Benefit for the American Red Cross, Hurricane Katrina Relief
Slick 57, Centro-Matic, Happyjack, [DARYL], Sorta
@ The Granada Theater – September 10, 2005
There’s something about Dylan Silvers. It’s not his looks, because he’s a little doughy, a bit pasty, kind of like a brunette Cousin It when he’s up on stage with his long sweaty hair covering his face completely. You don’t see his smile, you don’t see his eyes, you barely see him singing the words. There’s something about Dylan Silvers, but it’s not his image.
Maybe it’s his musicianship, because he writes some of the best pop songs coming out of the DFW music scene. On Ohio, one of the most acclaimed albums of last year, Silvers found a voice for his band, [DARYL], which is no longer '80’s retro synth. He loves to play the guitar. When he’s up on stage he’s expressing his innermost thoughts through six strings. But that’s not it, either, because there are a lot of good musicians in Dallas/Ft. Worth; numerous creative, talented, productive songwriters. It’s not his musicianship, though that is part of his persona.
Maybe it’s his personality; it’s who Dylan Silvers is. He’s no longer the miscreant who trashed the Bronco Bowl back in 2003, he’s responsible now. Somehow, this young guy, because he’s barely creeping out of his twenties, has brought around him the best musicians in North Texas. They want to play with Dylan Silvers. They want Dylan Silvers to play with them. When he’s down in the audience, they call him up on stage, and when he’s putting together a show, they’re there. That’s exactly what he did for the victims of hurricane Katrina. He put together a show to help those affected by the storm that wiped out New Orleans, a benefit for the American Red Cross, for the families of the hundreds who died, for the thousands of refugees who are homeless and living in Dallas, Houston, and anywhere they can. Dylan Silvers said, we have to do something. And he did. He took the best venue in Dallas, the Granada Theater, called up the best bands, living and dead, and resurrected Deep Blue Something. He got Toby and Todd Pipes to put together their band on short notice. “If he had given us more time to think about it, it wouldn’t have happened,” said Toby Pipes. “Dylan asked, we said yes, and they printed it in the paper, and then we had to play.” That’s exactly what happened. Silvers asked, and musicians said, ‘yes.’
Sorta said yes (and played at 8pm when The Drams cancelled), Centro-Matic said yes, and Slick 57 said yes. Centro-Matic had an online auction of their catalog and merchandise and heavily promoted the show. “Centro-Matic made the show,” said Silvers, “Mark (Hedman) drove this. He tagged it and took it home.” To add to that singular bill, three days before the benefit, Silvers formed a Who cover band that had never played together. Silvers was Roger Daltrey, Chris Holt was Pete Townshend with windmills, and they were backed by the uber-talented Carter Albrecht, Eric Neal of The Jones Thing on bass, and the “sickest drummer in Dallas” Scott Churilla from the Reverend Horton Heat. They formed a band that never existed, Happyjack, and may never exist again, and rocked the house. “This was the most fun thing I’ve ever done musically,” said Silvers, “We hadn’t even met before and we threw together three songs I could maybe sing, and the rhythm section knew those walking in. These guys are amazing musicians; badasses.”
Slick 57 played, the last band, it was one in the morning, almost nobody left, except the die-hards and the press and the photographer. Despite knowing that they’d be on after the last of Centro-Matic’s crowd had left, Slick 57 rocked it. Then John Pedigo and bassist Ward Richmond called Silvers up on stage. Though he’d already been backstage knocking back the celebration, he went out to jam with his friends and drive the show home.
Silvers is modest about his role. “I was lucky to be able to do something so fast. You give what you can, when you can, and this is the one thing I can do besides entertain people. I can put together a show that makes a difference, with music.” Resurrecting Deep Blue Something, that was pretty impressive. Putting together Happyjack, that was just plain fun. Putting it all together at the Granada and raising more than $4700 for our devastated neighbors, well, that’s just it. That’s just the something about Dylan Silvers.
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