By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Influenced by past emo-punk powerhouses, Rhode Island/Southern Massachusetts-based pop-rock band SILICA continue to seek ways to establish their own pathway forward and released a new music video for “Wind-Up Doll” on May 1, 2020.
A presence in the New England/East Coast area with music that has appeared on rotation on Boston Rock Radio and 94 HJY Soundcheck, they’ve also shared stages with Anti-Flag, Saliva, Jimmie’s Chicken Shack and Trapt. At the first annual Rambudikon “Battle Of The Bands” at Boston’s Middle East Nightclub, SILICA took home the Grand Prize.
SILICA is vocalist/guitarist/synthesist Lauren Cloutier, lead guitarist/vocalist Matt Guillherme and drummer/vocalist Teigan Stanley.
The Music Bugle recently had the chance to talk with the trio about their newest music and more.
Music Bugle – How would you describe the “scene” in your hometown to someone who has never been there before?
Lauren Cloutier – It’s great because Providence is a bit more metal and rock-oriented, and close knit and Boston is pretty artsy and indie-oriented, with a lot more bands. We’re sort of between the two geographically and musically, so it’s cool to be able to play with all different types of artists.
Music Bugle – What inspired you guys to form a band?
Matt Guillherme – SILICA started out as Lauren’s solo project; just a super-talented girl alone in her basement with a lot to say. She wrote, recorded, and released an album called “Genesis” and shortly after, decided she wanted to throw a band together and take her music to the stage.
Music Bugle – What does the band name signify to you?
Lauren Cloutier – I learned about “silica,” the mineral, in a college geology course I took. Other than thinking it would be a cool name for a music project, I thought its significance was pretty fascinating. Plus, the course was fun and had a chill professor.
Music Bugle – What has been your proudest accomplishment with the band so far?
Teigan Stanley – My proudest accomplishment was definitely when we won our round and then the final round of the “Battle of the Bands” at the Middle East Nightclub in Massachusetts. Matt and I had only been playing with Lauren for two months and it was pretty amazing to win. Because of this, we were able to re-record our single and have our recent music video professionally produced.
Music Bugle – How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected the band?
Matt Guillherme – It’s definitely been challenging. When you’re in a band, you spend so much time together rehearsing and recording and writing and whatnot; in a sense, you become like family. It’s been tough having to communicate mostly through text and we obviously can’t get together in-person to work on music, but we do our best to record our ideas and send them to each other, so we’re still being productive and working on new stuff.
Music Bugle – Can you tell us what it was like making your most recent music video?
Teigan Stanley – Honestly, the whole day was a blast! Lauren had a vision of what we should do, so we banged it out quickly and smoothly. It was a great experience. Nick and Merissa from Killing It Entertainment do some awesome work.
Music Bugle – Who are some of your musical influences?
Lauren Cloutier – Between the three of us, we listen to such a variety. We’re all pretty well-rounded when it comes to music tastes, but I guess notably for our sound would be The 1975, Twenty One Pilots and The Killers.
Music Bugle – What are your future plans as far as the rest of 2020?
Matt Guillherme – Working on new music, mostly. Even before the pandemic, we had planned to spend most of this year writing and recording a new album, so we’re doing our best to get that done.
Music Bugle – What do you feel people should know about the band?
Teigan Stanley – We are not your typical punk rock band. Lauren creates the punk/electronic vibe while Matt and I add a little pop-rock/R&B feel.
Music Bugle – In your opinion, what’s the band’s most meaningful song or set of lyrics you like to quote the most?
Lauren Cloutier – It hasn’t come out yet. During the quarantine, we’ve been emailing this song back and forth, right now it’s called “Do You Think You Could Stand.” I think it’s got some of my best lyrics yet and definitely the most personal to me. I can’t wait to get in a room together to start playing it.
