In the few years since the band’s inception, it has reached rock stardom and its music and members have been interviewed, and reviewed, by such prestigious organizations as National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal and Pitchfork, the Chicago Internet publication devoted to music criticism, news and commentary.
Silberman often is described as “soft-spoken,” and “modest, but grateful.” NPR music critic Robin Hilton chose "Hospice" as the best album of 2009 and wrote: “Silberman's poetry, his soaring orchestrations and delicate falsetto leave you in awe at how fragile and beautifully mysterious life can be on spaceship earth.”
Silberman’s recollection of his earliest musical influence goes back to the age of 5. “I used to listen to The Four Seasons singing ‘December 1963: Oh, What a Night’ when I was on the school bus. It was supposed to be about someone losing their virginity, but I didn't pick any of that up when I was listening in kindergarten,” he told Pitchfork.
He got his first guitar at 6 and learned the basics from his father. At 11, he was playing with a pre-teen band in a friend’s barn. “Later, I had this awesome metalhead guitar teacher,” he said. “He loved Van Halen – he named his kid Eddie.”
The Somers Daily Voice asked Silberman what were his five favorite things about growing up in Somers. Here is what he said:
- Dean’s Bridge.
- The ghost housing development in the Angle Fly Preserve.
- Jumping in the waterfall off Wood Street.
- That time my friend got suspended from school for putting a canoe in the Somers High School pond.
- Mr. Filo. (Thomas Filo is a popular music teacher at the Somers Middle School.)
The Antlers’ latest release is an MP3 album titled, “Undersea.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Somers and receive free news updates.