Episode 2 — December 29, 2021
The Silos
The Silos
Episode 2 — The Silos (1990)
Originating in New York City as the musical outlet of transplanted Floridian Walter Salas-Humara, The Silos helped shape the alt-country movement in the 90’s.
Along with Bob Rupe, the two created a unique sound merging rock, country, paired with the spirit of punk, and a touch of minimalism for good measure.
I reached out to Walter to see if he wanted to discuss the lack of commercial success of their 1990 RCA self-titled major label debut. We traded emails and he graciously agreed to talk with me.
One Saturday, we gathered at Sage Sound Studios — me in Connecticut and Walter in Florida. We had a lengthy conversation in which Walter painted a picture about the formation of The Silos through to ill-fated 1990 release (also known as The One With the Bird On It.)
Walter’s partner in crime back then was fellow transplanted Floridian Bob Rupe. He was a contributor early on and helped shape the sound of The Silos. After much sleuthing on the interwebs, I was able to track him down and reached out to him. After a robust and spirited email exchange, he ultimately declined. Emphatically. Despite my assurances that I was only interested in discussing that particular album, he was had no interest.
Disappointingly, perhaps even tellingly, besides Walter, no one wanted to participate.
Producer Peter Moore and I exchanged a couple of emails, but he had not responded by the time these episodes were posted.
The bass player on the album, J.D. Foster, declined outright. Despite the recording of this album “being the most recording experience in my career,” he declined as well saying: “I don’t think this would do anything for me.” Kinda dickish, but whatever.
Drummer Brian Dougherty did not respond to my request.
I did not reach out to keyboard player Kenny Margolis.
In Part 1, we discuss the formation of The Silos and the first two albums attributed to The Silos — About Her Steps and Cuba. Two albums that helped the band get Rolling Stone’s “Band of the Year” in 1988 — back when the title actually had a little gravitas.
This self-titled debut was produced by Canadian Peter Moore, who was running hot on the heals of The Cowboy Junkies unexpected hit, The Trinity Sessions. Moore would go on to win a Grammy for his work on deconstructing and re-mastering Garth Hudson’s The Basement Tapes with The Band and Bob Dylan.
Walter was a lively and engaged guest and it cutting together to include the entirety of our conversation would’ve been a Herculean task. So what you get is a trimmed down version here, spread over two episodes, that will take you from the band’s embryonic stage up to 1990.
More interesting than the lack of desire for others to participate is where he landed on why the album didn’t find an audience.