For the month of March, and our very first Band of the Month, the ladies at Sound Faction decided to not only choose a band that we all enjoy listening to, but a band who consist of five of the nicest men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting!

Ladies and Gentlemen, high fives all around for Burlington, Ontario's own: Silverstein!!

This Canadian quintet is made up of Paul Koehler on drums, Josh Bradford and Neil Boshart on guitars, Billy Hamilton on bass and Shane Told holding down the fort with his amazing vocal skills. The band is signed to Victory Records and has released three albums with the label, the latest of which being "Arrivals and Departures" which was released in 2007.

Personal Experience: On Feb. 8 2008, some friends and myself got a chance to meet the guys before a show at Toronto's Kool Haus. They were such nice guys, and you can tell they appreciate all their fans so much! Shane even had me laughing so hard I was in tears!!

I've been a fan of Silverstein and wanted to see them live since I first heard "Smiles in your Sleep" when I was 18. I turned 21 a month before the show and it was a great present!! The show was absolutely amazing. Not only was the performance flawless, but they were once again thinking of their fans, and as Manda says, they played early so no one would miss their Go-Trains!

Thanks Silverstein, and congratulations on being The Sound Faction's first Band of the Month!

When I think about Silverstein, I can't help but remember the "Never Shave Again" tour they did with Aiden, It Dies Today, The Stickup and The Devil Wear's Prada. I saw them on October 15, 2006 in Chicago at the House of Blues. (I was two days and one tour stop away from having to see Kill Hannah instead of The Devil Wears Prada. Ha ha Pittsburgh, suckers!)

We were the second tour stop so the boys didn't have too much by way of grody facial hair yet, but for sure it was visible. If anyone that went to the last show of your tour in Albany, NY has photographic evidence of the "no shaving rule", I'll buy you a CD. No lie! E-mail it to us! I'm frickin' serious.

Anyway: the one thing I remember most about the show was that it kicked a ton of ass, and that Shane almost cracked Billy's head open with his microphone. I'm talking like... grazing the poor kid's skull by fractions of an inch. I'm not sure I ever laughed that hard at a show before. The look on poor Billy's face was priceless and Shane just about looked like he was going to piss.

Either way... Silverstein: good shit.

It'd be a lie for me to sit here and go on and on about how much I love Silverstein, because I suppose that would be a bit of a lie. But I do quite like their music! I'm not a huge fan, but I'm a fan.

I saw them on February 8th, 2008 with The Devil Wears Prada, Protest The Hero and Ill Scarlet, and they were bitchin! They put on a damn good show, and my favourite moment would be Shane mentioning how they were playing early so we could all catch our Go-Trains home... and it's at times like that you realize that they're from Burlington, and totally rocked out at the same venues as the other Torontonian kids. It was definately awesome.

And thanks boys, we totally got home on time!

Silverstein. Now, before I get into the awesomeness that is this band, I have a confession to make. I haven't listened to them before the call to make them this month's featured band went out. Please don't hate me! I go to grad school, and my head is mostly in the 18th century rather than the 21st. I lose track of time, dates, things, and amazing bands. Don't hold it against me. Since I've made my peace, let me get into the reason for this entry: Silverstein.

From my limited (read: myspace) experience with the band, I must say their songs are well written, well sung, and generally rock! To me: they are a great combination of AFI and Fall Out Boy. No, thats not an insult! The lyrics have the complex qualities of AFI's, but the band has some Fall Out Boys (sans Pete Wentz) cuteness. Plus, they're from Canada, and that's just an added bonus! (I have a fondness for my neighbor to the north, Virginia does that to people.)

this may be quick and dirty, but my expressing love of bands is never eloquent, nor is it long-winded. So, before I babble on too long, I will just say: Silverstein = Amazing. That's all you need to know.