interview with The Silk Demise
What´s the name of your band? The Silk Demise
How was the band formed? It started as a solo effort, dabbling with electronic sounds on a PC with very low end gear. I moved to Toronto and put out an ad to get a vocalist. A bunch of people auditioned, and eventually I heard Olivia Zielinski’s voice. She was fantastic. We produced an album within about a year which was self-titled. That was in November, 2004. Prior to that, I had also done some work with Edie Marshall, but nothing formal. After our self-titled album, Olivia moved further away, so I worked with Edie and we produced Midnight Eyes, the second studio album. Since then, it’s been a predominantly solo effort.
Can you tell about your band? We’re smooth and sinister, heavily influenced by early trip-hop leaders like Massive Attack and Portishead. The sound can at times be dark, brooding, and atmospheric, but is balanced with melodic undertones.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band?
Bill Litshauer is from the Toronto area in Ontario, Canada. I write and record the music, mix the audio, and produce the albums. I also manage the non-music stuff, like the website, social channels, artwork, licensing.
Olivia Zielinski was the vocalist for our self-titled debut. She also wrote the lyrics.
Edie Marshall is in California, and provided vocals and wrote the lyrics for the album Midnight Eyes.
What were the ambitions of the band when you started? I don’t really know – basically just to see how far it could go. I got into music at a time when DAWs were available to the general public, which allowed me to dabble in all sorts of sounds that were previously limited to bigtime studios. Right now, I think it’s great that there are systems in place where you can hear your tracks play in a movie, show, or commercial. Licensing our music has turned into our best revenue stream, along with digital sales.
What's good/bad with the band?/ What genre do you feel you are? I guess the “bad” thing is that our sound is not exactly radio-friendly. We understand that we’ll never make it to the Top 40… but at the same time, that’s okay. As long as it’s interesting and we enjoy the process of putting tracks together, we’re happy. If a track happens to make it big one day, even better.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? I first heard the hums, drones, and melancholy of Portishead and Massive Attack though the dorm room walls in university. I was immediately hooked, and collected anything related to trip-hop. Those early sounds have been a theme in all of our work throughout the years.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We only write our own material, but doing covers is something I’ve thought about… so maybe down the road.
Have you made any albums?/ If yes what are they? We’ve made a number of albums, going all the way back to 2004 with our self-titled debut. In 2006 I released “Unlocked”, which was a collection of b-sides. In 2009, our next studio album was released and named Midnight Eyes. A few months later, a companion album was released – Music For A Film. After taking a break, Oceanid was released in 2013, along with the Revenant EP. Finally, November 2014, “Decade” was released, which featured the best tracked based on iTunes and fan rankings. All of our albums, including samples for each, are available here: http://www.thesilkdemise.com/albums/
Do you have any clips on YouTube?
Yes, we have a few clips and music videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChc9ujHpGj16Mf1XWH539eg
How old are you?/What got you started in music? I’m 35. I got started around 22. It literally all began when I bought a new CD burner for my desktop computer and it came with Acid 2.0, which was very simple multi-tracking software. Honestly, had I not been exposed to that, I wonder if I would have ever even started with music production.
At what age did you start playing? I don’t have any formal training in music. However, my parents put me in “accordion” lessons when I was about 8 years old. I hated them, so I quit as soon as my parents gave in to my whining. Ironically, I now like the sound of the accordion if it’s integrated into a modern track.
Where have you played from then till now? We don’t do any live shows since it’s pretty much a one-man show now, and I don’t think people would be interested in seeing me playing on my laptop. It’s on my bucket list to at least try one show at a small venue down the road.
Which band is the best you´ve seen? Deftones. Unbelievable energy and sound. When they start, it’s like a wall of sound smacks you in the face and then pulls you into the music. You then feel compelled to mosh like you’ve never moshed before.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? I got some new gear and software, so I’ll be experimenting with that for the next little while.
What are your goals with your music? There’s no set goal. As long as the revenue helps me break even, I’m happy. The most rewarding part is knowing that someone out there is actually taking the time to listen to one of our tracks. Their positive feedback serves as inspiration to make more music.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? I think it’s a mix. I’ll still play homage to older music… but I’ll try to integrate more modern sounds where it makes sense.
What are your sources of inspiration? Life, or what’s happening with mine, is a source of inspiration. The regular ups and downs that life presents us with makes for great material.
What's the first step when making a new song? Sometimes it’ll start with a beat, but more often it’s a little riff… and then expanding on that riff until it’s layered into a full blown track.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? For a smaller group like us, any promotion is good promotion. We can see that people are pirating the album as soon as it’s released, but I personally don’t have a problem with people listening to the music. However, I think it’s unfair to artists if tracks are re-sold or put into movies/commercials or other media without giving due credit.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? Deftones, Volumes, Apparat, Glitch Mob, 10 Years, and Moderat are a few of the bands I’m listening to now.
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? I work at a not-for-profit organization during the day and run a couple of satirical websites by night.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? One of my favorites is “Wildfire”, from the album Midnight Eyes. “Sioux” is also a favorite, on the album “Decade”.
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? I don’t do it as a living… it’s somewhere between hobby and “a living”. The moment I start making music for a living, I think it will stop being fun and I’d probably stop.
Do you have any webpages?
We’re also on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Silk-Demise/166431776719828
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? I don’t know if I’m in a position to give any pearls of wisdom… perhaps nuggets… But one thing that’s important is to love what you are doing. There are times when nothing seems to be coming together and you hit a wall. It’s at those times that you have to realize that it’s okay to take a break and step back. Eventually, something will trigger your creative spark and you’ll be able to jump back into the creative process.