ALBUM REVIEW: With New Name, Silverada Steers in a New Musical Direction

Many bands evolve their sound throughout their careers. Few feel the evolution is significant enough to warrant a name change. That’s the case with Silverada, formerly Mike & the Moonpies. After more than 15 years together, releasing eight albums, and getting airplay on roots radio, Silverada decided their ninth album marked enough of a change to be worth rebranding. On the self-titled album, Silverada retains much of the honky-tonk country sound they had as Mike & the Moonpies, but they add liberal doses of Southern rock as well as a few forays into other styles.

Silverada (photo by Eric Cain)

Bandleader Mike Harmeier found inspiration for the songs on Silverada in books, included a boxful he’d bought at Goodwill. Channeling the muses he found in Jeff Tweedy’s book on songwriting (ND review), science fiction titles, and more, Harmeier wrote most of Silverada in his home studio, resulting in an album that is as far ranging as the band has ever been.

Silverada comes roaring out of the gate with “Radio Wave.” It starts as a mid-tempo ballad but intensifies into a Southern rock anthem full of fat guitar solos and earnest choruses. Lyrically, the song expresses self-doubt (“I hate the way I play the blues”) and the transformative power of radio while firing a shot at attempts to genre-fy everything (“Americana is a myth, I told you”). It’s a good introduction to the new sound that Silverada brings to the table.

Another guitar-heavy track is “Wallflower.” With a driving, almost disco, beat, the song tells the tale of two shy barflies attempting to find the courage to ask each other out. Musically, it’s the most ambitious song on Silverada, melding a number of styles into one cohesive song.

On the opposite end of the musical spectrum is “Stay By My Side,” a pure honky-tonk ballad with lyrics worthy of a Hank Williams tune (“When I give up the music / I’ll give up the drinking”). Harmeier drawls his way through a plea for his love to wait for him while he is on tour. It’s a fairly standard road ballad, but one that highlights a different side of Silverada’s repertoire with a liberal dose of dobro.

Throughout the rest of the album, Silverada ranges wide. “Load Out” is another road song, this one from the other side of the stage. “Doing It Right” could have come out of the 1980s country scene with its chorus hook of “If she’s doing me wrong / then she’s doing it right.” “Something I’m Working On” is a steel guitar-laden barroom showpiece.

It takes guts to abandon a decade or more of branding to venture into new frontiers with a new name, but Silverada is a band with guts to spare, a fact that is obvious from Silverada’s first listen. If you liked Mike and the Moonpies, Silverada retains enough of that band’s sound to keep you happy. If you’re looking for a band willing to explore their musical boundaries, Silverada will get you where you’re going.

Silverada comes out June 28.