 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
CD Review: Silas Durocher and Everybody Knows
Bold Life. Asheville NC. January 2009
It’s generally considered bad form to say things like this in music reviews, but I’m going to do it anyway - Silas Durocher is a musical genius. Alright…maybe not a genius, but as close as I’ve heard in quite some time. As a player of several instruments and a veteran of many bands myself, I’ve always been jealous of the type of musician Durocher is – smart, exceptionally talented and overflowing with a seemingly endless supply of great ideas. Plus, he’s got a great voice. Obviously steeped in music theory, Durocher’s ability to make this intricate composition accessible to even the most musically-challenged of ears is impressive; it sounds so effortless. In Thesis Statement, he takes guitar, cello, clarinet, bass and drums and transforms them into a wild, ear-opening symphonic party. It’s both anxiety-producing and relaxing at the same time, as you have absolutely no idea where he’s going, but then when he gets there it seems like the most natural progression in the world. He picks and chooses from seemingly disparate styles and genres, using the clarinet of all things to tie them together. Tango, funk, swing, jazz, rock opera, honky tonk…it’s all there. If Durocher had been born in Liverpool in the 1940s, Paul McCartney could very well be a retired factory worker right now.