How exactly did AoS form and how did you all meet up?
Well, I (Cameron) have been and am still building an arsenal of hundreds of home recordings, most of them less than two minutes long. I met Adam at a pet store and we just got along so well that wen i found out he played bass, i didn't even care if he was good, i just wanted to be in a band with him, so i asked him, he said yes, and turns out, he's a killer bassist. We then found Serge (drums) and Dolce (cello, guitar) in a engineering trade show/convention, Serge is a cyborg that she created. Funny thing is he's not created to do drums, he's an outstanding Palm Tree trimmer who was struck by lightning and started creating art.
How did AoS get it's name and what is the meaning behind it?
Silence is the source of all our music....maybe even all music, I'm not sure. An anthem is a celebration of something's greatness, so the "anthem of silence" would be.....music.
What is the bands favorite song to play out of your whole set?
The newest stuff is always more exciting to play, sometimes we let an old song fade into the past so long that when we remember it and play it again, it seems new, then THAT one becomes exciting. But right now it's definitely "She's a Holiday" "Rings" and "Turkish D" (soon to be renamed)
Explain the writing process your band goes through to come up with your material.
What I love about our music is it's almost like a separate band member unto itself....by that i mean we have never said "I'm going to write a song about (put topic here)" it's always a partnership with the song itself, it (the song) often tells US what it's about and thus shows us something about ourselves that maybe we weren't thinking about. I personally have a deeper relationship with the meaning behind melody, and Adam helps put that into words. Dolce drops a bunch of pots, pans, and silverware into a metal drum then interprets melody and rhythm from it......she's crazy. Serge is always there to add structure which isn't an easy task among us scatterbrained kitchenware chuckers.
What are the different influences stemming from each band member that make up your sound?
We each took three.....
Dolce: Dvorak, Elgar, Weezer.
Cameron: Nirvana, Andreas Volenveider, Marco Benevento
Adam: Jeff Buckley, Fugazi, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Serge: ABBA, Supertramp, The Who
What is the farthest you have traveled for a live show and what is your favorite place to play?
Antarctica.....ok, we haven't played Antarctica YET...but we are seriously trying....seriously. We've been pursuing a government grant for an artist-in-residency program on the bases in Antarctica. But in the meantime, we've been playing around LA, trying to get acclimated to the weather. Our favorite place to play is El Cid in Silverlake. It's welcoming, cool stage, warm chairs and lots of space for our friends to hang out. We turn down all "pay to play" and "presale minimum" shows; it's sad that there's such a predatory aspect to the music biz. Bands that believe in themselves always go farther in life and really don't need that kind of "help" anyway.
Tell us what AoS currently has in the works.
We just finished tracking some new material and are in the process of mixing and mastering. The new record has a working title of "Telewision" and we're hoping to release it by the end of 2010. We're blessed to be working with such great people on this recording. Our newest release, a four-song EP "Twenty2 Red Roses and One White Rose" just came out on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital distributors via our website, www.anthemofsilence.com
We've also been working with Reflex Inc in Tokyo who are helping us get some label and tour support in Asia and Australia/New Zealand. Here in LA we've been making fast friends with some folks in the A&R world as well as the film/tv-music world. We just relaunched our website and we've of course been working on new material throughout all of this. ...and we're keeping an eye out for a producer for our next full-length.
What is the band's biggest highlight or moment thus far?
Oh so many...spending a weekend in a Big Bear Lake cabin with Matty Green (our favorite studiomaster) where we recorded our live album...playing a benefit for schools in Ghana in Dolce's backyard...recording in an amazing studio in LA where Paul McCartney just finished tracking...interviewing live on Twaddle...playing a showcase at SIR for a small attaché of Japanese music industry folks...sitting around getting drunk together at Cameron's birthday party (singing Lionel Richie karaoke).
Where do you expect to find yourselves five years from now?
Wow.....hmm.....never really thought about it.....in five years i want to be sitting in a house who's mortgage is payed by the rights to one of our songs....that would nice wouldn't it? Adams thing is 'accept the best, expect the worst" which means although we all have things we'd like to see happen, and are willing to work towards, it's really about the ride to us, and anything that derails our creativity (like expectations) we steer clear of.
Where can your fans find you?
www.anthemofsilence.com search itunes or amazon of course facebook, myspace, and youtube you know, the usual.
aos@anthemofsilence.com
"it's really about the ride to us, and anything that derails our creativity (like expectations) we steer clear of"
AoS Has The Talent, The vision And The Staying Power To Rival Any Band Currently In The Mainstream SpotLight.
