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Silas Durocher and Everybody Knows: Thesis Statement
Honest Tune, The Southern Journal of Jam. July, 2009
Silas Durocher's Web site states that "Silas Durocher and Everybody Knows is a group that synthesizes the accessibility of funk and rock n’ roll with the intellectual stimulation of classical music." We're just going to roll with that statement verbatim, because it's the absolutely perfect definition of the band's latest disc, Thesis Statement.
Durocher's project is a far cry from his other gig as guitarist for Laura Reed and Deep Pocket. Everybody Knows takes a much different path, and it's evident from the opening number, which borders on klezmer - the clarinet that permeates the disc grabs the listener immediately.
There's something different going on with Thesis Statment, in a good way. It's as if Durocher and company have taken classical music and a little bit of G. Love and smashed it up, with great results.
"Casi Tango" is a great example of how good this music can be - the arrangements are great, and the stand-up bass and clarinet combine to make a sound never heard in the likes of the funk music realm. From the fast-paced "He Had More Strings Than Me" to the dark "Devil On My Shoulder," accented by screeching cello, there isn't much out there like this. Not many bands would even attempt to create a song like "Boom Dee Dah Dee Dah," with its plodding, bumping bass, squealing clarinet, and funky, wah-wah-laced guitar that eventually gives way to a fast-paced jam, all in the span of five minutes.
The disc closes with "What You See Is What You Get," an acoustic ballad with great vocal harmony. The title of the tune is a fitting way to finish the album. What you see IS what you get with Silas Durocher and Everybody Knows, and hopefully we'll be seeing much more of it down the road.