10 Questions with Silhouettes
What was the genesis of Silhouettes?
Jonathan Fields: Oh man! That’s a long story – Brandon you should take it.
Brandon Shayan: It was senior year [in high school] in 2014 and I really wanted to start a band. So, I threw up a thing on Craigslist and got a response from a guitarist and drummer. But it didn’t work out so I walked into the UAA Fine Arts Building and was asking all the drummers in the percussion ensemble “hey, do you want to be in band? No? OK, how about you?” Finally, I got to Clint and he was like “sure, I’ll be in a metal band.” We went about two years with just the two of us until I saw Jon walking out of his house with an amp and a guitar case. I kind of just knew I needed to reach out to him. The rest is history.
Who has been one of your biggest influences?
BS: Whip out the list Jon!
JF: Oh God! There have been so many bands that have influenced me. Probably Intervals, The Contortionist, definitely Oh, Sleeper. Bands like Intervals are super melody driven so they speak to me because we don’t have a singer so we can emulate what they are doing. Without having a singer, we really can’t do the same things that bands that have singers do.
Why not have a singer?
BS: We just haven’t someone who would fit the bill. The bill is a pretty high standard in terms of musicianship. We also need someone who is going to be able to kick it and be a part of the band. We definitely want a singer but it has to be the right person.
What can fans expect you hear from you?
Clint Dallas: Our fans come to hear melodies and metal. It’s definitely not something you hear every day so, yeah, that’s pretty much what you can expect to hear from us.
BS: For the longest time, I didn’t know how to describe our sound to people but I think we are harder than rock but not quite as in your face as metal.
What makes your sound unique?
CD: We throw down a lot of melodies and huge chords!
BS: I mean we might not be able to throw down as hard as the other guys yet so we play more of the pretty stuff.
CD: What [Brandon] means is we play a lot of really complex melodies which means we can’t always jump around and do the crazy stuff when we are performing live but when we get to the breakdowns, we are able to get super into them.
What bands would be on your ultimate mix tape?
CD: Definitely Intervals. Oh, and August Burns Red because the drummer, Matt Greiner, is my personal hero! He’s such a beast.
BS: Yeah, that dude is a total beast!
If you could go on tour with any band, who would it be?
CD: Erra! Totally, Erra.
BS: Periphery. Really anyone who pushes the genre forward.
JF: Plini.
BS: Holy shit! Plini would be epic.
Most embarrassing moment on stage?
JF: Haha! Can I say all of them? We have this one specific harmony in one of our songs and its literally the only thing that is happening in the song. I knew it was coming but somehow, I managed to play every wrong note and it sounded just like death.
CD: Death in a very non-metal way! I mean, I’ve broken drum sticks in the middle of playing but that just makes everything even more badass! Although, I have broken a ton of stuff off of my drum kit while playing live shows. That kind of sucks.
Best band moment?
CD: Recording, totally recording. I have thoroughly enjoyed recording with these guys – it’s been different from all of the other recording sessions I have done with other bands because most bands show up, record and then just leave. In this band, we drive together, we fight it out together and we create something that we love.
What’s next for you guys?
BS: Well, we are really focused on recording our EP and then after that, we are going to really focus on getting our name out there.
*Originally published by the Anchorage Press
