INTRODUCING: Silent Hearts

There’s a case to be made that music is made with the desire to change things. Often it’s a personal journey that sparks a larger mindset, that eventually seeps into the ears of listeners and creates a community around that message. A band with such a drive to speak for those unheard is SILENT HEARTS. Formed in Marblehead, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, this five piece heavy rock outfit came together back in 2017, with a fresh approach to what it means to make rock music.

As an in depth start to their story, we asked the band collectively how they began? “We all sort of knew each other by being involved in other projects that crossed paths in some way at some point or another. Ben [Pusateri, vocals] and David [Gast, guitars] were in a project together previously, and Mike [Drum, drums] (and yes, Drum is his actual last name. Convenient, right?) actually became the drummer in the final iteration of members for a short period before that project dissolved” the band explain. “David [Dixon, bass] helped them as well with certain managerial aspects, such as merchandise and social media. Dylan [Kendrick, guitar/vocals] had been long-time friends with Mike and was in a band with members that had some family ties to another band member. Ben, David G, and Mike are the founding members, and they started working on new material in early 2017. This was not a continuation of the former project, but a brand-new project with a new sound, image and goals. Along with the addition of Dylan and David D to fill out the band, we knew basically from the start that we had the potential to create something special that we are happy with, and hopefully everyone else who listens to us is happy with it too.”

While SILENT HEARTS is predominantly a rock band, there’s very little conforming to a particular rock style. Incorporating the feel of bands like BREAKING BENJAMIN, PAPA ROACH and BRING ME THE HORIZON, they form an emotional sound that pounds like a heart. They explain, “Ben is our main lyricist, and so far, all of the content within the songs starting back with Love||War up to now have been purposely formed with the name and mantra of SILENT HEARTS in mind. The meaning behind SILENT HEARTS is one of hope and relatability. We want to represent those who feel they have lost purpose, lost their way, or feel they have collectively fallen silent. We want to be hope for the hopeless, and be a ‘Voice for the Voiceless’. The literal imagery used is representative of the lyrical meaning. We try to tackle a lot of very difficult topics such as addiction and mental health.”

In developing these ideas around such sensitive issues, the guys clearly needed the right kind of visual artists to convey their imagery. “We have had the pleasure of working with an awesome director for our music videos and photography, John Fleischmann. He understands our message and he does a great job of bringing our concepts and ideas to life. We have also recently brought on Andy Glass of WE CAME AS ROMANS who is a great graphic designer and he has also been awesome to work with. The single cover of Ghost is the first released item that we have worked on with him, and he was really able to bring the ominous feeling and theme of the song out in the artwork, as well as keeping the mask theme (started with the single Stranger) intact. We are excited to do more with him in the future.” The mask symbolism is quite pivotal to the social impact of SILENT HEARTS‘ music. There’s an anonymity and a safe space to it for the listeners, that by not formulating to a box, allows for a connection of values and interests. The music in itself, while upbeat and great fun, full of energy that refuses to be held back by what is conventional.

The band overall have years of experience in music from all angles, be it performance and production to business. While their extensive collective history, they feel their insights can be used to further the positive movement in music. “We consider ourselves to be very knowledgeable on our craft and are always looking for ways to improve and learn new things about the industry as a whole. We make a very good team, whenever we individually find out something new or hear of an opportunity, etc, we always bring it back to the band so everyone can benefit from it. We are all very meticulous planners and always keep our goals in mind in every decision we make as a band. All seriousness aside, we are a few fun guys that just want to have a good time and enjoy creating music and sharing it with everyone.”

Their light-hearted natures combined with their sure sightedness and faith in their vision will for sure see SILENT HEARTS achieve. The underlying music is empowering and positively moving, and that connection is vital for a base of fans that the band recognise might be feeling at a low point. “We strive to be a beacon of hope for people who feel lost, hurt, or abandoned and give them a place of solace, even if it is for a few minutes listening to one of our songs they can identify with,” they agree, “We feel that is clear in our content. We ultimately just want to write music that is relatable to everyone in some way or another,” the band muses, taking on a very thoughtful personal perspective. “Personally, we could all agree, that we probably would not be sane if we weren’t able to create music. We use it as an escape for ourselves as much as we hope our music creates an escape for others. We want everything we do, every song, to mean something. There are too many meaningless or mindless songs out there today, and we just want to maintain the integrity of what it means to be “musicians” in this industry.” The fact that SILENT HEARTS are both in their music and as people, seems to be completely genuine artists who want to promote positivity. In terms of what the band really value, it’s a simple response. “As we stated earlier, we just want to write relatable music and want to help as many people as possible and be able to give them a healthy escape through our work.”

The influence of live music on the band’s overall satisfaction in their work can’t be underestimated either. “It is most rewarding when we can feel the connection between us and the crowd. It is awesome to hear how our work has touched or influenced them in some way that night. We are very personable people, and we are happy to interact with the fans in attendance before and after our set. We don’t want to be that band that hides in the green room all night, we want to give back in any way we can. That being said, if anyone reading this is ever at one of our shows, there is always at least one of us hanging out around the merch booth, so don’t be afraid to come up and talk to us, we love hearing stories and sharing laughs with our fans.” This human connection is a vital part of making a band and maintaining their connection to what makes their music stand out. Like bands that have gone before them, SILENT HEARTS are aware that it’s the personal touch of their music in other people lives that gives the most outward meaning to their creative output.

Never lacking in momentum and enthusiasm, SILENT HEARTS have a huge drive for their future. “We are always looking to play shows in different places if the demand is there! So, if you want us to come through your area on an upcoming tour, let us know and get your friends behind it, and we will make it happen to the best of our ability! We are almost always writing new material, so keep up with us on social media to be current with what is going on. The only thing we can say at this point is that there are at least a couple new tracks and music videos in post-production or even complete at this point that we are super excited about. So, stay tuned with that.”

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