Interview with Silverstein

Interview with Paul Koehler, May 13, 2009

The interview was made by Laura Schriefer of Punk76 at the Gruenspaan in Hamburg, Germany

Punk76: How was your day so far?

Paul: Good day so far. I just walked around Hamburg the last hour, checking it out.

Punk76: Do you like it here in Hamburg?

Paul: Yeah, we’ve been here several times. But every time were in different areas and try to walk around different places.

Punk76: Sean (the tour manager) told me earlier, that it’s your 4th time in Hamburg? Paul: Yeah… I think it could be the 4th time.

Punk76: Is there something that you especially remember in connection to this City? Paul: Hamburg, I believe was the first city we’ve ever played in Germany. When we first came in 2005 we played in Hamburg at the LOGO and that was our first show ever in Germany. And then we came back several times after that.

Punk76: Is it true that you named yourself Silverstein because of the writer “Shel Silverstein”? Paul: Yes, that is correct.

Punk76: So do all of you guys like to read? Paul: Yeah, we all like to read.

Punk76: Did you have other bandnames in mind before you chose this one? Paul: Well, that was 9 years ago so I don’t really remember.. we had other names in mind but we kind of liked the simplicity of Silverstein.

Punk76: Let’s talk about your new record “A Shipwreck in the Sand”, it’s your first concept record, who had the idea to separate the songs into kind of “chapters” and so on? Paul: I think we all just had the discussion to do it a little differently this time. We’ve released three records before all kind of the same format and similar to other bands so we wanted to be more creative and do something different than the other albums.

Punk76: What is the story of “A Shipwreck in the Sand” about? Paul: It’s obviously a story. It’s something that Shane (singer) came up with and then we discussed. It’s a story that’s very relevant today with all the social and political issues that involve a lot of families. So we tried to tackle a lot of issues and apply it to a storyline but keep it relatable to the fans, who listen to our music.

Punk76: So that everyone can identify with it? Paul: Yeah, that everyone can understand it. And that everyone can take it on a whole perspective but also say “yeah, that song relates to me still”. And that’s important to us, we don’t want to be abstract.

Punk76: Which chapter is your personal favorite and why? Paul: I kind of like the first chapter because the 3 songs float really well into each other and the first chapter was the first that came together so we were really excited about it.

Punk76: Who wrote the lyrics for it? Paul: Shane, our singer does write all the lyrics.

Punk76: But if he writes something that you don’t like, are you allowed to tell him? Paul: (laughing) : Yeah! And our producer does a lot of that with him as well. He’s challenging him.

Punk76: Do you first have the lyrics or first the music and then write matching lyrics? Paul: Typically it’s first the music but with this one we first had the concept and then the lyrics and music in combination. So it was kind of a backwards approach. But also the story was something above and beyond lyrics and music so it kind of was the 3rd element which was created first this time.

Punk76: The beginning lyrics of “American Dream” is: “It was on a wedding day, When my heart began to stray, Never thought I'd make such a big mistake Throw my life away”. Could you explain those lyrics a little bit? Paul: I can’t explain it that well but it kind of is the first part of the story that reveals the problems in the marriage between husband, wife and kids. There’s a main family, husband, wife and daughter and they talk about the problems, you know.

Punk76: You also recorded a song for the “Punk goes pop 2 sampler”, why did you choose “Apologize” by One Republic? (By the way I think it turned out great!) Paul: It’s just a song that we really enjoyed. A favorite. And it already kind of was a pop/rock song so it was easy to adapt. A lot of bands chose people like Beyonce (laughing) and Britney Spears and tried to do it like that.. but this song was transferred very easily.

Punk76: I like your version even better than the original. Paul: (laughing) Thanks! Actually a lot of people say that.

Punk76: You’ve always been on “Victory Records” is that right? Have you ever thought about switching to another record label? Paul: Uhm, we’ve kind of been under contract, so we’ve been completing that..

Punk76: And after that? Is there a special record label that you like? Paul: Uhm.. we really can’t have an opinion or talk about it really.. but there are a lot of options out there.

Punk76: So just wait and see? Paul: Yeah!

Punk76: If I would give you 100 Euros but you would have to spend them within the next 10 minutes, what would you buy? Paul: I would do what I just did, I just spent 200 Euros.. (holding up a bag)

Punk76: Oh! Vinyls! Paul: Yeah, some Kraftwerk, a bunch of rare stuff. Obviously they’re a German band, good stuff.

Punk76: They’re coming to Hurricane Festival this year. Paul: Yeah, I’ve noticed that.

Punk76: I’m excited to see them live, have you ever seen them? Paul: No I haven’t. Because they don’t tour very much and obviously that they’re from Germany makes it very special.

Punk76: In Canada and America you’re more famous than you’re over here in Germany, is that correct?. Is it weird for you to be able to walk along the street and only being recognized by some people? Or is it alike in Canada? Paul: I wouldn’t say so. They’re pretty close. It depends, kids are getting pretty good because of the internet.. you kind of get used to seeing the band on the internet.. so we have some places, if we go there we will be recognized, it can happen anywhere in the world, it’s all random.

Punk76: Does it bother you sometimes? Paul: No, not really. I mean people are pretty cool, it’s never.. I mean we’re not someone like Britney Spears or so (laughing). You know it’s not an issue. Most people come and say Hi and that’s it. Pretty casual.

Punk76: I recently read on your Myspace Site that you have a new merchandise store for the people in UK and Europe. Are you involved in the merchandise process? Do you get to choose which shirts and hoodies you like? Paul. Yeah, we’re completely involved in the process. Obviously sometimes there are some good ones and sometimes better ones but we always try to Create some new stuff. Switch it up all the time.

Punk76: When you came to Hamburg “Blessthefall” were your opening act. Shortly after that Craig Mabbit left the band, started “The Word Alive” and now is a part of “Escape The Fate”. What do you think about all that? Do you think that he can replace Ronnie Radke (who was the former lead singer)? Paul: We love Blessthefall. We’ve toured with them in Europe and we just brought them out in America, we did six weeks with them, right before this. So those guys are awesome friends of ours. And now they have a new singer, this guy Beau, he’s very talented and they’re currently working on a new record. We’re really proud of those guys.

Punk76: But do you think that Craig can replace Ronnie in ETF? Paul: We also toured with escape The Fate last fall with Craig singing with them and.. it seems to work out for them? So.. whatever works for them, I guess (smiling)

Punk76: Before you started earning money through making music, did you have a regular day job? Paul: Yes, all of us kind of worked side jobs in between tours for the first one or two years we’ve been on the road. But it got better and we were able to focus only on making music which is a lot more fun.

Punk76: What kind of job did you do? Paul: I was working in my dad’s company, in the IT department, doing like computer stuff.. I did a lot of Webdesign, it was more like freelance but I could make enough money to survive of that.

Punk76: Okay, one question that I always ask and most bands think about it for a while: If you could do a world tour with one band of your choice, doesn’t matter if the band members are alive / still playing together, which band would you choose and why? Paul: KRAFTWERK! (laughing) I don’t know, I would probably choose Kraftwerk or My bloody Valentine.

Punk76: Usually every band thinks about that question for a long time and your answer was like a gunshot.. Paul: Yeah, I like bands that are obscure, not obscure to be on tour with.. like the Foo Fighters would be pretty cool, too but a band with an insane live show would be cool.

Punk76: As the drummer you’re always in the back. Does that bother you? I always think that the drummers should be in front sometime, too. Paul: No, not really. The stage is not that deep all the time and there’s still lightning and so on.. Sonically it makes sense the way the stage is set up for us.

Punk76: Alright, last question: What are your plans for the future? You’re going to Munich tonight, right? Paul: Yeah. After that we’re going to the UK to do a tour with “The Blackout” and “Hollywood Undead”..

Punk76: (interrupting him): Have you seen Hollywood Undead before? Paul: Yeah, we’ve played with them in America.

Punk76: How are they? Cause in Germany they’re just getting famous. Paul: Yeah… it’s interesting.

Punk76: Do they wear the masks the whole time? Paul: Apparently, no, they wear the masks for like 3 shows and then they take them off.

Punk76: Do they wear the masks the whole time?
Paul: Apparently, no, they wear the masks for like 3 shows and then they take them off.

Check out our reviews on Escape The Fate records

Post a notice about Escape The Fate on the board

Buy this CD at: