FM
History
In 1985, when vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Walter Salas-Humara recorded a handful of tunes with the help of a dozen and a half friends and collected the songs under the title About Her Steps, he probably wasn't thinking that it was the start of a career in music that's now approaching 20 years and still going strong. No, at that point, he was too busy thinking about, among other things, names. "In the beginning, I didn't want to use my name because I thought it was too hard for people to deal with," explains Salas-Humara when discussing the origin of the Silos name. "So I came up with a name that was two syllables, easy to roll of the tongue, and works in all languages more or less."
With a name in hand, as well as some (in his words) "unexpected interest" in About Her Steps, Salas-Humara put together a touring band. That line-up made Cuba, originally released in 1987, an exhilarating album that introduced the Silos' enviable ability to communicate effectively in both a whisper and a howl. Cuba attracted national attention. The video for "Tennessee Fire" was played by MTV and the band was voted "Best New American Band" by the Rolling Stone critic's poll. The band subsequently signed to RCA Records and the third album under the Silos name (self-titled, but often conveniently referred to as The One With The Bird On The Cover) was even better and led to an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. Its spacious, organic quality made it seem out of place in 1990; however, looking back at the album from within the Alternative-Indy glow of the decade's end, The Silos resonates like the work of visionaries.
