Silverstein Reap 'Net Rewards

04/20/09 5:40pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

It's been said time and again that the internet is changing the way people make music and the way music is delivered to the public. But it's also changing the way bands interact with their fans.

Twitter has made it possible for artists to connect on a very basic level. Bands have been using it to update fans about what's going on in their daily lives, while some have even used it to share new music. Silverstein began using Twitter as part of a viral marketing campaign to promote their recently released fourth album, A Shipwreck In The Sand.

"I thought [Twitter] was the dumbest idea ever, and we all signed up for it kind of as a joke originally," says vocalist Shane Told. "We were just like, 'Are you serious?'

"And then once you start using Twitter, it's kind of cool. There's something about the simplicity of it that's so rad. It's good to inform people and update people about what's going on with your band and everything, but we've always tried to be on the cutting edge of stuff like that."

Told claims Silverstein were one of the first bands to get a MySpace account and have always been conscious of the internet's ability to act as a promotional catalyst.

"I guess we're all nerds, so we all know what's going on in that world," he says.

Silverstein witnessed the power of the internet firsthand during their first South American tour, which Told describes as "pretty gnarly." That's not because they played countries like Colombia that are, as Told says, "known to be kind of sketchy."

No one was kidnapped or went missing on the jaunt, but Told says he and bandmates Josh Bradford (guitar), Neal Boshart (guitar), Bill Hamilton (bass) and Paul Koehler (drums) were all quite shocked by the amount of people who showed up at every gig. They played to 4,000 fans at a show in Peru and had "police escorts with billy clubs beating kids off us as we were walking" in South America.

"People there are so friendly and are so happy that you're there, and the shows were just insane," says Told. "They were so massive.

"We don't even have any albums out there. It's all just internet word of mouth, you know? You can't buy our albums in the stores at most of those places."

Silverstein are touring the U.S. with A Static Lullaby, Before Their Eyes and Blessthefall in support of A Shipwreck In The Sand. A European jaunt follows next month before the band play summer dates on the Vans Warped Tour. You can see Silverstein here:

April 21 Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
April 22 Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
April 23 Farmingdale, NY @ Crazy Donkey w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
April 24 Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
April 25 Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theater w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
April 27 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
April 28 Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
April 29 Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
April 30 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
May 1 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
May 2 Baltimore, MD @ Ram's Head Live! w/A Static Lullaby, Blessthefall and Before Their Eyes
May 3 East Rutherford, NJ @ Meadowlands Sports Complex (Bamboozle)
May 9 Bochum, Germany @ Zeche
May 10 Cologne, Germany @ Live Music Hall
May 11 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
May 12 Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Club
May 13 Hamburg, Germany @ Grunspan
May 14 Munich, Germany @ Backstage Werk
May 16 Schaffen, Germany @ RockFest
May 17 Cardiff, Wales @ Solus Bar at University Of Cardiff w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
May 18 Yeovil, England @ Westland Complex w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
May 20 Manchester, England @ Academy 2 w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
May 21 Norwich, England @ Waterfront w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
May 22 Wolverhampton, England @ Wulfrun Hall w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
May 24 Leeds, England @ University Of Leeds (Slamdunk Festival)
May 25 Glasgow, Scotland @ Queen Mary Union w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
May 27 Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England @ Newcastle University w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
May 28 Liverpool, England @ O2 Academy Liverpool w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
May 29 London, England @ HMV Forum w/The Blackout, Hollywood Undead and The Urgency
June 27 Winnipeg, MB @ Canad Inns Stadium (Rock On The Range Canada)
July 10 Mississauga, ON @ Arrow Hall (Vans Warped Tour)
July 11 Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 12 Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 14 Vancouver, BC @ Thunderbird Stadium at University Of British Columbia (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 15 Seattle, WA @ The Gorge Amphitheater (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 16 Portland, OR @ Washington County Fairgrounds (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 19 Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 20 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 21 Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 22 San Diego, CA @ Cricket Amphitheater (Vans Warped Tour)
Aug. 23 Los Angeles, CA @ Hope Depot Center (Vans Warped Tour)