Don’t let the name fool you. It has been anything but silent for Windsor’s Nathan McNevin & The Silence Factory since forming less than a year ago, October 2015. They’ve been keeping busy and the results have been rewarding.
The band released its first album, Collection of Thoughts, in February and went on to win the prestigious 97.7 HTZ-FM radio Rocksearch contest two months ago – the same contest that has catapulted other bands including Finger Eleven, The Trews, The Glorious Sons and The Standstills.
The band – whose members include Nathan McNevin (guitar and lead vocals), Shaun Miller (bass and vocals), Nathan Schiller (lead guitar and vocals) and Paul Doman (drums) – is just about to wrap up a short Western Canadian tour which began August 15 in Winnipeg and will end August 26 back in Winnipeg. The band returns to St. Catharines this Saturday, August 27, for the HTZ-FM Biggs & Barr-B-Q featuring I Mother Earth, The Standstills and more.
The band is continuously being picked up by radio stations across Canada and they recently released a video for the single Land.
Music Life Magazine caught up with Nathan McNevin while he was traveling on Highway 16 “about three hours west of Saskatoon” to play the second to last show of the Western tour.
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview and congratulations on your recent win of Rocksearch 2016. How did things come together so quick for you guys? Were you all friends before forming the band and decided to get together? Did you guys work together in other bands before forming Nathan McNevin & The Silence Factory?
The band is relatively new but everyone in the band has played in other bands before. I was in a band with our bass player (Shaun Miller) called SieraSlave. That band came to an end in September last year as two of the members wanted to focus on their education and all I wanted to do was music.
I started with what was going to be an acoustic solo project and recorded my first song and put it online over the Labour Day weekend in 2015. A guy at Live Nation in Detroit heard it and called me up to see if I wanted to open for Echo & The Bunnymen at the Fillmore in Detroit. I said yes in less than a second and played that show on September 13th. After that I received a number of requests to do shows, some of which I knew would require a band. I reached out to Shaun and he said yes.
I then reached out to Nathan Schiller for lead guitar who I thought was the best guitar player in Windsor. He was in a band called Grumpy Monkeys that I had seen a few times. For drums I went to a mentor of mine, Paul Doman, who had been in a very successful band out of Windsor called Ashes of Soma.
We played our first show at the Dominion House in Windsor on October 30th with Xprime. We really connected as a group and had amazing chemistry. We all wanted the same thing – to work hard and take our best shot to play rock and roll as our way of making a living. Risky business these days but that is what we all want to do.
How did you hear about Rocksearch and what prompted you to enter the contest?
I have family in the Niagara Region and my father grew up there. I am very familiar with 97.7 and just love the station. Great mix of classic and modern rock. The blended inspiration for my own writing. I love the Doors, Stones, Hendrix but also newer music like Foo Fighters, Finger Eleven and I am a huge fan of the Glorious Sons.
What was it like winning Rocksearch for you guys?
Winning rock search has been an amazing experience. 97.7 have been so supportive with radio play, interviews and show opportunities. I truly believe Rocksearch is the very best competition in the country for rock music. The prizes are great but the support from the station is even better.
We had been planning to tour western Canada before we entered Rocksearch but I do think the win has added some profile to our tour.
One of the coolest prizes was recording time at Iguana Studios. I am looking at getting into the studio sometime in September. I am also having some discussions with Steve Molella (drummer from Finger Eleven) about producing my next single. I met Steve at Canal Days (in Port Colborne, Ontario) and we hit it off.
What can you tell me about your debut album? You guys formed last October then four months later your debut album was out. How did it come out so fast? Did you guys do everything yourselves – writing, recording, producing?
The album came together fairly quickly as I had written and recorded two songs with SieraSlave that had not been released. I worked in two different studios for about three weeks in September through to December and worked with Marty Bak at SLR studios on the final mix in January 2016. I had to retrack drums on some of the older songs. I invited Nathan Schiller to play on a couple of tracks but most of the recording is with me on drums, guitar and bass as well as vocal. Shaun came in for a couple of tracks too.
What will be the next single off your album?
The next single is titled High and we will be playing it at the Biggs & Barr-B-Q. We played it at Canal Days. Paul Morris at 97.7 has given us some great feedback on that tune and we are looking forward to hearing what comes out of the studio.
On August 20, 2016, you had a show in Vancouver. It was also a big night in Canadian music history when the CBC network televised what may be the last ever Tragically Hip show. Are you a fan of the Hip and were you able to catch any of the show last night or any part of their tour?
We did not see the last show of the Tragically Hip as we were getting ready for our set at Studio Records in Vancouver. We will all be watching the recording of it when we get home. That night in Vancouver we dedicated our set to the Hip. By the time we played the show was already done. One of Canada’s very best. Too many great songs to have only on favourite.
I saw you guys July 29, 2016 in Port Colborne, Ontario on the same bill as Finger Eleven and Jeff Martin (singer of The Tea Party). I must say, this was my first time seeing you guys and I really enjoyed your set. You blew me away! I heard a lot of positive response from the crowd that was there. Do you find you get a lot of people who never heard you or heard of you and giving positive feedback?
Playing with Finger Eleven and Jeff Martin was an incredible experience. The Tea Party are of course one of the biggest bands to come out of Windsor. The thing we loved the best was the crowd. When we play we put all that we are as musicians and human beings out there. The response was just overwhelming and moved us beyond words.
Once summer is over and the tour is over, what plans do you have after summer?
We are taking September off but have about a dozen shows in October across Ontario. In November we are headed out to Eastern Canada. We plan to play in nine out of 10 provinces this year (have to get to Newfoundland next year).
Sounds like you guys will be quite busy! A couple more quick questions. What is one thing about you or the band that you can share with us that is not known? Anything?
So here is a secret which by definition you are not supposed to tell anyone but we are telling you so I guess the cat is out of the bag. So here it is – we like to eat at Denny’s after a show.
And one last question. What is one song by another artist or band you wish you had written?
The song I wish I had written is Across the Universe by the Beatles. If you ask me next week my answer will definitely have changed.
Thank you for your time! All the best to you guys and we hope to see much more of Nathan McNevin & The Silence Factory. If there is anything else you would like to add or say, now is your chance!
Every time we play we aim to make a connection with each and every member of the audience. We believe that the best way to build a fan base is one fan at a time.
Thank you Nathan!
All the best and thanks again for your interest in the band.
Connect with Nathan McNevin & The Silence Factory online: (Website) (Facebook)
RELATED POST: Finger 11 with Jeff Martin and Nathan McNevin and The Silence Factory live at Canal Days – July 29, 2016
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Glad they had a good time and did well, so get home safe.