Guitar As Canvas: An Interview with singer-songwriter Tory Silver

                 Boston MA, songwriter Tory Silver approaches music much like a puzzle, the non traditional routes of composing, taking disparate chords and weaving them through the ether till the threads bloom into pattern, offer up ways of challenging song structure while perfectly balancing controlled chaos and melody. Silver's voice seems to be almost at one with her guitar, and the compelling mix of bossa nova, alternative rock, blues and jazz all commingle, diorama like, to dizzying effect, turned one way, hear a mountain, turned another the ocean. By approaching the guitar as if it were a canvas, each song has the integrity of something fought over, decisive musical brush strokes, shading blues and bossa nova reds, spontaneous but methodical. On Observere, the diversity and feel of something highly original comes into view, you may want to dance or wail or both, there are more than a few universes of sound tucked away in this painting of an album. Listen to it from the left, from the right, from the center, each time it feels slightly different. As Tory puts it "a few simple chords can hit deep, and the feeling is almost instant." Observere is the kind of musical trip you'll want to take when surprise, soul and shifting color is the destination you desire most of all.


AHC: What has this journey in music, so far, been like for you, the highs and the lows, and what life lessons do you feel you've picked up along the way?

Tory: I was small when I started my musical journey, and it has been a party ever since. The greatest moment in my musical career happened at age 12 when someone handed me a guitar. I was at a summer camp and I signed up for a class called School of Rock. I was dying to play drums. I was a drummer at heart. I wanted that sick drum solo that everyone goes nuts over at concerts. First day of class, my teacher handed me a guitar. I was disappointed, but I decided to stick with the class despite having no desire to play the instrument. It ended up being my greatest summer romance. I fell in love with the instrument, and have played nonstop the last decade of my life. This taught me one of the greatest life lessons, embrace opportunities even if you think they're not a good fit for you in that moment.

AHC: What first drew you to music and what was your early musical environment like growing up? Were there pivotal songs for you then that just floored you the moment you heard them?

Tory: Growing up, my sister and I were homeschooled. In my experience, that meant a lot of field trips almost everyday of the week, so we were in the car a lot. My mom would put on all her favorites-The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, B-52s, Bob Marley-I think it was during that time I really learned to love music. I never wanted to get out of the car because I just wanted to keep listening. A song in particular that really had a pull on me was The Beatles, "A Day In The Life." The chaos of it really drew me. It's messy and raw, but harmonious all the same. 

AHC: Do you remember the first song that you ever wrote or played? Or that first moment when you picked up a pen and realized that you could create whole worlds just by putting it to paper?

Tory: When I first started playing guitar, I wrote a lot of silly songs. One was titled, "Got Married On a Greyhound Bus." Can't say that'll ever make it on a record, but I think those silly songs were important for me, just in terms of starting somewhere and thinking creatively with music as the medium.The first real song I wrote seriously is called, "I Feel Like." It's the last track of my debut album. I wrote it quickly, it's simple, and it wasn't perfect, but I liked it. I still really like it. It's that song that has made me want to pursue music.

AHC: Which musicians have you learned the most from? Or writers, artists, filmmakers, teachers/mentors etc? What are the works you could not possibly live without?

Tory: The Norwegian musician Sondre Lerche has had a huge influence on me. First time I saw him in concert I was 16, and it was life changing. The way he plays the guitar, he's all over the fretboard playing all these funky chords, and I couldn't get enough. After that show, I started to think of the guitar more like a canvas.

AHC: What do you think makes for a good song, as you're writing and composing, is there a sudden moment when you know you've found the right mix, that perfect angle of light, so to speak?

Tory: Like I was talking about with The Beatles's, "A Day In the Life," I love the chaos of it. That's a quality I really love. A cohesive mess. When I write my music, typically, I try to come up with three different parts for the guitar, and then try to make them fit together. Sometimes it's tough, but it gives different directions and feels. When the parts start working together harmoniously, and I can start to see the end, it's a gratifying feeling because I love that it wasn't the simple route to write that song. It took time to create and think through.

AHC: Do you consider music to be a type of healing art, a slightly imperfect vehicle through which to translate a feeling, states of rupture/rapture, hope lost and regained? Does the writing and creating of the song save you in the kinds of ways that it saves us, the listener, even if only momentarily?

Tory: It's definitely healing, and it's healing for everyone. You don't need to understand music in order to feel it. You don't have to have your doctorate in piano performance. It's as simple as sitting and taking it in with no background knowledge. A few simple chords can hit deep, and the feeling is almost instant. A song can be interpreted in billions of different ways, and I think in this way music becomes healing. Everyone can understand one thing differently, but appreciate it for what it is.

AHC: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town? On-tour, on-the-road?

Tory: I really love playing house shows. It's how I've connected with dozens of incredibly talented musicians, and get to share my own work. There's always a child-like spirit at house shows-everyone is just so excited to listen and share. There's usually yummy snacks too. So that's good.

AHC: When you set out to write a song, how much does 'where the world is' in its current moment, culturally, politically, otherwise, influence the kinds of stories you set out to tell?

Tory: Thinking about the world as a whole does impact my lyrics a bit! I tend to have a positive outlook on life, so I try to incorporate that into my music. I want my songs to convey a sense of, "Life is tough, and extremely unfair sometimes, but there's always something good going on." 

AHC: Do you have any words of advice or encouragement for other musicians and singer-songwriters out there who are just starting out and trying to find their voice and their way in this world? What are the kinds of things that you tell yourself when you begin to have doubts or are struggling with the creative process? Or what kinds of things have others told you that have helped push you past moments of self doubt/creative blocks?

Tory: The biggest thing is so cliche, but it's just don't give up. If you want to be a musician, you can be one anytime. You don't have to have press writing about you or record at state of the art studios in order to be a musician. Just play. Go out and play an open mic. Play another. Keep going and going. Even if a song you're writing sucks, at least you're trying. If you feel passionately about anything, respect that, and respect it enough to give it a chance.

AHC: Could you explore for us some of the themes of your new record, Observere, what its message/appeal to the world is, and your hopes for where this record lands?

Tory: The title of the album Observere, means observe in Norwegian. I came up with the title because the album is just a lot of observations I've had while walking, or eating breakfast. Trying to get those everyday thoughts going on in your head down. The album also has a running theme of a sense of belonging. The majority of songs were written after moving to a new city, so feeling like I belonged was something I thought about a lot. The title is in Norwegian because I ended up finding a sense of who I was and that belonging I needed celebrating my heritage. 

My hope for the album is that it reaches the ears that need to hear it. I'm extremely proud the way it tuned out, and hope the world can enjoy it.



For more visit www.torysilver.com/
Observere is available now @ torysilvermusic.bandcamp.com/releases