Review - Silverada: Self-Titled
It was a bold move back in January when Mike and the Moonpies made the sudden announcement that they were changing their name. The announcement came during this year’s Mile 0 Fest where just a few years before they had emerged triumphant as one of the hottest live country bands on the road, gaining thousands of new fans. In retrospect, it was just the latest in a series of bold moves for this group that has been surprising fans and critics since they made the decision to break out of the Texas touring cycle and try their hand at the rest of America.
Photo by Ismael Quintanilla
By 2017, the band had released three studio albums and had just put out a 2-disc live set when they made the move. Shows were often sparsely attended, but they were spreading their authentic Texas honky-tonk sound and word quickly got around. Then the group changed personnel with the departure of the keyboard player (which was a distinctive part of the band’s sound) and switched bass players. The addition of Omar Oyoque was an audacious move with the flamboyant new bass man giving the group a stage presence they never had before. That was followed by the release of their breakout LP, “Steak Night at the Prairie Rose,” which was packed with a solid lineup of fantastic songs. When it came time for the next release, it was time for another bold move. While most everyone expected the group to build on their success as a Texas dance and party band, what came next was the surprise drop of an album recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios with backing from the London Symphony Orchestra. This was a more mature sound but still rooted in Texas country and the fans and critics heaped praise on the new tunes. This lineup with this catalog of songs toured the country for a couple years before the next bold move: a collection of previously unreleased songs from honky-tonk master Gary Stewart. This brought the band’s sound back to the dance halls while also paying tribute to one of the legendary but often-forgotten icons of country music.
With the country still trying to find its way out of the pandemic, the group released its boldest move to date with a song cycle revolving around the struggles of a blue collar man dealing with the universal problems of people everywhere. The music was the most complex and the lyrics the deepest the band had ever delivered, but it all stayed true to the sound cultivated over the past decade-plus. By this time, Mike and the Moonpies were a well-known unit headlining shows and appearing at the top of festival posters around the country. A celebrated live release recorded at one the most legendary dive bars in Texas, Devil’s Backbone Tavern, only cemented their reputation. Then came Key West in 2024 with so many of the band’s diehard followers in attendance when the boldest move yet was announced with the name change to Silverada. The response was immediate and divided with many fans openly hating even the thought of changing the name of the band they hold dear. Harmeier has gone deeper into explanations for the needed change and the work that went into it since. But at the time, it was more of a simple “it’s time to move forward” attitude, and the Moonpies morphed.
“Silverada” certainly conjures a more sophisticated image than “Mike and the Moonpies,” and the band has certainly done some growing up. At least they’ve grown older and wiser. The twin guitars that give the group its tight sound are still there with the steady Catlin Rutherford handling the lead duties and Zachary Moulton on pedal steel and now playing dobro as well. Moulton and Harmeier have recently completed a successful run of duo acoustic shows; some of that has made its way into the band’s live set. Oyoque seems happy to be the other focus on stage when Mike is not down front. Omar will get even the toughest crowd involved and is always there to help the rhythmically challenged clappers during “Beaches of Biloxi.” Drummer Tyler Englert becomes the “new guy” but has made the spot his own since he sat down. The change here may be where the band really made the bold move. With the One to Grow On album, the band shifted from primarily a dance band to a country band that could rock. The first seeds of that bold move were planted in London with the Cheap Silver sessions. As the band’s popularity continued to grow with the new songs featured heavily in the setlist, Mike felt it was time to manifest the group’s new identity, “We all knew we were at a precipice, and we wanted to jump. I brought in some songs that were metaphorical and not always straightforward, and that showed the guys that I wanted to take this music somewhere new… so they threw their own rulebooks out the window, too.”
“Radio Wave” is Silverada’s Declaration of Independence - announcing that changes have been made: “I’m sifting through the old remains of who I used to be / But judging by the books I bought / the future’s just an afterthought.” Harmeier says, “We’d been on tour for so long, playing the same set for almost two years, and I wanted to write something that was a departure… I spent a full month in that studio, going there every night, making word ladders and highlighting lines and learning to free-write.” The band was joined in the studio by longtime producer/collaborator Adam Odor. That studio is the legendary yellow DOG Studios in the Texas Hill Country town of Wimberley. (Incidentally, Harmeier and Odor teamed up to produce the new release Hardcase by Rob Leines at yellow DOG). “Anywhere But Here” has already been released as a single and continues the band’s string of radio-friendly tunes. “Eagle Rare” is the song in which Silverada shows its new bold colors as a contender to the position of bands including Blackberry Smoke, Whiskey Myers, Cody Jinks and others in the Southern Rock/Outlaw Country arena. The instrumental bridge, reminiscent of classic Charlie Daniels Band jams, has drummer Tyler Englert proving he is the heartbeat of Silverada. (At the very least, fans should now be able to order a shot of something worth drinking instead of that dreadful fernet.) “Doing It Right” does exactly that, marking every box in the sad country song checklist and reminding you that Mike still sings the sad ones that make the cowboys cry. A song about a man “…as Texas as they come” better have a fiddle so long time George Strait collaborator Gene Elders takes over “Stubborn Son.” The band’s first release under the new name was “Wallflower” and the track was an early look at what the change embraced. “Stay By My Side” showcases Moulton on dobro and Harmeier delivers a road-weary country classic recorded live at historic Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia. Brent Cobb shares vocals on “Something I’m Working On;” remembering the band’s dancehall roots with two and a half minutes of pure Texas honky-tonk. “Load Out” feels like a fond goodbye to the band’s past while moving ahead: “Still trying to get the mixture right, more ice, less Sprite / If I remember the words tonight, I oughta write that one down,” sings Harmeier.
A band named Silverada must have a song titled “Hell Bent for Leather” and this is the perfect way to reimagine yourself and hit the reset button on where you want to go from here. “We spent the first part of our career figuring out who we are and what we’re good at,” says Harmeier. “Now we want to evolve not only the sound of the band, but the dynamic of the live show, too. We’re all lifers here. We’re in this for the long haul. Silverada is us setting the stage for the next leg of the journey.” This band has been making their music for a long time and they have trusted themselves to do the right thing and this next move sets the foundation for a very exciting time. Viva Silverada!
Find out more about Silverada at the links below:
