Silversun Pickups Don't Fear Metallica Hecklers

05/27/09 1:01pm

by Aisha Khan (CHARTattack)

Los Angeles foursome Silversun Pickups are in the middle of a promotional blitz for their recently released sophomore album, Swoon.

Singer/guitarist Brian Aubert took a 15-minute break from a radio interview somewhere in the midwest to speak to CHARTattack about recording, Metallica and liquor stores.

CHARTattack: You said in an interview with Alternative Press that you wanted fewer mid-tempo songs on this album and more of a quiet/loud variety. Do you feel you've achieved that?
Brian Aubert: Yeah, I think so.

The thing about recording really fast, raucous songs is that you can't help but write those slower, simpler songs. Pushing towards one extreme means you will inevitably gravitate towards the other creepier, textured extreme. But there are still some mid-tempo songs, like "Panic Switch." We didn't abandon that altogether.

I heard you had to remove two extra songs you recorded because the album was getting too long. What are your plans for those?
We recorded 16 songs, actually, so for the album, we had to remove six.

It wasn't because the label set a 10-song limit on the album or anything, it was because they just didn't play well with the others. The album didn't sound like a cohesive thought with them. We will find homes for all of them, but most of them will end up being B-sides, like "Broken Bottles."

You've just released a deluxe box-set version of Swoon and a Guitar Hero package. How do you feel about these extra bits of marketing for your album?
I think it's clear that the tactile, physical album is disappearing and [musicians] have to offer something special with their work to make it attractive. And I've heard a lot of people put down stuff like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but I think it's great. Kids now have a whole new dimension to enjoying music that's totally immersive. So if they don't like your single on the radio, maybe they'll love it on Guitar Hero.

So are you a Guitar Hero junkie yourself?
I've played. It's fun, but it's really hard. A friend of mine made me play "Lazy Eye," and I think I failed out after about two per cent of the song. And then I've seen kids fly right through it with no problems, so that was nice.

Tell me about opening for Metallica's secret show at the South By Southwest Guitar Hero party. Did you know about them beforehand?
Oh, yeah. I think everybody knew beforehand that Metallica was playing that night. But when we were approached about it, we were taken aback a little, and knew we had to play.

When Metallica got on stage after us, they just tore that place apart. When you see a band that has been touring for, what, 30 years now? You can tell from how tight the show is, how they don't miss a beat.

Was the headbanger crowd nice to you? Were you nervous about them?
[Our not being metal] occurred to us, but we didn't care. What's the worst they could do to us? Heckle? Throw bottles? Big deal. But actually, they were really nice.

Thing is, it was a small party with about 1,500 people who were all just really happy to be there, you know what I mean? It was interesting to see dudes in black T-shirts mosh to our music, though — lots of dudes in black T-shirts.

OK, seriously, what does your name mean?
Well, "Silversun Pickups" is a state of mind, and not just figuratively, I mean if you rearrange the letters.

Or it could be a reference to the liquor store we used to live above. It was a really nice neighbourly place we went to for our groceries. Actually, the owner complains that I don't mention the store enough when I get asked this question, so I'm mentioning it now: Silversun Convenience on the corner of Silver Lake and Sunset Boulevard [in Los Angeles].