Interviews: THE SLYDE

In this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Progressive Rock band THE SLYDE from Canada. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

Nathan Da Silva (vocals, guitar): We initially just wanted a band name that people could easily remember, so we chose Slyde. However, over the years we shifted towards lyrical content dealing with environmental and sociopolitical issues, as well as realizing that other bands were using the same name. So we recently changed our name to “The Slyde”, which could be a euphemism for the direction in which society is heading...

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

ND: I’ve always wanted to create a style of music that mixed all of my favorite styles of music together: European melodic metal, Japanese video game music, Western alternative and grunge, and pop music. And that’s essentially what The Slyde is.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

ND: I met Sarah (keyboards, synths) at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada when I entered music school. I used to play in a melodic death metal band called Atma with my brother who sang lead vocals, and other founding members of The Slyde, Nicholas Favretto (bass guitar) and Paul Gillespie (drums), also played in Atma. When Atma broke up, we four formed The Slyde. Paul left the band shortly after our first demo was released, and I recruited my longtime childhood friend Brendan Soares (drums, vocals) to replace him; Nicholas left the band in 2013 to pursue a career in Engineering, and we recruited Alberto Campuzano (bass guitar, vocals) in 2015. So the current lineup is myself (Nathan), Sarah, Alberto, and Andrew Suarez (drums), who has been drumming with us, while Brendan is busy touring with other bands.

4. Each band member favorite band?

Nathan: Pink Floyd

Sarah: Dream Theater 

Alberto: Coheed And Cambria

Andrew: Celine Dion

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

ND: The desire to write awesome music is all I really need. But political turmoil and social issues that are important to me is good fodder for lyrical content.

6. Where was your last gig?

ND: 2 August 2019, at Wacken Open Air, as part of the Metal Battle international final, representing Canada.

7. Where would you like to act?

ND: Our goal is to break into the European market, so I think a European tour is a next goal with the band.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

ND: We’d love to jump on a tour with a larger exposure band of similar style.

9. Whom not?

ND: Celine Dion? (Sorry Andrew).

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

ND: I conquered stage fright early on in my music performing career, but we always feel a little jittery on higher-profile gigs. Just the nature of the beast. It’s good to be a little nervous before a big show - a little adrenaline is good for the body!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

ND: Musically, David Gilmour and John Petrucci are huge influences on my guitar playing.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

ND: To fire a band member and have them replace them! Haha

13. What do you think of your fans?

ND: Our fans are why we do what we do. Without them, we’d just be playing music for ourselves. Metal is a niche genre, to begin with, and doing a niche sub-genre in a niche genre is even more challenging. To still have people come out and rock out with us after all these years is very special to us.

14. What do you think of our site?

ND: We need more websites like Breathing The Core for upcoming artists and acts. It’s a great site to discover new and interesting music.

15. Something add?

ND: For all things related to The Slyde, check out http://theslyde.ca , and follow us on all social media at @theslydecanada - Cheers!!