By Anna Hart
Amidst a plume of cigarette smoke and drinks, I sat down with the men behind local rock group Silver. Gathered around a fire pit at Pignic Pub & Patio, the band members exuded the kind of influence that leads to both terrible decision-making and epic storytelling.
Formed this spring, the band is composed of Brendan Lund on bass guitar, Jeffrey Knight on drums, Adam Landis on piano, Josh Kisor on lead guitar, and Greg Gilmore on guitar and vocals. Various members contribute backup vocals.
Silver brands itself as American roots music. Listening to them is almost like listening to all of rock ’n’ roll’s various incarnations, from the edgy vocals, at times reminiscent of classic rock, to Americana-esque chord progressions, and an occasional funk guitar line.
Most of the band members come from established Reno bands—like The Kanes, Rigorous Proof, Six Mile Station and Buster Blue. While these experiences may have left their marks on the music of Silver, they have been more influential on how the band carries itself, able to roll with punches that would knock a group of greener musicians out cold.
“That’s what I like about this band,” said Lund. “Everyone here is really proficient in their own right, and we can control the chaos. Everyone is pretty seasoned, so no matter what, things work together smoothly.”
With the band members so deeply entrenched in the Reno music scene, it is a wonder that Landis and Gilmore are the only ones who’d played together before Silver formed.
“Personally it’s like all of these guys are fresh to me,” said Knight. “I think you will find that Reno is a really incestuous pool of musicians, where most bands have multiple members that play together in other bands. This has been really rad, working with all new people.”
While many local bands are more than ready to leave Reno, Silver wants to take some time planting roots here.
“When I got back to Reno after touring, I could not believe the amount of cool shit that happens in this fucking town,” swore Gilmore. “It’s so exciting to be here. There’s not this kinetic energy in other places like there is here. Everyone is pushing so hard to make themselves be somebody and to make this town be something.”
Reno has a music scene that even Kisor—who transplanted from Modesto, California a couple of years ago—appreciates.
“I love the scene,” he said. “The town is small enough that you get to know everyone but big enough that you can’t tell that open mic nights are open mic nights. There is so much talent here.”
Although Silver has enough music and certainly enough experience to record and release an album, the band is holding off, allowing their music to hit the stage first and take some time to evolve and settle into itself, acting with the sense of patience that comes from being successful veteran musicians.
So what is next for Silver?
Some of the members have lofty goals—“world domination,” “making rock ’n’ roll great again” or simply “bringing us into the nuclear crisis.” Others are happy to play around Reno.
Greg Gilmore & the Fever Dreams is a five-piece callback to great Rock‘n’Roll. Their collective tenure in many pinnacle Reno bands left them seasoned performers and accomplished studio musicians. The foundation of Rock is built on five things: bass, drums, keyboard, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar. These are the weapons of choice for Silver and they wield them with assassin-like precision. After banding together in the summer... More
Greg Gilmore & the Fever Dreams is a five-piece callback to great Rock‘n’Roll. Their collective tenure in many pinnacle Reno bands left them seasoned performers and accomplished studio musicians. The foundation of Rock is built on five things: bass, drums, keyboard, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar. These are the weapons of choice for Silver and they wield them with assassin-like precision. After banding together in the summer of 2016, the group self recorded/released their debut EP “Rock’n’Roll Is Dead” and began touring the west coast, staking their claim in the silver state and beyond. After riding the wave created by their workhorse mentality it was time to find someone whose accomplishments rivaled, if not surpassed, their own. Enter Joe Johnston, owner of Sacramento’s Pus Cavern recording studio and the visionary engineer behind the console for Cake albums Motorcade of Generosity, Fashion Nugget, and Prolonging The Magic. Greg Gilmore & the Fever Dreams recorded “Let’s Talk Tomorrow About Last Night” over a 5 day span in early January, 2019. “After a couple years, we got really tight as a band,” vocalist and songwriter Greg Gilmore said. “We recorded the songs as we thought they should be heard, rather than a close representation of our live show.” Every instrument has its place, from Adam Landis’ breathy Hammond organ to Josh Kisor’s flowery guitar work. There are flashes of American rock idols like Jackson Browne and Tom Petty throughout the release. ‘Live Again’ has sugary harmonies, talkative bass lines from Brendon Lund and Jeff Knight’s colorful drumming. The guitar work is reminiscent of a fun-in-the-sun Allman Brothers jam and the great Santana. The sticky hooks and diversity of LTTALN are paramount, but Gilmore’s writing prowess is encapsulated in “Good Enough”, a country/rock testimonial about the fight to be a better person, partner and artist. Pursuit and struggle are felt in Gilmore’s clawing chorus. The raw emotion hooks you, the harmony and guitar work keeps you coming back. Every Greg Gilmore & the Fever Dreams concert is theater, they respect their art and each others time. Every Silver release has unbridled emotion, stories and dance numbers. Each member is a personality, from stoic to silly, but what they have in common are prolonged streaks of focus and work ethic. When they’re all fired up, they can’t be stopped. The same conviction that puts every dollar earned back into the band also leads them to sleeping next to their gear with rolled out sleeping bags surrounding tom drums. There’s no transition between sleep and work time. There’s only effort, the fuel to satisfy their standards and desire to be good enough. “The same voice in your head that weighs you down, generally becomes what drives you,” Gilmore said. “I came to the conclusion we all feel similar emotions, no matter how different we may seem.” What Greg Gilmore & the Fever Dreams captured on their second EP are five timeless classics, blasting from the past with a hope for the future. “Let’s Talk Tomorrow About Last Night” puts it all on the line and now it’s calling collect. Do you accept the charges? Less
Band
Rock, Alternative