Silver Jews
Silver Jews was an American indie rock band from New York City. The band's … Read Full Bio ↴Silver Jews was an American indie rock band from New York City. The band's earliest incarnation was the college band Ectoslavia, formed by future Pavement founders Bob Nastanovich, Stephen Malkmus and frontman David Berman at the University of Virginia in 1989. An exercise in joyous noise, the band disbanded after graduation and the three friends moved to New York to take up various jobs - Nastanovich, a bus driver, and Berman and Malkmus, art museum security guards.
Pavement, a band started by Malkmus post-Ectoslavia, pre-New York, at this point began to gain attention. This attention resulted in a record deal and a constant inferiority plague placed upon the 'Joos with Berman totally at the forefront of the group. Misinformed music fans now saw the band as a side-project and, even worse, Berman as being not good enough to play with Pavement, many band members being shared between the two bands.
The connection to Malkmus and the now blossoming Pavement was not all negative, however. Drag City, then not the bastion of American folk music it is today, agreed to release the band's debut EPs which has led to a fruitful relationship (the label continues to release the band's records, right up to album number 7 in 2008, (Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea).
The Silver Jews in their later days primarily consisted of David and Cassie Berman who contributed most of the lyrics, and a changing cast of characters. They had numerous indie stars in a rotating line up, including Willie T. of Lambchop, and Brian Kotzer of Tim Chad and Sherry.
David Berman is also a poet and has been published in numerous poetry magazines and journals. He also has a book of poetry and rants entitled "Actual Air," which was released in 1999 and received favorable reviews from The New Yorker and GQ.
On the 22nd of January, 2009, David Berman announced on the Drag City messageboard that their show on the 31st of January in Tennessee would be their last. "Can't be like all the careerists doncha know. I'm forty two and I know what to do. I'm a writer, see? I always said we would stop before we got bad." After 10 years off, Berman reappeared in 2019 as Purple Mountains.
David Berman died from suicide on August 22, 2019 after a long battle with depression.
Pavement, a band started by Malkmus post-Ectoslavia, pre-New York, at this point began to gain attention. This attention resulted in a record deal and a constant inferiority plague placed upon the 'Joos with Berman totally at the forefront of the group. Misinformed music fans now saw the band as a side-project and, even worse, Berman as being not good enough to play with Pavement, many band members being shared between the two bands.
The connection to Malkmus and the now blossoming Pavement was not all negative, however. Drag City, then not the bastion of American folk music it is today, agreed to release the band's debut EPs which has led to a fruitful relationship (the label continues to release the band's records, right up to album number 7 in 2008, (Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea).
The Silver Jews in their later days primarily consisted of David and Cassie Berman who contributed most of the lyrics, and a changing cast of characters. They had numerous indie stars in a rotating line up, including Willie T. of Lambchop, and Brian Kotzer of Tim Chad and Sherry.
David Berman is also a poet and has been published in numerous poetry magazines and journals. He also has a book of poetry and rants entitled "Actual Air," which was released in 1999 and received favorable reviews from The New Yorker and GQ.
On the 22nd of January, 2009, David Berman announced on the Drag City messageboard that their show on the 31st of January in Tennessee would be their last. "Can't be like all the careerists doncha know. I'm forty two and I know what to do. I'm a writer, see? I always said we would stop before we got bad." After 10 years off, Berman reappeared in 2019 as Purple Mountains.
David Berman died from suicide on August 22, 2019 after a long battle with depression.
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Silver Jews Lyrics
04 Advice to the Graduate If you got a message Leave your name and number And we'll…
10. Buckingham Rabbit Back then I had a Buckingha rabbit. I'd been lonely since…
Advice to the Graduate If you got a message Leave your name and number And we'll…
Albemarle Station Call me from Albemarle Station if you can I hope you…
Aloysius Bluegrass Drummer Aloysius was a bluegrass drummer He was just a normal kid …
Animal Shapes gold and green/red and blue. are the lights on the signs…
Ballad of Reverend War Character Silhouette Jane measures rain in a cracked cup on the…
Black and Brown Blues Baby let's get dressed up I got two pairs of shoes Darling…
Blue Arrangements I see you gracefully swimming with the country club women in…
Buckingham Rabbit Back then I had a Buckingha rabbit. I'd been lonely since…
Candy Jail Pain works on a sliding scale So does pleasure in a…
Dallas I passed the thirteenth floor The CPR was so erotic A blizza…
Death of an Heir of Sorrows I wish I lived in the Power and the Light I…
Federal Dust They don't walk and they don't talk in Malibu. They don't…
Friday Night Fever I love the sound of a jukebox playin' So I sit…
Honk If You Radio's on, feeling all right Cruising the strip on a Saturd…
Horseleg Swastikas I'm drunk on a couch in Nashville in a duplex near…
How Can I Love You If You Won't Lie Down Fast cars, fine ass These things will pass And it won't ge…
How to Rent a Room No I don't really want to die I only want to…
I Remember Me He almost walked into a wall Oh man she was a…
I'm Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You Baby won't you take this magnet Maybe put my picture back…
I'm Gonna Love the Hell Out of You I was 19, and dead from the neck up She was…
Inside the Golden Days of Miss Inside the golden days of missing you With the people of…
Inside the Golden Days of Missing You Inside the golden days of missing you With the people of…
Introduction II Hello, my friends hello, my friends come on, have a seat …
K-Hole I've been living in a k-hole Ever since you went away I've…
Let's Not and Say We Did Let's go hunting blackbirds, let's throw snowballs from the …
Like Like the the the Death Like like the the the death Air crickets air crickets air…
Living Waters Now people are good and people are bad And I'm never…
My Pillow Is the Threshold I take decaf coffee Two sugars and one cream I don't see…
New Orleans I'm scared (I swear) of you. In the tunnel, in…
Open Field Open field with a window Open field with no child Open F…
Pan American Blues a fifth on decoration day for the doctor that fixed my…
Party Barge Father drove a steamroller Momma was a crossing guard. She g…
People Moments can be monuments to you If your life is interesting…
Pet Politics Guard my bed While the rain turns the ditches to mirrors By…
Pretty Eyes Everybody wants perspective from a hill But everybody's want…
Punks in the Beerlight Where's the paper bag that holds the liquor? Just in case…
Random Rules In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection Slowly…
Rebel Jew In the times I dream Jesus It's like he's coming through…
Room Games and Diamond Rain I'm gonna love you for a hundred years. Through suffering a…
San Francisco B.C. Old San Francisco, San Francisco B.C. I lived with my true…
Secret Knowledge of Back Roads You wanted it the priceless sword You're close to dying clos…
Send in the Clouds Send in the clouds. Bring down the rain. Shut all the…
Sleeping Is the Only Love I heard they were taming the shrew. I heard the shrew…
Slow Education When God was young, He made the wind and the…
Smith & Jones Forever Are you honest when no one's looking? Can you summon honey…
Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed Where does an animal sleep when the ground is wet? Cows…
Strange Victory Strange Defeat Silver Jews Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea Strange Victory S…
Suffering Jukebox Planes on the downtown skyline is a sight to see…
Tennessee I saw the river playing in the valley Rushin' 'round the…
The Country Diary of a Subway Conductor "O get him out of there!" What if it cost…
The Farmer's Hotel The lights went out in New York Then they went out…
The Frontier Index Of all the people I knew I always looked up to…
The Wild Kindness I wrote a letter to a wildflower on a classic nitrogen…
There Is a Place there is a place past the blues I never want…
Tide to the Ocean Tide to the oceans A million chuckers never felt wrong Loo…
Tide to the Oceans Tide to the oceans A million chuckers never felt wrong Looki…
Time Will Break the World The sun and the shutters and the sun shattered hair. The…
Trains Across The Sea Troubles, no troubles, on the line, & I can't stand To…
We Are Real Up the hill past 694, at the stone wall make…
We Could Be Looking for the Same Thing Way way out past where the sidewalks disappear And up throu…
What Is Not But Could Be If What is not but could be if what could appear in…
Wild Kindness I wrote a letter to a wildflower on a classic nitrogen…