Reviews For Silence:

What You Should Know: Hard Rock never died, it was just brewing in Denver, Co.! Silence formed in 1990, and have been building a strong fan base in their home state, as well as throughout the Midwest.  Robert Case, the bands manager and mentor, has cleverly marketed the band with in-store performances in the Media Play stores in Colorado. When you listen to 'Sad Eyes," imagine the acoustic rock of Alice in Chains and the funk/blues of Blues Traveler. Look for "Sad Eyes" on VA CD #80. Contact: Robert A Case - 1.719.632.0227 Producer: Robert A Case, Steve Avedis & Silence Song: "Sad Eyes" From The Release: Silence Label: New Pants Publishing Members: Robert M. Sanders (vocal/guitar); Larry Gonzales (guitar,vocals); Billy Schlitter (bass,guitar,keys,vocals); Dave Curnow (drums,percussion,vocals); Bobby Duhamel (keys)   Review: Totallyadult July 11th., 1997 Issue # 11 Suggested Songs: "Sign Of A Time"; "Sad Eyes"; "Life Goes On." Contact: Robert A. Case 719.632.0227 What you should know: Together since 1990, Denver's Silence has established a strong foothold up and down the front range of the Rockies, playing the club circuit regularly, tying in with several local and regional retail outlets, and by garnering some local radio airplay.. in 1993, they released their first CD, which not only gathered interest from a few major labels, it also got their name out there to move them up to a new level of touring; the following year saw the quartet showcase at the RMMA Music fest in Denver, the New Music Seminar in New York City and the Philadelphia Music Conference.  Since that time, Silence's   sound has gone through an evolution that has taken their music in a more acoustic and melodic direction.  Rather than counting on brash production and tons of guitar tracks, they've melded their sound down to an essence that's ripe for Adult Rock Radio to embrace.

Summary: "Utilizing hard rock textures from the Eighties, and repackaging them in a softer, more contemporary, largely acoustic-based style, Silence will please those older hard rock fans, although it remains to be seen whether they can find acceptance in the youth market of today. Interesting sound, especially on the Skynard-ish "Outta Smokes," but, overall, if success is really supposed to be about the songs, Silence is not always golden." – Steven P. Wheeler

Review: Music Connection (July 7-July 20, 1997) Silence – Silence New Pants Entertainment Producer: Robert A. Case, Steve Avedis and Silence Top Cuts: "M.S.O.M.," "Outta Smokes," "Sign Of A Time."

Despite its quite name, the Denver, Colo.-based band Silence, along with manager Robert Case of New Pants Entertainment, hopes to make a big noise on the Midwestern college circuit this year with the release of a second album, Sign Of A Time.

The album is a follow-up to Silence’s first release Sound of the Rain, which enjoyed success in the Colorado area, as well as marginal success in other states. Formed in 1990, the group is comprised of lead vocalist Robert Sanders, drummer Dave Curnow, lead guitar player Larry Gonzales and bassist Bill Schlitter.

"The four of us just sort of happened to hook up – in the same way most bands get started – and it started working," Sanders said. "At the time we played clubs in Denver like the Broadway and Bangles. We were playing original hard rock, which was real popular in the area."

A year later the band put together a demo tape of original material and passed it along to Case, who at the time was working with several other bands. "We wanted to get Rob’s opinion on our music," said Sanders. "I had worked with him on some other projects and felt like he might be able to help us."

For his part, Case said Silence came to him at a time when he really wasn’t that interested in working with another band. The demo tape, as well as the attitudes of the four musicians changed his mind. "These are really great guys," he said. "There’s not one ego in the whole bunch and I felt like they were talented enough and dedicated enough to stick with it until they were a success. I wanted to see if I could help them."

To that end, Case brought in a few producer friends of his to help the band put together a more polished demo. The two-song demo was completed in 1993 and shopped around to various record labels. "We got some interest from Geffen Records, but they wanted more songs, more material," Case said. "We basically decided to do a full-blown CD demo, bur the A&R guy left Geffen and we lost touch. So we did it ourselves at FTM Studios in Denver." That "demo" titled Sound of the Rain, went on to become a success on the front range, as evidenced by local air play and lines of people waiting to purchase the CD at gigs. It did well in other cities as well. According to Sanders it did well in "weird" places, selling out at record stores in cities such as Rochester, N.Y. and Cincinnati. "Who knows where and why," he said.

Case said he did "a ton of promotion work" on that release. "I basically spent about $25,000 on promotion alone. They had never done in-store promotions and they had never played a live acoustic set, so I worked with them a long time to get them into these record stores like Media Play. And they discovered that they were very good playing live acoustic sets. I also had them playing all these obscure, crazy-tablecloth type of places to get them the experience they needed and we did very well on that record."

So well in fact that the band was invited in 1994 to showcase at the RMMA MusicFest in Denver, the New Music Seminar in New York and the Philadelphia Music Conference. Songs from the Sound of the Rain also appeared that year on the Independent Records CD Sampler for the NARM Convention in San Francisco, the New Music Seminar 15^th Anniversary CD for the New Music Seminar and the Foundations Forum CD Sampler for the Foundations Forum Conference in Los Angeles.

"After that it started picking up on the industry end," Sanders said. "We started getting calls to do larger clubs in the area, festivals and college dates. So we put together a Midwestern college tour."

Along with the success of their debut release, the band members were learning some important lessons about what makes a good album and a few lessons in Marketing 101.

"Sound of the Rain was sent out everywhere and we tried to market it everywhere all at once and it got a little crazy," said Sanders. "It seemed like at least one of us had some problem with each song on the album. It was good, basic hard rock, and even though it was our material, it needed more of our personalities in it."

"I felt they needed to change their direction more towards the mainstream because a lot of the hard rock they were playing wasn’t current." Said Case. "I took the philosophy of Boys II Men, how they started out as rap artists and later turned into ballad masters. They gave the public what it wanted. I also think starting within your own region and developing a following is the best way to get the word out about a band, not to mention that it costs a lot less than bouncing around the country trying to book dates."

With a waning Colorado interest in any hard rock that wasn’t grunge, Silence headed back to the studio, this time with intentions of making a completely acoustic album called Sign of a Time.

"We had eight or nine songs that were going to be acoustic," said Sanders. "But once we got in the studio, they sort of each took on a life of its own. This album is 180 degrees different from the last album, in that it is more self-produced. It was just the four of us and Rob Case and our engineer Steve Avedis. I think we came up with some really good ideas. So even though we added more instruments, it’s still kind of acoustic, a little more mellow. This new album has a more 90’s feel to it. We like all the material on this album."

In support of the album’s Jan. 22 release, Case plans to book Silence in Denver area clubs such as Illif Park Saloon (500 capacity) and the X Saloon (1,200) to get them used to playing in front of a Denver audience again. The band will also make special in-store appearances at Media Play stores in Colorado, have a record release party in Denver and begin submitting their work to national showcases. Case also said he is planning another Midwestern tour.

"I’m going to have them do a college tour again, especially in the Midwest, where I’ve been told by a lot of people in the industry that their new sound will receive a good response. We’ll be focusing our marketing efforts on states such as Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and Illinois. After that we’ll play it by ear as to getting booking."

Sanders believes that one of the toughest aspects in becoming a success is dealing with booking. "The biggest problem that we ever had in booking was that its hard for the owners of these clubs to understand what you play, yet they won’t take the time to come see you," he said. "If you say you’re original hard rock, you’re stereotyped. If you tell them you play acoustic rock, you’re stereotyped. Well, we’re not a grunge band or a thrash band or a punk band – we’re not Hootie and the Blowfish. We’re just ourselves. So we’ve basically adapted our style so that we can play whatever the club owner wants, whether its hard rock or acoustic or covers. That helps us get dates, which is the only way people are going to know who we are."

Case said although booking can be tough, he believes the band will be fine. "These guys are all stable, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. They have a good, marketable sound and I know they’re going to make it all the way."

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