxophone and Jackson Drobko on trombone. They were also fortunate enough to, through the use of their award winning web site (www.silvertones.com), meet producer Ron Macey (bassist for the band The Skydiggers) who, along with engineer Peter Hudson, mixed the record at Hallamusic in Toronto, ON.
Since the release of the album titled :New Hi-Fi Westernbilly Styles Vol. #1. The Silvertones have been playing on a regular basis and selling lots of CD’s. The CD is available via their website or through Hep-Cat Records (www.hepcatrecords.com). Some of the band’s highlights include performing at the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly festival held in Las Vegas, NV in March 2002. Also the NXNE (North by Northeast festival) in Toronto, 2001, 2002 and soon to be 2003 (June 5, 9:00 PM Silver Dollar Room, Toronto, ON)
When it comes to music, the attitude of the Silvertones is that the song is all that matters, so they treat each one with the care & respect that it deserves, and they have a blast doing it. The final word on the Silvertones is that they deliver.....Everytime!
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