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December 12, 2007 @ The Basement — The Silver Seas The Silver Seas are Hitting Their Stride In recent years, Nashville multi-instrumentalist Daniel Tashian has played the role of side-man for Josh Rouse and Mindy Smith, among others. Tashian's own band The Silver Seas (formerly The Bees), however, is currently writing new material and they've been performing much of it during their Wednesday night residency at The Basement. Last Wednesday was their third appearance out of four, and the phrase "third time's a charm" captures the magic of this recent performance. The new songs are straight out of Josh Rouse's play-book. Fans of Rouse's Home, 1972, and Nashville will find much to like about the new material from The Silver Seas. And although some critics may flinch at their vocal similarities, Tashian's voice soars in the upper ranges where Rouse's voice would certainly falter. Indeed, Tashian has a beautifully clean voice infused with a sweet sadness that recalls the likes of Brian Wilson, Morrissey, and at times, Van Morrison. And although he has a habit of spewing random thoughts between songs, Tashian seems aware that his random chit-chat does not always work in his favor. To be sure, prior to beginning Wednesday night's set, he informed (promised) the audience that he wouldn't talk between songs. Still, he couldn't resist the urge to make a few random (odd) remarks during the hour-long set. But these remarks were brief and he managed to keep the songs rolling and the energy-level high for what amounted to a near-perfect set. Filling in on bass during this residency has been the talented Viktor Krauss, who is about to release his own sophomore record. The remaining members of The Silver Seas are David Gerhke on drums (who is a former member of Josh Rouse's band, most notably playing drums on Rouse's stellar Sophomore release Home), and Jason Lehning on keys and the occasional backup vocal. The new material from The Silver Seas is outstanding, and Tashian seems to be hitting his stride with his role as frontman. If these guys decide to push the forthcoming record and support it with a national tour rather than keeping it a mere Nashville side-project, then we can expect great things to come in 2008 for The Silver Seas. Catch their fourth and final set over at The Basement on December 19th. —Vincent Wynne |
