The rock music landscape is littered with thousands of great bands that rose to greatness without the help of mainstream media and your average consumer. They are proof that it’s a mistake to let “hits” dictate what is awesome in the world of music. What should dictate that awesomeness is a sturdy catalog of great songs, a lengthy run at touring and legions of fans who continue to hunt down what the musicians are up to.
Walter Salas-Humara is a perfect example of a musician whose many years of low-profile work are respected in the world of independent music. He’ll be opening for rock band GrooveSession tomorrow at The Balcony Bar & Grill, touring in support of his latest, “Curve and Shake.”
His story can’t be told without mentioning his former band, The Silos. Their contribution to American music was consistently good – a success story not defined by hits or commercial radio play, but by hard work and dedication to craft.
Formed in 1985 by Salas-Humara, The Silos early on earned comparisons to The Velvet Underground, Gram Parsons and more modern bands that were defining what would become the indie movement that exploded in the ‘90s. The Silos were heralded as “Best New American Band” by Rolling Stone magazine in 1987 and performed on David Letterman in 1990, while critics praised the songwriting of Salas-Humara.
They continued to release great records of alt-country, psychedelic folk and rock well into this century and never really called it quits. Salas-Humara now splits time between Flagstaff and New York City, focusing on a solo career in music while also pursuing painting. While he’s adept at crafting roots rock songs, his quieter compositions remain soft, elegant and haunting.
“Curve and Shake” is a chance for Salas-Humara to explore styles outside what he’s done with his former band. It’s not a straight-up “dude with guitar” folk album, but a quiet rock record influenced by the various people that made up the backing band, like GrooveSession and Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons.
“It’s a little bit different; it’s not all like trap drums and loud rock,” Salas-Humara said in late August from Flagstaff. “It varies musically; it really gave the album a whole different kind of vibe than most of The Silos albums, which are more straight up rock and roll albums. There’s a lot of emphasis on songwriting. I think I’m a much better singer now than I ever have been. Hopefully when you work at something for decades, you get better at it over the years.”
GrooveSession will headline after serving as Salas-Humara’s backing band. He speaks highly of the band, comparing them at times to Santana and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The trio featuring bass player Ronnie Sanchez, drummer and vocalist Manny Sanchez and guitar player Sarven Manguiat will explore funk, soul and extended improvisation popular in the jam-band realm.
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s best
Saturday: Walter Sumas-Humara and GrooveSession, 6 p.m., no cover, The Balcony Bar & Grill, 600 Main Ave., 422-8008.
Sunday: Blue Moon Ramblers play bluegrass, 7 p.m., no cover, Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave., 375-7150.
