Live at the Arena Vienna

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(Almost) unchanged for 25 years and increasingly successful: the Canadian hardcore forge Silverstein around Shane Told (center).

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/UNFD, Wyatt Clough)

For a quarter of a century, Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein have been delighting their fans with an almost unchanged line-up. To mark their anniversary, the quintet is coming to the Vienna Arena with a new album and frontman Shane Told tells us what he has to do with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.

When Silverstein formed in 2000 in the Canadian metropolis of Burlington, Ontario, with a population of 180,000, nu metal was just about to conquer the world, people were breathing a sigh of relief that the millennium had not brought the world to an end and the incipient disruption of the world order caused by 9/11 was not even a gruesome thought experiment. Standing together as a band for 25 years, developing together and maturing together in the process is an achievement that not many people achieve like Silverstein. Apart from a necessary change on lead guitar in 2012, the duo has remained stable since the early days, which is by no means a matter of course in the fast-moving music scene. "I don't know how other bands work and live together, but 25 years is really fucking crazy," summarizes frontman Shane Told in an interview with the "Krone", "we respect our different opinions and the fact that everyone is a different personality. It's actually not that difficult."

Sometimes even tweaking
What sounds easy in theory is a real feat in practice. Silverstein are in the category of bands where music is always a full-time job with great risk. They are too small to make any real money, but also too big to give up. So hard work and constantly being on the road are considered the foundation for the longevity of the Maple Leaves. "It certainly has a bit to do with where we come from. We're all from the same town, experienced similar things in childhood and know how much fun making music is. Sometimes you fall into a routine rut, but I have to pinch myself when I see where we've played and what we've experienced together. Other people would cut off several fingers for that. I'm very aware of how lucky we are with our career."

The "25 Years Of Noise" tour is not only taking Silverstein to the Vienna Arena these days, they have also been guests at Nova Rock many times. "Oh man, I still have a T-shirt with System Of A Down as the headliner on it," laughs Told, "that must have been in 2011. But this festival is always a highlight. Once we were headliners on the Red Bull Stage on the field, last time we had an early slot on the main stage, where a lot of people didn't even know who we were or what we were doing here. It's the mix that makes the difference, I find it incredibly exciting and fun. It also keeps a festival refreshing that you think you know well." Told is also a festival fan outside of his profession as the singer of a popular post-hardcore band. He first played at the "Warped Tour" when he was 16 and now takes his two nephews, relatively new adults, to festivals and plays the cool uncle.

Related to the Federal President
Speaking of uncles - Told's family history is where it gets really interesting. In conversation, he likes to mention an "Uncle Saschi" and grins mischievously. When he pulls his smartphone out of his trousers to take a picture, even the editor's eyes bug out - it's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. "My sister is married to someone from Innsbruck, but they now all live in Las Vegas," laughs the singer, "they now have three children and the father, my brother-in-law, is your president's nephew. I often tell this story at concerts in Austria, but nobody believes me. At least I can show you this photo. When my family is in Austria, they visit him and have a great time together. I've heard that he's your first president of the Green Party. That's a great thing. But for us, he is simply 'Uncle Saschi'."

When he's not visiting his celebrity uncle as a guest, Told concentrates on the band. There is no secret to their longevity apart from the camaraderie. "Almost all my favorite hardcore bands have recorded two or three albums and then disbanded. We didn't take Silverstein seriously at the beginning either, we just strummed around a bit and played a few shows. At some point, however, the band reached a size where we had to decide how seriously we wanted to continue the project. Ten, 15, 20 and suddenly 25 years go by and you realize that you're still there. You realize that you don't really have to strive for anything else anymore, that this band is your job. It took me longer to understand that." Silverstein has also changed Told as a person. "I've become much more extroverted through this job. I never used to be. If a guy bothers me at the movies, I say it to his face these days. That's probably because you're always at the front and everyone is looking at you. Singing in a hardcore band is like therapy."

Live in the Vienna Arena
Silverstein still have goals even after all these years. "For example, we've never played in India or Greece. There are still so many corners of the world to discover and play in that you never get bored." To mark the anniversary, the band is releasing two albums this year, which are intended to work together as a double album. "Antibloom" was released a few weeks ago and is a summary of the band's discography to date, while "Pink Moon" will be released to the public later in the year - no further details have yet been announced. On March 10, Silverstein will be celebrating their 25th anniversary with support acts Thursday, The Callous Daoboys and Bloom at the Vienna Arena. The concert has been completely sold out for a few days.