The Silvermen - "Pioneers of the Intergalactic Frontier"

Album review by George Schultz

Houston, we have a problem. The intergalactic alien sounds of the “Silvermen” and their spaceship of funk have penetrated the dome shell of our atmosphere. And, they don’t appear to have any intentions of returning to the planet from which they traveled.

Since their arrival, the kids have all begun to run amuck in a fit of divine righteousness. So, the impact of the “Silvermen’s” visit might not look so bleak after all. We must ensure that futuristic sound equipment is made available to them at all times to appease their apparent obsession with the pop-rock sound. In return, they might be willing to allow us to research their brains to further understand the mentality of these strange foreign beings. The only thing they have demanded so far is all of our Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins records which seem to be the only thing capable of sedating them long enough to conduct further research.

The “Silvermen” are a three-piece local band whose sole intention is to “dominate the world!” Actually, they only say such things to shake up the locals. They claim to be content playing and performing music. According to the band, “The audiences and venues will come and go, but the pure joy of sharing the gift will always drive us forward.” These guys obviously enjoy playing music not for the monetary value, but for the sheer love of music.

It may honestly be said that the “Silvermen” carry an original sound that couldn’t be compared with much else. Let’s say the Reverend Horton Heat happens to be cutting a live record at a random outdoor music festival, and ultra-pop stars, Weezer, happen to stroll by with all their music equipment in tow. It turns out the Reverend is a huge fan of the college rock grungeheads and decides to invite Weezer on stage to play a few pop-rock tunes with an added Texas Rockabilly twist. The finished product of such a musical excursion might parallel the sound of the Silvermen.

The aforementioned variation in style is what seems to make this collection of fine tracks so interesting. Although, there is a heavy pop feel to the Silvermen, a number of the tracks exhibit a nice melodic honky-tonk feel with a great sound quality to boot. A few of the tracks even sound as if they may have been influenced by the native blues scene of Kansas City. Guitarist “Zoop” Coonce admits that the Austin blues guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughn had quite a big impact on his development as a musician.

Bass player William Brown and Zoop claim to have been friends for the last 16 years. They met one another in school at the ripe age of 12, and together they grew up sharing an obsession with music and Star Wars toy figures. In fact, they claim that many of these figures, “met their demise as a result of an experiment with an aerosol can and a cigarette lighter.” So, from then on out, together as mischiefs, they became the best of friends, and soon began to craft their obsession with music. They fell in and out of a number of bands practicing their skills on various instruments as time went on. Soon, all three members came together as a result of playing in different bands with one another at different times, and the “Silvermen” were born.

In a fury of what appear to be samples from old Star Trek episodes the “Silvermen” conclude their album of rebel-rousing pop tunes. “Pioneers of the Intergalactic Frontier” exhibits professional packaging with great sound production quality. The album cover espouses that the “Silvermen” are “a thrilling musical adventure.” Check out the CD and find out for yourself. . . . .if your not afraid of space aliens. Don’t worry, you won’t need Mulder and Scully to help you load the CD.

David “Zoop” Coonce plays the guitar, sings and guides the “star bird, ray guns, twitches, wobbles and scratches.” William Brown plays the bass, guitar, synth-bass, sings and controls the “sound construction and sample/story scenarios.” Paul Pace Jr. Plays the drums.

The “Silvermen” will be playing a show at The Current in Clinton, MO on Saturday, May 20 at 8 p.m.

For more info on the “Silvermen” contact Bill at 816-415-0033 or Zoop at 816-455-8688.

Keep your helmets on space cadets!

--George Schultz