I got to sit down with Silver Creek Folk at Vapour Central in the Yonge and Bloor area. They came in a very happy mood, because this cloud inspired room would put you in the mood to do just about anything cool and down to earth. This is a great atmosphere to conduct an interview.
BT- When I did my concert review of you; I mentioned you remind me of The Allman Brothers. What other comparisons are you getting from other people?
SCF- We do get the Allman Brothers quite a bit, the Grateful Dead once in a while, sometimes The Band and Skynrd sometimes.
BT- I was listening to your EP today and I heard some Skynrd in there…
SCF- Yeah, buts it’s usually older stuff. When I listen to music that is where the heart of the music is.
BT- How long have you been together?
SCF- It’s kind of an anomaly, like the three of us have been together for 5 years and the first person we ever recorded with is Collette, as a folk artist because she is a good singer/songwriter. Then we met drummer Steve Baker two years ago and began to rock out.
BT- I need to know why there are four guys on the cover of your new EP and you have a female bass player.
SCF- Collette joined just after the photo session. Outside comment; She needed a bigger beard.
Collette- I shaved that day and they told me not to bother, HaHa…
BT- So, the name, where did that come from?
SCF- We all hike around Silver Creek near our house. It is in a conservation park and Steve actually works there. It is in Georgetown, Credit Valley Conservation.
BT- I asked the band members about their musical influences, and here is a list of the bands they grew up with and sounds they loved over time.
Led Zeppelin
Joey Jordinson
The Band
Hip Hop
Pop Hop
Music in Church
Show tunes
Terrible Hair Metal (Influenced by and Uncle)
Santana
Sitar Players
The White Boy
Wu Tang
Bob Dylan
Jimi Hendrix
This is quite the eclectic collection of artists that will make Silver Creek Folk stand out as a band of future influence. They have a fearless openness to discovering new sounds for them to explore and merge into a new vein of music.
BT- Collette, being the only female in the band, what’s it like to hang with four testosterone laden guys?
Collette- Do you want an honest answer…HaHa. Oh no everyone is getting nervous, it’s OK.
BT- Do they treat you like a sister?
Collette- Yeah there is a lot of hair pulling and teasing.
BT- I was engraining myself with your EP today and I noticed each song had it own character, its own personal stamp. There a lot of good elements to each song. Where do you see this band going?
SCF- Hopefully just better, becoming more clairvoyant. Each person writes songs and we don’t tell each other what to play. We use this as a fusion inside of confusion. Our music is about being free. We actually had a violinist in today and the new song became a whole new beast.
BT- Where is the favourite places you have been playing recently?
SCF- We like the Red Dog in Peterborough personally. It is a good ol’ shit hole and the owner is a good guy. The Horseshoe of course, it’s legendary. I don’t think we’ve had a bad time there. The Bovine was one of the first times we played Toronto.
BT- If you had one venue to play, where would that be?
SCF- That’s easy, Massey Hall! It’s a no brainer. Red Rocks in Colorado is pretty sick.
BT- Who would you open for?
SCF- The Top (Laughter) ZZ Top? Because of the hair, we get that the most.
Silver Creek Folk consists of Kyle Hannah, Ben Hannah, Steve Baker, Jordan MacKinnon and Collette Andrea. They were all very down to earth and had a receptiveness to cultivate their musical collaborations and make the most of each moment that may give them magical gifts to keep moving forward.
As we wrapped up, we talked about other bands and concerts. They were all laid back and easy to deal with. Their good nature and openness should open a lot of doors for them. They are a young band with old souls and have the mature experience to grow into something bigger. Simply put, if you like a good jam band, add these guys to your list of bands to see. You will not be disappointed.