Interview with This Century’s Sean Silverman
This month I had the chance to interview Arizona based pop rock band, This Century. They have released their last album as a band called Soul Sucker, which is now available on iTunes! Check it out! Here’s what Sean Silverman had to say when I asked him a few questions:
How is your new and final album Soul Sucker different from music you’ve made before?
“With this record, we approached the writing process completely differently than previous records. We gave ourselves a deadline of two weeks to form the material and spent more time collaborating with each other than we’ve ever done in the past. I think there was a conscious effort to strip down what we do and create something that was more raw and true to the three of us playing tunes together in a room.”
So you have been together for almost 10 years now and you’ve gone through a few changes as far as band mates go, would you say the transition from losing a band member to gaining another was a difficult one?
“We’ve more or less maintained the same core members from the beginning and have had a few outside of that who have come in and out of the band. It’s always a bit difficult when you mess with the chemistry of a band but I think that having the same foundation all of these years has allowed us to transition fairly easily.”
How’s the music scene in Phoenix?
“From what I can tell it’s still alive and kicking! A lot of what I’ve heard from the Indie rock community here has been really impressive. It’s finally back to being the nurturing scene that it’s needed to be in order to have great bands floating around.”
After being on multiple tours so far, which tour has been your favorite as a band?
“My personal favorite would have to be the 8123 Tour. It’s rare that you get to take all of your closest friends out like that and put them on the road. I can’t remember a single dull moment from those two months. It’s one that would be hard to compete with.”
How would you describe your band’s sound throughout the years?
“In a way the band has come full circle. We started a lot more progressive, then got funky, then got poppy, then went back to slightly funky and finally tried to combine all three. This latest record blends all of the different musical inspirations that have shaped our sound over the years.”
What advice would you have for people who want to form their own bands?
“Find amazing, caring, hysterical, empathetic human beings and work on the craft of songwriting. All of the other ancillary things will come in time but it needs to start with great songs and one of the best ways to learn how to do that as a band is to write a hundred terrible tunes until the great ones start to appear.”
As you’ve announced, This Century as a band is coming to end. Through your years as a band, who would say were your top inspiration through it all?
“We’ve been fortunate enough to have the most enduring and inspiring fans a band could ever ask for. We like to call it our TC Family because that’s really what it’s because over this last decade for us. Without that, there’s no way that this record would have been possible.”
When you all part your own ways, what kind of music projects are you planning on doing?
“We’re all very much still involved in music. Alex and I will still be writing, producing and performing, Joel will be venturing out into his solo project and Ryan’s project, Stop Dead will still be continuing. Lots of music to still be created and we’re all incredibly supportive of one another.”