SILIAN RAIL ON SURVIVAL

I have been following Local Record label Parks and Records for some time. Thus it is with great excitement that I bring you this interview from Local SF Band Silian Rail.

Does your band get together and plan? Explain!
As far as tours, timing of releases, collaborative projects, etc., yes, we certainly plan. While we get a ton of terrific support from the labels we work with, friends, etc. , there is still a lot of strategy that has to go in to the running of the band as an entity beyond just the music, and we do put a lot of time and effort in to it, and try to do it in a way that is smart, effective and always serves the music and our broader artistic vision. I should add to that those sorts of concerns always come up after the creative concerns, and are formulated in conjunction with our artistic aims.

Is there something your band does that makes your meetings successful?
We don’t have a particular strategy or way of planning, and sometimes we are more successful than others. I do think it’s important for bands to always make sure that whatever endeavors they are working on are first and foremost fun and creatively rewarding, and that they are situations and groups of people that allow the band to be at its best and/or learn something. Timing and momentum are also good things to keep in mind.

What advice do you have for band about creating a personification?
While I do think there is tremendous value to shaping your bands’ presentation in a way that is compatible with and compliments/serves the music you make, I would say that trying to manufacture an identity for its own sake is dangerous territory that can lead to insincerity which is both personally unrewarding and which people can usually see through. That being said, with the speed and ease with which media/information/images/sounds travel in the present age, it is worth being thoughtful about how you present the band and making an effort to be consistent and thoughtful in the choices you make. But, always with a music first approach. If you are making music that you believe in, it should be easy to figure out what compliments that appropriately.

What is the hardest thing about promoting?
I think the hardest thing about promoting is the pressure generated by a hyper-saturated media environment to designate and distinguish oneself with ineffective tools like genre tags, references to other bands, one liner descriptions/etc. The expectation that a 30 second sample or a singular genre label can provide anything truly meaningful or enticing to someone who cares about music can feel a little ridiculous at times. That being said, it is amazing that there are so many tools available for people to self promote and reach an incredible range of people. I think we have particularly enjoyed and benefited from appreciating the personal connectivity that modern media enables as a way to have dialogue with musical peers/fans/etc. So, coming from a band who is pretty bad at self-promoting, I would say appreciate the tools that you have and use them to speak to people in your own voice, and to connect with people on a personal level.

What tools do you recommend for people to self-promote?
Well, the obvious internet ones — good old fashioned email lists/internet groups, blogs, youtube, facebook, myspace, the various other sites that allow you to post your music and communicate to large groups of people. More than any particular website it’s just the fact that bands can create and distribute material very easily in this insane technology driven modern world, and it can immediately be available to anyone with access to a computer/the internet. Self promotion is tricky terrain for a number of different reasons, though, and it is important to think about the things that accompany these formats — i.e. annoying and offensive advertising.

How do you connect with bands, fans and industry professionals?
We do utilize websites like myspace and facebook, though we’ve found that playing lots of live shows is the best way to connect us to new listeners, as well as to other bands, who often become friends/fans/allies.

How do those new fans end up at your show?
When first starting as a band, it helped to just play as many shows as possible; despite how small or weird it seemed, some small seed was usually planted, i.e a friendship with another band, people who love your show and tell their friends about you who then come to your next show, etc etc.

How do you secure them as fans?
Obviously, the longer you are a band the less it makes sense to play every show that comes your way. Having a tight-knit community of bands/friends is also incredibly helpful, which happens as a result of being supportive and friendly to each other rather than aloof and competitive, and manifests as the sharing of press and booking resources, playing shows together, and lots of good times.

What is the hardest thing about touring? How have you overcome that?
We are touring currently, and will be throughout the year. We actually have a mostly incredibly positive experience touring– every time we go out we seem to make new connections with wonderful, talented, generous like minded people making interesting music and working hard to support the underground music community. I think the things that get to us are the more trivial inconveniences– long drives (remedies– running in the morning (for eric), throwing the frisbee around), missing loved ones and friends and pets (remedies- phone calls, mid tour stopovers at home).’

- Silian Rail: Eric Kuhn and Robin Landy

ALSO CHECK OUT THEIR NEW ALBUM - OUT NOW!
Silian Rail “Parhelion” – listen “Parhelion” album preview mp3