Silver Snakes Spread Their Hypnotics Far And Wide

SILVER SNAKES play Regent Theater May 10; press photo

SILVER SNAKES play Regent Theater May 10; press photo

“I grew up in a very musical household,” states Alex Estrada of Silver Snakes. “My dad’s a musician, he’s a producer, and my mother was a dancer; so, from a very young age, it was already instilled in me for the most part. It was kind of…I don’t wanna say expected, but it was a no brainer for everyone, me included, that I would do music in some shape or form.”

An enigmatic band with an amorphous sound, Silver Snakes has carved out their original sound that pulls from a diverse range of elements. Drawing from industrial, rock, electronic, hardcore, and more, they continue to explore and test the limits of what their music is capable of.

Since its inception, the band was destined to incorporate numerous styles.

“It just came from being in different bands over the years, styles that shifted around,” explains Estrada. “I was doing a really heavy band, like a really metallic and kind of crusty punk band called Cathedral for a long time. When that was done, I wanted to do something a bit different and get back to my roots more, do a more straight forward rock project.

“So, I started Silver Snakes as a solo thing many years ago. I wrote a couple of these really melodic rock songs, and as time went by it turned into a real band. I started finding my footing and really figuring out what kind of music I wanted to do with the band. Time goes on, and I feel that now we have really found our niche and what we are doing with the music.”

The desire to experiment and try different things even extends to the live show itself.

“They are always different,” illustrates Estrada. “Previous tours have definitely been different from this one because with this one we are doing a lot more with production and other new things. We teamed up with this local visual artist, who goes by Cloaking in LA, and sent him our set. He designed an entire projection show which coincides with the songs. It really ties into the electronic aspect of all of it.

“More than anything, what we set up to do really is to be a hypnotic band, to say the least. We don’t expect people to be jumping up and down during our sets. But we really like to suck people in and draw their attention, you know what I mean? Just make it really cinematic, in that sense.”

Bringing this elaborate show to their fans is a driving force behind their passion and success.

“With this set, it’s very different than other ones we have done because we are playing new music, and with the new music comes a lot of new stylistic differences. So, it’s been really fun just feeling it come together, because we have never gone out on tour before with these kinds of samples and synthesizers. Again, the production and all of that….so the nights where it all locks together is a lot of fun.”

Currently on tour behind their upcoming album Death and the Moon, the band is excited to bring it to their fans for the first time.

Silver Snakes "Death and The Moon" cover art

Silver Snakes “Death and The Moon” cover art

“Right now, I am really enjoying playing all the new stuff cuz it’s the first tour we are playing them on,” says Estrada. “And for the most part, they are still some of the first times we are playing them together as a band, because so much of the record was recorded in the studio. It wasn’t us hunkered down in a space practicing; literally getting up on stage and playing these in any capacity has been really cool.

“There is a song on the record called ‘Gone is Gone’, it’s the last track on the album and has been a lot of fun to play live. It has a really big ending, with a lot of moving parts to it…has a really slow build and a really big outro. We have been closing with it every night; even in terms of the production and the visuals we are doing for that one, that song seems to be very hypnotic for people.”

An added bonus for Silver Snakes and their fans is their tour mates, the notorious Combichrist.

“It’s been awesome,” describes Estrada. “They are really, really great guys and one of the coolest bands we have ever gone out with. It’s been a cool new experience. With this new record, there has been a stylistic shift and they are a little further down that direction. But it’s been really cool edging towards their crowd, and kind of bring what we do. Which is more on the traditional rock side of things and bringing that to a crowd who is expecting more of an electronic show. Overall, its been a really cool experience.

“I dropped their name like a year ago, saying it would be really cool to do a tour with Combichrist. The next thing you know, it kind of came to fruition. It’s a long tour, and also our first tour in a year and a half. It’s the tour for our new record so we are just really grateful for the opportunity.”

Don’t miss Silver Snakes as they bring Death and the Moon back home to LA, playing it live on May 10 at the Regent!