Interview with Silk Letdown

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

All of us have day jobs to pay the bills, so that’s what we’re currently doing haha. It would be great to be able to do music full time. We got into music because of our love of music at a young and the right people and resources in our lives to be able to start pursuing that lifelong journey.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

Pierce stays super busy with professional disc golf, competitive lacrosse, and most importantly, mixing/mastering our tracks. Paul stays busy with kids and family, but also likes to snowboard and wakesurf. Getting outdoors in this beautiful region is therapeutic and inspiring in itself. We try to translate those vibes into our songs as much as possible.

How long has your band been around?

Silk Letdown was formed initially by Pierce Guderski and Paul Shamy in October 2023 who connected in a Facebook Portland Music Group. Initially, Pierce was looking to start a group under his leadership and Paul wanted to merge the work with his previous band, Fox 2. Pierce has a great deal of previous band and music experience playing bass, guitar, and drums. Paul has been in various music projects in Portland as well, and the shared motivation to create something truly impactful and original made Silk Letdown the perfect conduit.

Recent additions include Josh DeDiego on drums with lots of experience in the Pacific Northwest music scene, as well as Chris Gruchacz on guitar, a sought after guitarist in the area. Check out his Spotify solo work!

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

Portland, Oregon. The music scene is vibrant and BUSY. Portland has some of the most creative and esoteric artists on the planet, and many musicians play in multiple bands, giving them the freedom to explore many sub-genres and soundscapes. The punk scene is probably the most heavily represented, but goth, metal, EDM, and alt country/folk are big hitters as well. We definitely have our core sound and how we want to fit in the local scene, but it’s always great to get out and hear the new stuff always coming out in PDX

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Silk Letdown is a euphemism for an aircraft pilot needing to eject. A letdown is an aviation term for an instrument controlled descent for approach. And old parachutes were made from silk. The silk letdown is a fighter pilot's last resort. It also symbolizes giving yourself grace and fortitude in your own failures and challenges.Paul being a former USAF fighter pilot and Pierce having a passion for aviation, the two easily agreed on the name that to them sounded catchy, had tongue-in-cheek humour, and a little intrigue.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

The best shows for us are the ones where people are engaged and enjoying the music. We don’t like playing music AT people. We want them to be WITH us in the moment. The times where you have that genuine connection are the moments we live for. When someone has never heard your music, but they are still engaged as if they’ve been a long time fan, that is the magic.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

Dante’s in Portland is always a great time. The stage is great. The music staff does a great job, the venue treats artists well, and people show up to have fun. Portland has so many places we’d like to play. Roseland Theater, Crystal Ballroom, Revolution Hall, Aladdin Theater, and so many others are on the list.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Tough question. For Paul, opening for Coheed and Cambria, Queens of the Stone Age, or Dead Poet Society would be fantastic.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

The best advice is to just be yourself in the music that you want to create. Whatever you create is going to sound so much better if it comes from authenticity and what makes you unique. And practice, practice, practice! That goes for us too.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Big Blue is one of those songs that just came together and represents one of Pierce’s favorite places to experience - Big Sur, California. He wrote it on an airplane while flying home and couldn’t wait to get home to start bringing it into existence. It hits on all of his musical talents and creative interests all rolled up in one song.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

It kind of varies, but I really like Looking Down lately. It has some woah’s at the end that we get the crowd singing and the dual guitar part at the end is super fun to play.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

We each have our own processes for generating song ideas and melodies. Some songs come out fully formed for the most part. Some are a more collaborative process. We try to serve the song and the songwriter to make the best product in the end. It is a fun labor of love to tease out those magical moments of a song that you know are in there somewhere.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

We are passionately intentioned to deliver music that checks as many boxes as we can; We strive for accessible songs that have enough musicality to captivate ourselves and knowledgeable musicians. Songs that make one feel something strongly, whether that is wanting to dance, headbang, run a marathon, or sit down and think. We want our listeners to feel stimulated and not sedated

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Of course there are always opinions on the best way to accomplish a musical goal, but in the end, we are all working for the same objective. We usually defer to the songwriter for any tie breakers on how a certain song element should sound. And once a disagreement is settled, we push on and give everything to each song as if it’s our own.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We always have a few songs in the hopper, and we just released Looking Down and Hearts of Gold. Both songs have strong alternative/ hard rock vibes.  Facedown is going to be out in a few weeks.  It’s a hard blues rock banger, and Space Between is more 2000’s hard rock.  We like to spread the spectrum of music that we love to create and play live. Pierce does a great job of pouring over the mixing/mastering to get projects done quickly, but we also have the luxury of tweaking and improving until each track is fully ready.