I’m a really big fan of 70s and 80s hard rock revivalists. I mean, most of these bands may never hold a candle to actual acts of those decades, but you have to admit, they can rock pretty hard.
Silvertide happens to be one of those bands. Hailing from Philadelphia, these retro-rockers have always always thought of themselves as outcasts. In the late 1990s, most teenagers were kept on a steady musical diet of the infamous pop acts from the close of the 20th century. The members of Silvertide, however, were drawing upon a deeper well of musical talent. With influences ranging from the Rolling Stones to the Faces, Silvertide’s members always were regarded as outsiders by their peers.
To the rock clubs of Philadelphia, however, Silvertide were anything but. It may have been shocking to more than a few to see boys in their late teens appear on a stage blasting out ballads in the vein of Guns N’ Roses or Aerosmith. Silvertide would go on to make quite a name for themselves in Philly’s rock scence.
Eventually, these accolades led to a record deal with J Records. Silvertide would go on to release an EP titled American Excess in 2002. Soon after, they were touring with everyone from Shinedown to Van Halen.
In early June of 2004, Silvertide released their first full length album Show and Tell.
Recently, on the band’s web site, singer/song-writer Walt Lafty discussed his musings on the songs contained on Show and Tell. For this review, I’ve decided to add his personal thoughts on each song, and see how they stack up with my assessment of each track.
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“Ain’t Coming Home”: That’s about being out partying, having a real good time, and not wanting the night to end. You worked hard all week long and it’s Friday night and you don’t want to come home.
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“Ain’t Coming Home” is a great way to start of an album of this nature. Powerful drumming leads into gritty guitar lines that surround you in a powerful rock n’ roll bliss. The lyrics have good synergy with the music. Everything clicks on this track, but it doesn’t quite show off what this album has to offer. (3.5/5)
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“Devil’s Daughter”: I was using a girl here as a metaphor for how I was feeling about the music industry. When you start out in a band, things seem to look the way they are. But as you really get involved, you start to see that about 90 percent of it is marketing. It’s bull***; it’s just not cool. The song goes: “I went to bed with an angel/ At least that’s what she said/ But as she tore off her dress/ Lord I must confess/ I’ve got the devil’s daughter in my bed.” It’s about waking up and realizing, I walked into this thinking it was one thing, and it’s not. A lot of people get into relationships really quickly and a week later, this person they thought loved them isn’t even returning their calls.
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“Devil’s Daughter” is a very fun song. Arguably the most well known song on this album, it’s easy to see why. This song recalls the “bad boy” image of most long haired rockers of past decades. This song is always an enjoyable listen and I’ll say this: Once you learn the lyrics, you will sing along. Trust me. (4/5)
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“SFC”: People try to tell you how you should do things, how you should dress, how you should act, how you should be. I’m saying to all those people: How dare you? I’ll never turn my soul in; I’ll never see things the way someone else wants me to see them, because it’s not the truth. People want your individuality, your freedom, and no price is worth that.
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Now here’s a song encompassing some language that may not have gotten past censors in the 70s (the 80s are a very different story). It’s a good song with a powerful message. At first, I wasn’t too impressed with this track, but my mindset has changed as it has become a regular in my musical rotation. (4/5)
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“California Rain”: I wrote that about being in California and missing my girl. A phone is no replacement for a hand touching your face. I really wanted to show the loneliness and desperation I was feeling.
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This is among my favorites on this album. “California Rain” combines great lyrics with excellent instrumental work. It’s a great love song that fits right in with the vintage sensibility of the album. “California Rain” was the first Show and Tell song that really captivated me and I highly recommend giving it a listen (5/5)
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“Blue Jeans”: This is more or less a fantasy. It’s about things I wish I’d done and things I have done but wish I hadn’t, things I regret. But it’s fun. It has a killer beat and that’s what I like about it.
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“She’s the kind of girl you bring home to your mother/she looks good in blue jeans/ even better under covers/she’s a devil in bed, between the sheets/ask her if she’s a saint and she’ll get down on here knees and pray.” That’s how “Blue Jeans” begins. Some of the catchiest lyrics on the album are showcased on this track. Sure, it’s simple songwriting about list, but for an album of this sort, it’s as good as gold (or maybe silver). (4.5/5)
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“Mary Jane”: This is a double entendre. I try to go for that a lot with my lyrics, where something has more than one meaning. People will take things in a certain way and who am I to tell them they’re wrong? At first this was about smoking weed, but then it became about a relationship. Not everyone smokes weed, but everyone – I don’t care if you’re a recluse living in the woods – everyone has been involved in some sort of relationship. It’s what we compulsively do as human beings.
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My least favorite on the album, I don’t really have much to say about “Mary Jayne.” I don’t really like the way it’s written, and I’m not a fan of the chorus at all. Still, all in all, it’s a decent song, just very sub-par compared to the rest of Show and Tell. (2.5/5)
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“Heartstrong”: In some ways, this is an extension of “California Rain,” but it’s more of a breakup song. It’s about someone breaking up with you, going away, then coming back. There’s a lot of pain and anger and confusion when something like that happens.
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The first ballad on the album, “Heartstrong” shows off Lafty’s ability to right some damn good lyrics. Not only is this song catch and a nice change of pace, it shows that Silvertide can be mature beyond songs such as “S.F.C.” (4.5/5)
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“To See Where I Hide”: This is about addiction, about being addicted to anything, whether it’s a substance or negative behavior or whatever. It says, “I’m running circles/ With hopes held up so high/ My skeleton’s got faster legs than me/ So he always looks behind/ To see where I hide.” We were living in the band house, before we made the record, and I was just doing the same things over and over. I finally stepped outside myself and said, Alright, I’m going to stop. I’d had this angry realization, mixed with depression, that I’d always been a pretty happy person, but this stuff I was doing was not making me happy. It would make me happy for a little bit, but then I’d get so pissed off because I’d need it to be happy. I thought, why should I rely on something like that when I have myself? And beyond yourself, the only truths are change and death. You can bitch and moan about it, or you can have a happy life and be free.
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I don’t really like this song much either. It’s just not up to snuff lyrically, in my opinion. The guitar work, however, is excellent, as is the drumming. However, this is the last track before Show and Tell begins it’s amazing climax and end, so I can forgive it. (3/5)
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“You Want It All”: It’s catchy. She wants more and more and more and more. Doesn’t that say it all?
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Walt’s right. It is catchy. “You Want It All” has some of the catchiest lyrics I’ve heard for a song of this sort. The instrumentation on this album is excellrnt, as are the soaring vocals. This truly is the pinnacle of Silvertide’s ability to sound hard and retro at the same time. (5/5)
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“Nothing Stays”: This was written after our first show. Our first real show was at this place in Philadelphia called The Hollywood Bistro. The cops raided the place because everyone was underage. Half my friends got locked up. They had to go to court. It was a real big mess. We had practice, like, two days later. I hadn’t showed up to work the day before so I’d been fired from this job I’d had a long time. I was miserable. The song was written about what we thought was a really ***ty show. That feeling of romance, of possibility, the one you have at the beginning of a relationship – and a band is like a marriage – was just gone. It’s that moment where you’re looking at each other and just going, ***. I was reading Robert Frost at the time, so there’s a line in there that references his poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”
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The second ballad, “Nothing Stays” feature the best songwriting Show and Tell has to offer. The music is slow and soft and compliments the exceedingly well-written lyrics. One of the best songs on this album, as well as a personal favorite of mine. (5/5)
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“Foxhole Jesus Christ”: Right after September 11th, a buddy of mine went into the Marines. This song is basically a letter to him saying, “Don’t act like a ***ing hero; don’t be stupid.” One of my best friends is in the Marines and one is in the Army. My uncle was in Vietnam, my grandfather was in World War II, and my older uncles were in the Korean War. I’m not anti-military; I’m just anti-stupidity.
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Show and Tell ends with a real bang. “Foxhole Jesus Christ” (known as Foxhole J.C. on the album), gives a real impression of frustration. You can feel the emotion in the vocals and instruments on this song as it goes through several tempo changes. “Foxhole Jesus Christ” is a nicely written, well-put-together song that is a worthy ending for this album. (5/5)
Silvertide may not be the best thing to hit rock n’ roll recently, but they’ve certainly caught my attention. A good mix of catchiness, edginess, grit, and tranquility come together to form the album that is Show and Tell. After hearing this, I for one cannot wait for Silvertide’s next studio work.
Pro:
Vintage style hard rock.
Con:
May remind you of too many artists you’ve heard before.
Silvertide is:
Walt Lafty - Vocals
Nick Perri - Lead Guitar
Mark Melchiorre - Rhythm Guitar
Brian Weaver - Bass
Kevin Frank - Drums
