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Detroit gears up for the five-day festival over the Fourth...
A synth-driven indie-pop-rock sass machine, Silverghost was formed by former Von Bondies’ guitarist and co-vocalist Marcie Bolen and her significant other, keyboardist-vocalist Deleano Acevedo.
In the 15 months since the group’s inception, it has they’ve grown into one of Detroit’s top acts, wowing fans with riotous yet classy live shows and immaculate grasp of pop melody. Metromix talked to Bolen in advance of CityFest.
How did Silverghost come together?
We were dating for around a year. I had quit the Von Bondies and I wanted to start something new. I was playing with a bunch of different people, doing little projects. Deleano had moved in with me at the time and we started jamming together here and there. I didn’t think we were going to start a band, but it worked out well.
Once we had five songs written, we decided to get a full band together. We added a female drummer and a friend on bass. We played like that for a little while, but we liked the dynamic of when we first started out playing together, so we went back to that.
How would you describe your sound?
There’s guitar and synth, so its rock ’n’ roll-type pop. Our main influences are probably Suicide, and a lot of ’80s pop bands like Gary Numan.
What does Cityfest mean to you?
I just think of a giant crowd in front of me, and the food all mixing together to create a weird smell. I like the grassy knoll area. We played there last year, and that has a cool vibe, with people chilling out on the grass.
Do you have anything special planned this year?
We do actually, except I can’t tell you about it because we’re not exactly sure. We’re planning it now, and we’re just gonna experiment with some stuff and some people, and we’ll see what we come up with. It’s gonna be different from our usual set, for sure.
Are there any other bands on the bill that you’ll be checking out?
Deastro is playing right before us and we like him. I really wanted to see Todd Rundgren but he’s playing at the same time as us. Maybe I can run over there before we play, but that’s kinda stressful.
I’m bummed that I won’t be able to see him. The whole lineup on our day is awesome. The Rogue Satellites and Child Bite are great.
Is this a healthy time for music in Detroit?
I think it’s getting healthy again, beefing back up. We’re getting more bands and the camaraderie back. Things were kinda quiet for a while. But what else can you do in Detroit, especially in the winter time? You get together and write songs, and wait for the summer.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
We’re writing and recording at the same time in our basement. We’re hoping to have a 10-song LP ready. We’ve done two EPs so far. I’d like to put out a full length, and also a ‘best of’ all the stuff we’ve put out ourselves. Then we’d like to tour. The usual plans that bands have. We want to make some more videos too. We like doing that, because it feels like an accomplishment.
Silverghost plays the Pure Detroit Stage at 9:30 p.m. Friday.July3
