Page 44 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2021

Kiki Plesha: Hello, Wally! It’s been a while since KP: I have mentioned one of the highlights of
Silversel graced the cover of ION Indie Silversel’s career…being considered for a
Magazine. Much has happened since that cover Grammy nomination. However, all bands
and feature interview, way back in April of 2015! experience strife and stumbling blocks. What
With a new album coming down the pipeline, I have been Silversel’s greatest challenges and
thought it was a time to revisit Silversel and what have these taught you as an artist?
catch up with one of my all-time favorite rock
bands -- one I proudly (and loudly) listen to in WS: Leaping before looking…the music industry is a
my car during my travels. Let’s begin… beast, and if you aren’t careful, it will devour you.
Quite honestly, there are predators around every
The face of music has changed due to this corner. That’s not to say there aren’t great people in
deadly pandemic. First of all, how has Silversel this business -- there are, and a lot of them.
adapted to the impact of the virus and the However, it’s the ones who are out to pull one over
challenges this has presented working artists? on bands that give the business a bad name. We
found this out the hard way early on in our career. In
Wally Silver: If the boys and I have learned anything truth, I’m glad it happened when it did. We were still
over the years, it’s how to be flexible. While the green and had no clue what we were doing. Signing
music industry may be a beast of its own kind; it is papers that seemed legit at the time, only to find out
still at heart, a business. Just as you would find in later, we were screwed. Thankfully, we only lost out
any other business, you learn to roll with the on a few small royalties and a video and the culprits
punches, and this pandemic packed a serious are in prison now. I know bands that were not so
punch, as you said. We, as a band, have tried to fortunate…got stuck in contracts, shelved by majors,
capitalize on a ‘captive’ audience, so to speak, you name it. When it comes to the music business,
during this pandemic. We started doing weekly no one has your best interest in mind more than you.
Facebook Live videos. This allowed us to interact If you’re going to sign, make sure it benefits you and
with fans from all over the world in one place. not just the company you are signing with.
Locally, we started our own festival called
Scarecrow Fest. We realized that, without touring, a KP: What was your personal favorite gig and
lot of other indie bands were suffering. So, we why? And while we go down this track, describe
contacted 5 local/regional bands and invited them to your least favorite performance (a gig, tour,
play, added in a few vendors, and we now have a festival) and why it was not a positive
yearly outdoor festival. As with any new experience.
venue/festival, there were a few hiccups. Yet, in the
end, everyone involved asked about next year. WS: My favorite gig would have to be playing the
Whiskey A Go Go in LA last summer. I grew up on
KP: I remember the excitement when your song the dying breath of the 80’s hair metal era. So, from
‘All Outta Rocks’ was on the short list for a the moment I knew who Motley Crue, Guns ‘N
nomination for a Grammy. I think this occurred Roses, Poison, and the like were, I knew I wanted to
in 2014. Those are quite the bragging rights for someday play the Whiskey. I am eternally grateful
any band, let alone an indie band! As a side for the boys in Silversel for helping me check that off
note, ‘All Outta Rocks’ remains one of my my bucket list. It was an amazing show! My least
favorite rock ballads by a band, indie or favorite comes with good and bad overtones. In
mainstream. Share with our readers how you felt 2019, Silversel did a major city tour up the east
when the band received this iconic news. coast. We toured from Statesboro, GA, to Long
Island, NY, hitting major cities along the way. We
WS: We were absolutely blown away! We couldn’t met some amazing people and played in some epic
believe it, and we still can’t. Initially, we thought our venues. The problem with this tour and why it’s my
manager at the time was joking when he told us. We least favorite, is because everything that was in
were just this little indie band from South Georgia, writing got ignored by the company booking it. Life
trying to make music we enjoyed. It was then and happens on tour, venues change, schedules
always will be a true honor to have been put on that change, etc. However, when you’re expecting a tour
list. If memory serves me, we were beat out for the bus for Silversel and 4 other bands and all their
nomination by Neil Young and Queens of the Stone equipment, and a church van pulls up, things start to
Age. Which in and of itself is amazing to us. To be go downhill. But, in typical Silversel fashion, we
on the same list as so many amazing artists. It’s still soared above it and made the best of a bad
extremely surreal. situation.

KP: I have mentioned one of the highlights of
Silversel’s career…being considered for a
Grammy nomination. However, all bands