Gentleunits, Last night was a big night for Dr. Huge. Me and young Will went out to see The Silos, a band which I used to love but have not heard anything about in over five years. I had seen them listed among all the other nameless bands in The Spectator (Raleigh's lame equivalent of the Village Voice) and went in there really not knowing what to expect. What I got was a great show, very refreshing, cranking and solid.

The Humble Pie Bakery is an old converted warehouse in the not-so-nice part of downtown Raleigh which serves as a bakery in the morning, an upscale restaurant at night and a bar at night. They have a huge stage in one corner with a great built in PA system, a bar in the center of the room and a kitchen in the opposite corner of the stage. It's just a big square room with cinder block walls and surprisingly good acoustics. They only have original bands there and they don't serve Rolling Rock. I opted for a couple-six Coronas. The opening act didn't get going until after 11pm and The Silos hit the stage after midnight, a bit tough on a school night but who really cares. The opener Chris Smith was okay, just him and his acoustic, original tunes (not too bad). Enough said about him.

The place was pretty much empty all night. I counted eighteen people in there around 12:30am. This gig wasn't really advertised and even if it was, there are probably only a dozen citizens down here who have even heard of The Silos. Besides, it was a Wednesday night and that means everyone has to be in bed by 9pm after putting their jerk kids to bed. The lack of crowdage didn't stop them though. In fact, Walter and the drummer Konrad made an effort at moving tables towards the stage so that they wouldn't be playing to an empty floor since the bar is off to the right. Me and young Will took a table front and center and the band played to us all night.

Before going on I had a couple beverages at the bar with the bass player Drew who has been playing with Walter for about three years now. Supposedly Walter has never really stopped touring and making records and in fact they just recently finished a new CD which Drew told me was the most cranking Silos effort to date. From the tunes I heard he's right and I'm looking forward to acquiring the record when it's released. They just got back from a tour in Spain and have a bunch of upcoming dates in the US before returning back home to Manhattan ("Bean Town").

The Silos are now a three-piece, Walter on his 1968 beaten up acoustic, Drew on bass and lap guitar and Konrad on drums and all sorts of percussion. Walter plays his acoustic through some cool effects and at times he gets some great cranking electric guitar sounds. The drummer doesn't own real drum sticks. He mostly plays with these weird sticks that are frayed at the ends, but also plays different percussion item, hits the drums with his hands and even brought out a hooter at one point.

The tunes that I recognized were Margaret, the only tune they played from Cuba (bass player played lap guitar, really nice), Caroline (most cranking of the night), Find a Way, Commodore Peter, Susan Across the Ocean and they closed with I'm Over You. They are really tight and smooth and put on a great show despite the pathetic turn out. He sang a couple tunes entirely in Spanish and did one (Susan Across the Ocean) by himself. They really gel together nicely and it's obvious that they've been playing together for a while now. The flow of tunes was nice and the mix was perfect.

We left Humble Pie around 1:30am when they ended their set. My first feeling was how am I supposed to go back and play with a cover band now? It felt awesome to hear some solid, cranking original music, guess I missed it more than I thought. Unfortunately I have Milhouse gigs tonight and tomorrow at the irish bar downtown and have to re-establish sell-out mode. I'm really glad to see that Walter has kept the party rolling and is still writing and playing good quality music. They will be playing at the Bishop's Collar in Phily ("The Lone Star State") on November 15th and will be at the Mercury Lounge in NYC ("The Velvet Fog") on November 18th. I suggest efforts be made to attend, you gentlemen will not be disappointed.
- Dr. Huge -

Review of live perfomance - The Silos at The Bishops Collar, Phila. PA - November 14, 2000 - by Michael Portanova

My disgust with current musical trends has forced me back to basics, as evidenced by my rediscovery of Motorhead, daily blasting of Smithereens records and last nights trip into Phila. to see the Silos. Yes, the Silos. It doesn't get more basic than this.

The Bishops Collar is an upstart bar of Irish influence in the flourishing (a pleasant surprise) Art Museum area. Small, typically deep and narrow, with small, low stage in the back corner with bathrooms beyond (the bass player had to lift his neck so people could get by). Small PA speakers on either side for vocals only, no special lighting. A great juke box playing REM, Son Volt, Wilco, Jayhawks, Shawn Mullins, etc. A comfortable tavern environment and a surprisingly intimate setting for this gig. Attendance: 40. Rolling Rock: $2.75. Admission: $0.00.

The band and I arrive at the same time, 30 minutes later they're ready to go, a treat in itself. No sound check needed, just plug and play, the sound was perfect. The presentation was acoustic/electric, simple and stripped down. They're currently a trio - Walter plays an odd, worn acoustic with a pick up in the sound hole through an old Ampeg amp, yielding tones from clean to crazily distorted. The bass player has a sweet old Fiesta Red Jazz Bass, he also played a wonderful lap steel guitar occasionally. Conrad the drummer played a tiny, interesting kit featuring a marching band snare, as well as tambourine, shaker, "Hooter", etc. They all sing, well.

The 90 minute set featured songs from the new album (title?) as well as old stuff. Owning only "Cuba" I recognized "Margaret", "Tenn. Fire" and "All falls away" which was particularly cool. While unfamiliar, the other songs were instantly likeable. They ranged from quiet, heartfelt tunes to full out rockers, all simple yet well crafted and delivered with passion, which is what I like most about the Silos. Walter has a great voice, the others provided solid back up and harmony vocals, as well as excellent musicianship. The bass player was solid and interesting with great tone, his lap steel work was a very nice surprise. The drummers job in this setting is tricky but Conrad handled it easily - he was creative and improvisational while remaining rock solid.