It's a great pleasure to be able to post this little interview with one of my musical buddies, Joe Silva. Joe was one time drummer of the the 80's band The Threats and is now establishing himself as a solo artist. He's toured the UK supporting Mike Peters and has played at The Gathering in Wales on the same bill as The Alarm.
Click on the links to enjoy the music and visit the sites.
Picture by Andy Labrow.
Doug: It's been a busy year for you, what's been your highlight or highlights?
Joe: Recording at Abbey Road Studios, Touring the USA with my 'Blue Acoustic Tour' that included performing in my home state of Rhode Island with B.B. King, playing a breast-cancer benefit with Billy Squier in Massachusetts, and sitting in with Foo Fighters' drummer Taylor Hawkins' band on drums in Los Angeles while he sat on the stage and cheered me on......and I could go on. It was another very special year for me.
Doug: Having just published your first book, and your wife being a writer as well is there a battle to see who can come up first with the second book?
Joe: My wife and I don't compete on who will publish the next book... I think that both of us understand that anything worth doing is worth doing right, which takes time. It would be a mistake to rush a literary work just to get it out there quicker, as you know... Kim is thinking about a follow-up to 'Life at the End of the Tunnel' (a story about losing a loved-one to cancer in real-time) with the story told the eyes of her children.
Doug: You've just opened a shop as well? What's that all about?
Joe: When I'm not touring, I can be found at our new shop, Pea Poddery, which is a paint-your-own pottery studio in my home town. We have been open for three weeks and have been swamped with customers. It is great to see folks of all ages putting their electronics away and becoming creative. Kim and I decided that we wanted to start a business that would enrich the lives of people, so we came up with ideas (Kim had the initial idea of a pottery studio), studied the demographics and decided that there would be a real want for this type of shop in our area, and so far it has been extremely successful.
Doug: Have you begun work on a follow-up album to 'Blue' yet and can we expect that in 2014?
Joe: All of the songs for my follow-up CD 'Blue' have been recorded, and we are now in mix-down stage. Anton Fig (Late Show w/ David Letterman drummer) is producing this CD, as he did for 'Blue'. It will be released in 2014, and includes a version of David Bowie's 'Starman' that Ace Frehley of the band KISS plays lead guitar on.
Doug: Will the New England Patriots get to another Super Bowl this season?
Joe: Regarding The Patriots, of course I am hoping that they make another Super Bowl appearance, but the team is getting hit with injury after injury, which complicates the big-picture predictions... Your team, The Broncos, are looking good this year!
Doug: Do you still get to play drums at all these days or are you just focusing on the guitar and singing?
Joe: I do still play drums whenever I can (my first love)... When I play shows in New England, I perform with my full band, and will get behind the drum kit for at least half of the show. When I tour far away places, I tend to perform acoustically, as being on the road is becoming more and more expensive when traveling with a full entourage.
Doug: There was some talk about you getting into local politics as well at some point, is that still on the cards?
Joe: I haven't ruled out a run for Mayor in my hometown as of yet next year, but I may opt to back another candidate who would be willing to adopt my plans for the town so I may continue to perform and make a positive impact globally.
Doug: What are your hopes for 2014?
Joe: Hopes for 2014 include another tour in the UK, Ireland and USA. Of course, I hope that we as humans progress more toward curing diseases and finding solutions that lead to sustainable peace on our planet as we face another new year, and make life less about the newest electronic gadgets or purely selfish gains. I also hope that all of my friends remain well throughout 2014, which includes you.
Some Music From Joe.
Didn't Mean It Like This (Promo Video).
Blue (Promo Video).
Celluloid Heroes (Live 2012).
Happy Christmas (War is Over).
Letters From War (Live at King Tuts 2012).
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