SILO will be performing at “The Spaghetti Party Presents… Not Another Valentine’s Day Show,” coming all the way from Johnson City, Tennessee. In this interview, we get a bit of insight into his creative brain, and what makes it tick.
How would you describe your music?
In one word; extraterrestrial.
My vision for my music has always been to create something that sounds as if it’s from its own world entirely. I want to make music that feels alien, but cohesive within the context of its own planet.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Aesop Rock has, by far, been my biggest influence since day one. The incredible metaphorical content that he packs into his lyrics, combined with his expansive vocabulary, is absolutely insane to me.
I try to draw from as many genres as I can. I grew up listening to a lot of Pixies, The Cure, R.E.M., Talking Heads, Tori Amos, even They Might Be Giants. All of which, I have my mother to thank for.
I’m also, low-key, a huge Primus fan.
What is the music scene like in Johnson City, Tennessee?
Extremely diverse. No matter what you’re into, you can always find a niche in the scene that fits you.
Our local hip-hop community is expanding pretty rapidly as well, and I’m very happy to be a part of it alongside some amazing artists.
You recently released your album “HUBRIS.” How was that writing and recording process?
It can be quite disheartening, the amount of effort that goes into a project like this, especially when it only comes out to a whopping 15 minutes.
I’d say I spent the majority of 2018 working on it, and quite a few of the concepts on the album date back to as early as 2015.
All in all, it is certainly one of the things in my life I am most proud of, and I hope everyone that listens to it can get a sense of the sheer amount of passion I have for what I am doing.
Honestly, it was tough. I produced the instrumentals, wrote the lyrics, did my own recording, mixing, mastering, the whole package.
What does the future look like for SILO? Working on any new tunes? Tour?
Definitely working on plenty of new tunes. I had originally planned on taking a break from writing after I dropped HUBRIS, just to let my mind settle for a bit and come back with new concepts, but that only lasted so long.
A tour is on the way. I’d love to go all over the east coast this spring/summer, and hopefully make my way out west next year!
I’m, also, working on merch ideas at the moment. So, that’s probably the next biggest thing on my horizon.