fbpx

Song Premiere: The Silks turn it on and tear it up on the twangy ‘Rolling Wheel’

So far this decade, the Providence music a scene has been in a middle of a roots renaissance. A good amount of bands that call the Creative Capital home are incorporating blues, folk and country styles, and most of these acts play around the numerous venues in the city on a weekly basis. One of those bands are The Silks, lead by frontman and guitar slinger Tyler-James Kelly with bassist Jonas Parmalee and drummer Sam Jodrey. Their whiskey- and beer-soaked heavy blues and ’70s-era rock sound has been causing a stir in Rhode Island and beyond. The band’s second full length album Turn Me On is due out June 29, and Vanyaland is premiering album cut “Rolling Wheel” this afternoon.

The new record has a different quality production wise than The Silks’ Paul Westerberg-produced debut, Last American Band, that came out in September 2013. Last American Band brought out the grit of the trio while Turn Me On brings out the flair. It’s intriguing when a band puts out their sophomore release and they progress their sound in a steady manner without going way over the top. There’s nothing watered down and The Silks’ trademark no-nonsense attitude is still intact. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and that’s what Kelly and the gang have going on with the upcoming release.

“Rolling Wheel” is a twangy ode to going with the punches that life can give and cherishing the times when life is good. “The song was inspired by the ups and downs of being in a band and just dealing with life in general,” Kelly says. “It’s good to be on the up.”

It attributes to Kelly’s heart on the sleeve way of songwriting while also having a way with words to formulate profound lyrics. There’s a little bit of a poetic vibe with what he’s singing about while his guitar provides the hefty anchor to the rhythms courtesy of Parmalee and Jodrey. The sound quality exemplifies the flair mentioned earlier.

The Silks have a bunch of dates coming up for the rest of the summer and the early fall. Next month, they’ll be doing a trio of release shows for Turn Me On with the first one being at The Stomping Ground in Putnam, Connecticut, on August 11; Aurora in Providence on the following night with fellow locals Tall Teenagers and The Low Cards; and on August 13 with Boston legends Vapors Of Morphine at Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge. To see if The Silks will be coming through your neighborhood, check out the dates below. Afterwards enjoy the track for a sneak preview of one of the most highly anticipated albums coming out of Providence this year.

The Silks 2016 Live Dates
July 29: Gloucester, CT, Katrina’s
July 30: Willimantic, CT, The Electric
August 11: Putnam, CT, The Stomping Ground (CD Release Show)
August 12: Providence, RI, Aurora (CD Release Show)
August 13: Cambridge, MA, Atwood’s Tavern (CD Release Show)
September 18: Worcester, MA, Worcester Fest 2016
September 22: Boston, MA, Copenhagen Beer Festival 2016
October 1: Pottsville, PA, Lester Fest
October 8: Gloucester, MA, Katrina’s