The Antlers
Last week Peter Silberman, lead singer of The Antlers, was kind enough to chat with me on the band’s way back to Brooklyn. (They were somewhere down South but not quite sure of the exact location.) As Hospice has been on constant rotation in this ‘09 calendar year, the experience was a bit nerve-wracking. But after we discussed the extremely hot temperatures at their record release party (Quote Silberman: “I almost passed out.”), I realized that he is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever get a chance to speak with, which makes the band’s success this year that much more enjoyable.
mtvU: So how are you feeling now that this year is drawing to a close? Especially in light of how quickly all the press picked up for you once “Pitchfork” reviewed Hospice.
Silberman: Everything was pretty unexpected. I don’t think there was any way to be prepared for all the crazy things that happened. It was an exhausting year, but the best year of my life so far.
mtvU: Do you ever tire of singing the same lyrics over and over again each night? By now most people know they’re very personal so I wonder if it becomes a drain on you?
Silberman: It’s not difficult per se. Now, it feels like everybody else’s record. It’s not really my record anyway and I think that’s better for the sake of my own sanity. The live experience… it’s encouraging to see people connecting in that way.
mtvU: You had written most of the songs before Michael [Lerner] and Darby [Cicci] came aboard. How did you decide that you wanted to include others rather than keep this a solo project? And was it difficult to share the lyrics with them?
Silberman: I just got tired of recording by myself. And they give structure to the framework of the song. Showing them the songs was about as hard as it was to show it to anybody else. They were very encouraging. My favorite thing about The Antlers is how it changed from me being bored, playing guitar, to the whole group.
mtvU: By now there is a certain mythology that surrounds you, similar to what happened with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, that you locked yourself away for a year in complete isolation and created this album. I was hoping you would comment on this idea and share whether or not you feel this type of isolation will be a crucial piece of making music as you move forward with the band.
Silberman: The writing was actually not this type of shut-out process. It was actually a process of bringing people in. The whole “isolation story” is referring… is vaguely addressing the story of the record. This record was not about artistic retreat. It is about very serious experiences that change you as a person and pulling away from the people who know you best. For the new stuff, I might go off to a cabin somewhere. For some peace. But we’re all writing together. Writing on the road and writing at home.
mtvU: You’ve also talked a lot about how you won’t specifically describe your own personal experiences that went into making Hospice so I know better than to ask.
Silberman: [laughs] I think it would damage the record itself. It’s not a vanity project. I wanted to make a record for other people and I care more about people relating to an experience.
mtvU: Do all of you plan on making a new album soon or will you be taking a bit of down-time?
Silberman: We’re actually going to start recording in January, we’re building our own studio in Darby’s apartment. It’s our time-off, well, the first significant portion of time-off we’ve had so far this year, and we’re not interested in having time to do nothing. We’ve been writing a lot.
Last night I caught The Antlers for a second time at the Bowery Ballroom. Sharon Van Etten, who also played an earlier set, joined them on stage to open. What struck me most about the show overall, was the group’s progress from August. It’s quite tremendous. The set flowed seamlessly and it’s very clear that they have grown into a real comfort with one another on stage. This time around there was less focus on Silberman himself and more on the band as a whole, which was evident in the lengthy extension of their songs. The best jam session including a stunning version of “Epilogue” to end the show. And they maintain such a humble attitude and gratefulness for their audience that they are an easy band to watch and adore. “Shiva” was still a stand-out for me, but the live “Sylvia” never fails to haunt my dreams.
Please enjoy the video for their hit single “Two.”
