Silverstein released one of our favourite albums of last year Dead Reflection. Ever since it’s release we have been patiently waiting for their return to Australian shores. May 2018 will see them return for a tour of Australia this time bringing along with them fellow Canadian’s Comeback Kid. We caught up with Silverstein guitarist Josh Bradford ahead of the tour to talk about the new album and he shares his excitement to return to the land down under.

SCENEzine
How’s 2018 been treating you so far?

Josh Bradford
So far, so great. We had a nice little break at the beginning of January then we went and toured north America with Tonight Alive, great Australian band.

SCENEzine
How was it touring with Tonight Alive being that Silverstein is quite a heavier band?

Josh Bradford
I thought it was great. We generally never fit all that perfectly on any bill. We are either the heavier band or the lighter band. I usually enjoy being the heavier band it can be a little off putting for people who like lighter music but I feel like we have a better chance of winning them over than you do if you are the lighter band on a heavy bill. It was a great tour, they are such great performers and a beautiful sounding band. They have a very strong message and I love the way that they interact with their fan base.

SCENEzine
Huge congrats on Dead Reflection personally it was one of my favourite albums of last year. You must be pretty stoked with how it turned out?

Josh Bradford
Thank you so much for saying that, that’s very kind. We are very proud of it, people have been very receptive to it since it came about. We tried some new things with the tunings on the guitars and production wise it sounds a little more slick. I think it came out really well and definitely still sounds very much like a Silverstein record. It’s been great hearing other people saying they are loving it.

SCENEzine
How was the experience of filming the video for “Ghost”?

Josh Bradford
That one was great. We worked with that production company a handful of times by that point, so it was a very comfortable working relationship. They know exactly what they are trying to get out of us. I thought it came out stunning, looks great and is one of my favourite tracks on the record.

SCENEzine
Are there any other songs from the album you particularly gravitate towards?

Josh Bradford
There’s a lot of great ones that are really fun to play. “Retrograde” is great and I love “Whiplash”. Also “Lost Positives” has become one of my favourites to play it has a different vibe than we have done on other records. And we haven’t played it live yet but “Wake Up” the last track on the record has a real cool vibe.

SCENEzine
The album sees Shane tackle some personal demons lyrically. Do you ever get worried about him while recording and hear these lyrics he puts down?

Josh Bradford
Yeah definitely over the years we have all gone through our fair share of life events while often being away on tour. This particular record is written mostly about his experiences over the last year and a half. He went through a real rough break up. It wasn’t so much just hearing his lyrics come out in the studio. We had spent most of that time with him while going through the break up. Then watching him try and find himself again. Most of the time we had spent together on tour so we were front row centre for it all, witnessing a lot of what he was going through. There was some tough times. I feel like we all went through his experience together. So I knew what he was talking about when he was singing the lyrics. I definitely feel for him.

SCENEzine
It’s not long until you are back in Australia. Does this tour become even more special that you are bringing fellow Canadian’s Comeback Kid?

Josh Bradford
Absolutely, most of the times we have come to Australia the tours have been great. We have teamed up with some killer Australian bands like Behind Crimson Eyes, I Killed The Prom Queen, Young Lions and Dream on Dreamer those have all been great supports. But this time will be amazing I know Australia loves Comeback Kid as well. Having them on the bill will elevate the energy of the night, they bring such a crazy energy with them and that will add to what we do. It’s going to go off, people are going to be losing their minds at these shows.

SCENEzine
Is there anything in particular you like to do in Australia besides play shows?

Josh Bradford
It’s one of our favourite countries to visit you guys have some great food and drinks. When we are in the cities we will hit up some of our favourite spots like lord of the fries. While we are in Brisbane we will probably make our way out to Lone Pine koala sanctuary again. It’s not a trip to oz if you don’t go get your picture taken with a koala.

SCENEzine
How do you feel about this craze in Australia called doing a shoey? Where bands will drink beer from a shoe.

Josh Bradford
I’ve seen that but have never been asked to do it. I don’t know that I would want to do it. I have sweaty feet I sweat a lot. I don’t want to be a bad sport if I get egged on and I’ve already had a couple of beers in me then it could happen.

SCENEzine
It must of been surreal back when you first came for just some young Canadian dudes to have your music resonate all the way across to Australia?

Josh Bradford
Absolutely, we didn’t know what to expect the first time we were there. We were more than anything just thrilled to get to go visit. Then the shows were awesome we were very well received. We always look forward to coming back the fans are so welcoming.

SCENEzine
The big cliché is we have koalas and kangaroos everywhere and we all eat vegemite. Are the Canadian clichés true that you guys have moose and beaver everywhere and everyone puts maple syrup on everything?

Josh Bradford
There’s some truth to it. In a big city like Toronto where we live you don’t see many moose or beaver but if you go a little outside of Toronto it gets pretty wild, pretty fast. Moose are pretty illusive despite their size. For sure everyone loves maple it’s a delicious taste. I sometimes will drink maple syrup from the bottle, it’s all true.

SCENEzine
With that big Myspace explosion of bands in the mid 2000’s so many bands no longer exist from that scene. What do you think the key reason is that Silverstein have been able to keep the longevity going?

Josh Bradford
Good question. I think we’ve always been driven and realistic. We started doing this a little before Myspace and the internet in general started playing such a huge role in how people got their music. In the midst of all that Myspace explosion there were a lot of bands popping up that saw the opportunity to get in front of a lot of people really fast and maybe weren’t in it whole heartedly for the love of making music. Some weren’t in it for the long haul they were just trying to cash in on an opportunity but we’ve always loved playing, creating and travelling.

We like to make smart decisions for the purpose of the longevity of our band. We still have almost complete control of everything that we do, we are self managed. We write all of our own songs, have a lot of control over how they are released and the creative direction. We are kind to each other and communicate well and respect each other which has played a lot into how long we’ve been able to keep doing this.

SCENEzine
What’s your opinion on Warped Tour ending?

Josh Bradford
That’s pretty sad, it’s the end of an era. It’s been a big part of our lives and our career. I know we all went to that as fans before playing in this band. Then our band has played on it about seven years. It definitely gave us a big jump start. We had a record out on Victory but were struggling to get in front of new fans. We were headlining small clubs and getting the occasional support slot but the times we did Warped Tour were some of the bigger audiences we had the opportunity to get in front of at that time. Being involved in that scene really helped elevate us.

That being said it’s been almost twenty five years, definitely the tour itself has changed a little over the years as far as the types of acts you will see on it. It feels like it’s starting to run its course to some extent. I do believe that it will never fully die and will resurrect for the occasional event it just wont be a full summer tour of USA. I wish them all the best and I know we will be involved in a small capacity this final year and play a couple of gigs on it. It’s sad to see it go.

SCENEzine
What’s it like playing an old crowd favourite like “My Heroine” live seeing the crowd go nuts? Do you still get an amazing feeling every time?

Josh Bradford
Oh yeah, some of those real old ones that we play at every show we’ve ever done are fun still because you don’t have to think too hard to play them. Your muscles know what to do and you can enjoy the experience a little more and watch the crowd. It’s definitely a fan favourite and we will often stop playing the instruments during the last chorus to let people sing it out loud on their own. It’s a great feeling having a huge crowd singing something you wrote back at you.

SCENEzine
Lastly are their any TV shows or movies you’ve been watching in your down time you can recommend?

Josh Bradford
I’ve been watching a bunch of stuff lately a lot of Bobs Burgers, that’s a fun cartoon. Embarrassingly enough I just watched the first three seasons of Rock of Love again where Bret Michaels is trying to find love. I really like The Handmaid’s Tale it’s a pretty interesting look at a dystopian future where there’s all these laws on restricting women and their roles in society. It’s a scary glimpse into what is seems like America is devolving into.

SCENEzine
That’s a crazy coincidence you mention Rock of Love because I unfortunately miss you guys playing in Sydney because I’m flying to Vegas to see Poison. But will be catching you guys in Melbourne before I fly out to Vegas.

Josh Bradford
Killer, cool I’m glad you are coming to see one of our other shows on the tour I think Melbourne will be a real good time. Definitely going to Vegas to see Poison that could be debaucheries.

(interview by Christian Ross)

 

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