And it's been a good one lately for Silversun Pickups
By Chris Nixon
For The Union-Tribune
March 1, 2007
Since the mid-1990s, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake – along with Echo Park to the south – serves as the epicenter of L.A.'s alternative music scene.
Beck, Karen O, Eels, Jane's Addiction, Pavement and the late great Elliott Smith all called the 'hood home. Located east of Hollywood with a population of 45,000, the L.A. borough wasn't always a Mecca of music.
“I would say in the mid-'90s, this area was, for lack of a better term, ghetto,” said Silversun Pickups' drummer Christopher Guanlao, from his home in Silver Lake. “It was just so cheap, so artists flocked here. You could get a two-bedroom apartment for $600 at that time.
“Silver Lake is not just a cheap place to live anymore: We've actually got clubs like Spaceland or Silver Lake Lounge or The Echo,” continued Guanlao. “It's easier to be creative when you have a bunch of people around that are creative. You end up feeding off one another.”
From stylish Silver Lake springs Silversun Pickups, a quartet firmly grounded in the psychedelic rock lineage of My Bloody Valentine and Smashing Pumpkins. Vocalist-guitarist Brian Aubert and bassist Nikki Monninger formed the band six years ago, adding Guanlao and keyboardist Joe Lester along the way. The Silversun Pickups found common ground in their friendship, which predated the critically acclaimed albums, the packed audiences and the accolades.
“First and foremost, we've just been friends,” recalled Guanlao. “Basically our friendship added another dynamic. If it wasn't for Silversun Pickups, I think we'd still be on Brian's porch drinking beer and hanging out.
“As far as arguments or discussions, we're very much like a family. At the end of the day, we're still going to be friends. We never really knew how far this band thing was going to go anyway. So we're just along for the ride.”
So far, the ride has swept the four Angelenos from local buzz band to a name on the tongues of late-night talk-show hosts. On the strength of incendiary live shows and the band's pleasing 2006 debut, “Carnavas,” Silversun seems poised for larger public awareness.
Recorded in studios around Hollywood and L.A., the album's 11 tracks range from the brooding atmospheric rock of “Three Seed” to the fuzzy retro guitar riffage of “Well Thought Out Twinkles.”
“Carnavas” rekindles the well-tailored guitar rock of Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), absent from mainstream music since the Chicago band's demise.
With help from producer Dave Cooley, Silversun Pickups crafted an album seamlessly melding Aubert's raspy vocals with his humming guitars, Guanlao's metronomic drum riffs and Monninger's droning bass lines and feminine counterpoint vocals. Any one of the album's 11 songs could easily find itself on alternative radio, a credit to Cooley's ability to focus the band's skills.
“Dave Cooley was great because he really pushed us,” said Guanlao of the producer, known more for his mixing and mastering work with everyone from D'Angelo to Polyphonic Spree. “Even when he lost an argument, the idea that he was fighting against us helped out. I know that sounds kind of weird. He really pushed us to our limits. He challenged us and got the best that we could do.”
On the heels of “Carnavas” (released in July of last year), SSPU set forth to tour and spread the good word. The fruits of its labor seem to be paying dividends, with Silversun Pickups scoring higher profile gigs at every turn.
The band performed live on the “Late Show With David Letterman” in December, and also on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” a couple of weeks back.
Locally, the Pickups played the FM 94/9 Holiday Hootenanny with Modest Mouse, The Shins and Pete Yorn in December at UCSD's RIMAC Arena, along with airplay on both 94/9 and 91X.
Guanlao and his band are trying to keep it real in the face of growing admiration and adoration.
“We have second cousins calling us and asking for tickets, which is cool,” said Guanlao, who plays with OK Go and Snow Patrol at SDSU's Open Air Theatre Saturday. “For us, we just try to keep the blinders on and just try to keep going forward and not worry about what's going on around us. It helps us to be grounded and focused.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
SILVERSUN PICKUPS
Etymology: The band took its name from the strip mall at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Silver Lake Boulevard, in the L.A. neighborhood of Silver Lake.
Hometown: Los Angeles
Year formed: 2005
Sounds like: Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine
LINEUP
Brian Aubert – vocals, guitar
Nikki Monninger – bass, vocals
Christopher Guanlao – drums
Joe Lester – keyboards
DISCOGRAPHY
“Pikel” (EP) (Dangerbird Records, 2005): This debut six-song extended-play single finds the Pickups in a search to find its voice. On the other hand, Nikki Monninger's sweet backing vocals (a la Kim Deal) and Brad Aubert's guitar riffs give a glimpse of the goodness to come.
“Carnavas” (Dangerbird Records, 2006): The full-length debut packs 11 radio friendly tracks into one palatable package. More than merely radio fodder, SSPU finds the perfect balance between tightknit rock 'n' roll and contagious melody.
– CHRIS NIXON
STRAIGHT OUTTA SILVER LAKE
Continue east beyond the glitter and gutters of Hollywood, and you have the bustling arts communities of Silver Lake and Echo Park. Led by the Silversun Pickups, a new generation of L.A. bands hails from Silver Lake. Here's a sampling:
Earlimart: This four-piece and its brand of bittersweet acoustic pop have been around for a while, but a new album in 2007 might propel Earlimart into the spotlight. Sounds like: Heir apparent to Elliott Smith.
Darker My Love: Tim Presley and his crew draw on 1960s psych pop influences, complete with fuzzed-out guitars and blissed-out feedback. DML is also on Dangerbird Records, same as Silversun Pickups. Sounds like: Early Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Black Angels, Clinic.
Giant Drag: Led by the edgy Annie Hardy, Giant Drag writes compact indie pop tunes brimming with Hardy's charismatic vocals. Check out 2005's “Hearts and Unicorns,” which deserved more notice. After performing as a duo for three years, Giant Drag is now just Hardy, who hopes to release a new record this year. Sounds like: This band is smart like Metric, sweet like The Like and hard like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O.
400 Blows: Named after the classic Francois Truffaut film, this black-clad trio cranks distortion-drenched spiny rock, often sliding into odd-time signatures. They play the Casbah March 13 with Qui (David Yow of The Jesus Lizard) and Triclops. Sounds like: Love child of Nebula's stoner rock and The Locust's noisy post-punk.
Midnight Movies: One of L.A.'s brightest young bands since coming on the scene in 2002, Midnight Movies channels 1970s NYC art rock. Gena Olivier's vocals hover over dark thumping indie rock. They play March 9 at San Diego's Beauty Bar. Sounds like: Nico with Velvet Underground, Ladytron.
Honorable mentions: Sailing, Autolux (at the Casbah March 15), Going Stag, Radio 4, Irving, Radar Brothers.
– CHRIS NIXON
