Tonight the dapper indie-rockers A Silent Film are taking over Denver's Bluebird Theatre for what is sure to be one of the most fun Friday night events happening in the city. Earlier this week we chatted with bandmates Robert Stevenson and Spencer Walker about what they've been up to since we last caught them in Denver, their love of "Our Mutual Friend" Brewery, and of course, their new record, A Silent Film, which was released on October 16th.
please note that for this interview, questions from Ultra5280 will be indicated by "MC" for our Music Editor Maddie Casey, and responses will be indicated by "ASF" from the band.
MC: Hello, gents! Great to speak with you. Congrats on the new album! How does it feel to have it finally released?
ASF: Thanks so much - it feels amazing! It feels like the end of one exciting chapter and also the beginning of a new, even more exciting chapter. It feels like being in the middle of a book where the beginning was fantastic but you know it is only going to get better. It feels great. Feelings are awesome.
MC: Do you think recording this album in your hometown added anything to the creative process for this record?
ASF: Absolutely. In many ways our previous album Sand & Snow was a product of our first adventures touring in the States, many of the songs were written and recorded in the US as a direct result of those tours and experiences. The new album A Silent Film feels like more of a homecoming, more nostalgic.
MC: And just before you entered the studio, you had just completed The Secret Rooms tour, which seemed absolutely incredible. Do you think those experiences lent themselves to the writing of this new record?
ASF: The Secret Rooms tour had a direct impact on the record. Two of the songs which ended up on the album - I Don't Need a Reason and Chinese Lanterns - we played throughout the tour in order to figure out how to finish them in the right way! And then just as a creative experiment for us the tour was incredibly inspiring. We were able to come back from the tour and focus all of that good energy into finishing the record.
MC: What is one favorite story from your "Secret Rooms" tour?
ASF: Hard to pick one! Some of the places we put on the shows were crazy. We did the LA performance in a huge studio where they used to shoot silent movies back in the day which was pretty appropriate for us! We played in a bicycle shop in Chicago, a bookstore in Boston - in New York we played the empty 16th floor of a Manhattan high-rise looking out over the city lights. Obviously there were also the usual tour shenanigans but you wouldn't want to hear about that would you...
MC: Since we saw you in Denver last, you've "re-branded" (if you will) more as a duo. Can you speak about that transition?
ASF: The two of us have been playing together since we were 14 years old, over time we've played with a lot of musicians. The band is 'officially' the two of us but we will always have awesome musicians out with us to keep delivering new and memorable live shows for our fans! Right now we have Matt Wilcox - a Colorado native who co-produced the album - on keys, Matt Kidd from Houston on guitar and Jake Roos who is from Oxford like us on bass. All incredibly talented and dapper gentlemen…
MC: You're already seeing success with your first radio single off the new album, "Lightning Strike". Can you tell us a bit about the song?
ASF: Knowing that your song is on the radio just never gets old! Lightning Strike is an upbeat, energetic song that talks of longing for a meaningful relationship but teases you with teenage desires. It was one of the first songs the two of us wrote together for this album and it set the tone in many ways for the writing sessions.
MC: Denver is right at the beginning of this tour for you. What excites you most about this upcoming run?
ASF: Sounds obvious, but you only get to do a first tour of a new album once and there is nothing quite like finishing an album and then going out and playing all the songs live, introducing people to the new music. Nothing is off the table when you release an album - perhaps no-one notices, perhaps you take it to the grammies. That's the great thing about doing what we do - anything is possible. So that's pretty exciting, but obviously playing the awesomeness that is the Bluebird Theatre in Denver is a close second. And hopefully getting the time to visit OMF brewery on Larimer St…best beer in town.
Be sure to catch the band TONIGHT at The Bluebird Theatre. Doors are at 8:00pm with tickets only $18! A great Friday night for sure.