Brian – Recently stumbled across your blog thru someone who shared an early 90s Silos show. Has been very interesting reading, and I’m also digging the MP3s you’ve shared from that Silos period.

I also just “followed” you on Twitter. My name is @toomuchcountry.

Gotta admit – the blog has been a tough read so far. I learned of The Silos at “the bird” RCA CD as did many. I backtracked to Cuba, and I’ve moved forward with everything since – including a couple of Walter’s solo CDs, two Vulgar Boatmen releases, the first Setters CD, etc.. I’ve met the guy 3-4x, and he’s always been super to me. Konrad Meisner, their current drummer, and the late Drew Glackin were just as nice as they could be to me as well in the limited instances I had to shake their hands too.

Considering the difficulty its been over the years to learn more about The Silos beyond what’s pressed to a CD, I’ll take what I can get – the good, the bad, and the ugly. I appreciate your candor about the insight of those days.

I have nothing to go on but tunes and a couple of “Hey man, how ya doing? My name is Chase.” encounters. But I’m also open minded enough to know being in a band can be a rough and tumble time vs. any harmonious vibe portrayed in videos or on stage.

Keep the blog going as I’ve enjoyed your entries so far – even if they do rattle me a bit with my evaluation of the band. And hope to see you on Twitter as well.

Chase Whitaker
aka @toomuchcountry
Franklin TN

The Silos story on your blog is mesmerizing to me, mainly because EVERYTHING you are writing I suspected as a very close listener to The Silos in the early days. There was a sense, to me as an outsider that the band had so much untapped potential – and that something was holding it back. I do know that the KCRW session from April 18, 1990, with you, Graham, Kenny, Bob and Walter, is simply one of the finest pieces of music I own.

Bands and their managers would kill for this kind of publicity. Bri, I also want to respond to you about the whole Bill Flanagan angle to the Silos story. The Musician Magazine article should be found. I picked him up at the airport in Gainsville. He was a Silos fan and his story was practically written before he attended any of the sessions. I ran into him years later at a Warren Zevon concert. We discussed the Silos. To paraphrase him “the Silos hold no interest for him without Bob Rupe” The magic. The “thing” was the blend of their voices.

Hey bro… tellin’ it like it was!!!!

I have to admit that its a bit difficult to read some of this. Only because in retrospect, so much more may have been done that could have made the sessions, and the record, better. On the other hand, RCA was in such a sorry state as a label by the time the record was released, I doubt it would have made any difference at all.
Im just glad Ive been blessed with the opportunity to work on so many good records since then, with so many creative and humble artists. I never lost faith that it was out there somewhere.
Thanks again Brian for posting these recollections.

Hey Brian, I enjoyed reading this, well done! I saw you guys at CB’s around this time. Perhaps it helps explain why the Silos are still going to this day, while this seemed to be their career peak…

BD, LOVED your blog. “Nobody move, nobody get hurt”. It was well written. Honest. And speaks of the hope that we all had despite the hurdles created by WSH. It also speaks to me personally and loudly of the power of passive aggresive behaviour. WSH used such a tactic to assert control. But as you put it, “He didn’t know what to do with it once he had it.” Bob could also be quite inarticulate but I never saw it is a studied and manipulative strategy. Bob was just Bob and he truly was the “talent” of the band. WSH has a certain level of talent. I agree with you there. He is just not as talented as he thinks he is.
I remember there was this point during that period where I would have converations in my own head, just thinking about the real possibilities of the ultimate success of this band. During these conversations I would sometimes have to convince myself that WSH was capable of the growth that would be essential to sustain a career that took the Silos out of the clubs and big bars and into the theaters and sheds. I had invested so much time and energy into my care of the band that I become a bit blind to the truth. When WSH and Bob came off of the plane from Toronto and I picked them up in my little Honda Prelude, they were carrying with them a cassette of the mixes for “the Silos”. I put the cassette in the player. I was instructed by WSH and Bob to level all the settings to “flat” which I did. It wasn’t more than one minute that I knew in my heart that it was over. Over for me at least. Compared to what was possible, this was the most dreadfully heartless music that I had ever imagined. Subsequent live shows further shaped my opinion that Bob was the only chance for this band to go anywhere other then where WSH, his “Dogs”, and his trust fund now find themselves. In fact, I will go so far as to say that WSH was afraid of what would have to be done for the Silos to take it to the next level and that is why he retreated. Better to be loved by a few than be honestly assessed by the many. His business practices were also manipulative and dishonest. He stole from me. I found this out only last month. That fact alone is sickening.

Best,

Mark