SILVERSTEIN CELEBRATES THE 18TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR BEST-SELLING SOPHOMORE ALBUM, DISCOVERING THE WATERFRONT, WITH VINYL REISSUE
Available September 29th in a variety of colorways, the LP features the enduring hits
“My Heroine” and “Smile in Your Sleep”
The Juno-nominated band embarks on an extensive global tour this fall
Los Angeles, CA (August 16, 2023) – 18 years ago today, Canadian five-piece Silverstein released their sophomore album, Discovering the Waterfront. Featuring such enduring hits as “My Heroine” and “Smile in Your Sleep,” the LP launched a new era for the post-hardcore band – both creatively, as they shifted towards punk influences, and commercially, as they made their debut on the US charts. Now, as the Juno-nominated band celebrates more than two decades together, the long out-of-print album will return to vinyl. In stores September 29th and available for pre-order today, Discovering the Waterfront can be found on classic black vinyl, while select retailers will offer the LP in a variety of limited-edition colors including brown (via Urban Outfitters), green (via Revolver), green and brown marble (via Craft Recordings), and blue marble (via the band’s official store).
The busy band is also gearing up for an extensive global tour this fall. Dates kick off October 14th and 15th in Shibuya City, Japan, with a two-night engagement at Cyclone. The band will continue through the end of the year with stops in Australia, the Philippines, and North America. Ahead of that, fans can catch Silverstein at Chicago’s Riot Fest (September 15th) and the Is For Lovers Festival in Mansfield, MA (September 17th). Scroll down to view a complete list of dates and click here for tickets.
Formed in 2000 in Burlington, Ontario, Silverstein has long been at the forefront of the hardcore scene, thanks to their dynamic mix of melody and aggression – all blended with the unabashed earnestness of emo. When the five-piece – whose name was inspired by a shared fondness of the poet Shel Silverstein – joined Victory Records in 2002, they had already released two EPs (Summer’s Stellar Gaze and When the Shadows Beam) and established a strong regional fanbase. Their acclaimed full-length debut, When Broken Is Easily Fixed, followed a year later and offered a bold introduction to the band, thanks to tracks like “Giving Up” and “Smashed into Pieces.”
After more than a year of non-stop touring with bands like Rise Against, Bayside, and Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein was eager to begin work on their follow-up. Their first of several records with GRAMMY®-winning producer Cameron Webb (Motörhead, Kelly Clarkson, Disturbed), Discovering the Waterfront found the band broadening their sound, as they integrated the urgency of punk rock and the catharses of hardcore with lyrical songwriting and infectious melodies.
The result was a dynamic album that was chock-full of anthemic hooks, including the pop-punk opener “Your Sword versus. My Dagger,” “Call It Karma,” and single “Smile in Your Sleep.” Throughout, Shane Todd demonstrated the breadth of his vocal abilities – particularly in tracks like “My Heroine,” in which he guided listeners through a rollercoaster of emotional balladry and ferocious breakdowns. Todd also displayed his sensitive side in the reflective “Discovering the Waterfront,” which featured string arrangements and a performance by Yellowcard violinist, Sean Mackin.
The band’s stylistic shift paid off: Discovering the Waterfront was embraced by fans and served as their commercial breakthrough in the US. Marking Silverstein’s debut on the Billboard 200, the record peaked at No.34, while it landed at No.3 on the Independent Albums chart. By the year’s end, it had sold over 100,000 copies and ranked among the Top 50 best-selling Independent Albums of 2005. Today, those figures have more than quadrupled.
Discovering the Waterfront also drew plenty of acclaim, earning Silverstein a 2006 Juno nod for New Group of the Year as well as rave reviews. AllMusic hailed the album as “Power pop for the new millennium – and a remarkably mature sound for a band that has only been together for a few years. . . . Highly recommended.” PopMatters proclaimed, “Silverstein is one of the most melodic bands you’ll ever hear,” praising the album’s “catch[y] songwriting and luscious production. The guitar tones are nicely varied, and the rhythm section is tight.”
Today, Discovering the Waterfront remains the group’s highest-selling album and continues to be a perennial favorite among fans, while “My Heroine” endures as the band’s biggest hit. In 2015, as a testament to the album’s popularity, Silverstein embarked on a tenth-anniversary tour of the record, performing it in venues across North America, Europe, the UK, and Australia.
Speaking to the latest reissue, the band declares: “Our long out-of-print sophomore album, Discovering the Waterfront, has finally returned to vinyl! We still cherish this album and celebrate it any chance we get, so we’re glad our fans can pick up a new physical copy. We’ve been doing this for over 23 years, but never forget our roots. Whether you heard Discovering the Waterfront back then, or just discovered it now, we appreciate you listening.”
In the years following Discovering the Waterfront, Silverstein (whose current line-up includes vocalist Shane Told, guitarists Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford, bassist Billy Hamilton, and drummer Paul Koehler) has played thousands of shows around the world (including multiple mainstage runs with the Vans Warped Tour) and released over a dozen studio, live, and compilation albums, including the popular Arrivals & Departures (2007) and the Juno-nominated A Beautiful Place to Drown (2020). Last year, the band released their 11th studio album, Misery Made Me.
Click here to pre-order Discovering the Waterfront
Discovering the Waterfront Tracklist (Vinyl)
Side A
- Your Sword Versus My Dagger
- Smile In Your Sleep
- The Ides Of March
- Fist Wrapped In Blood
- Discovering The Waterfront
- Defend You
Side B
- My Heroine
- Always And Never
- Already Dead
- Three Hours Back
- Call It Karma
Silverstein Fall/Winter Tour Dates:
September 15: Chicago, IL – Riot Fest
September 17: Mansfield, MA – Is For Lovers Festival
October 14 & 15: Shibuya City, Japan – Cyclone
October 18 & 19: Brisbane, Australia – The Fortitude Music Hall
October 21: Moore Park, Australia – The Hordern Pavilion
October 24: Adelaide, Australia – Hindley Street Music Hall
October 25 & 26: Melbourne, Australia – Forum
October 28: Northbridge, Australia – Metro City
October 29: Fremantle, Australia – Metropolis Fremantle
October 31: Quezon City, Philippines – SM Skydome
November 23: Toronto, ON – The Opera House
November 25: Montreal, QC – Club Soda
November 26: Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw
November 28: Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
November 29: Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
December 1: Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Heaven
December 2: Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville
December 3: St. Louis, MO – Red Flag
December 5: Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
December 6: San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center
December 8: Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
December 9: Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
December 10: Anaheim, CA – House of Blues Anaheim
December 12: Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
December 13: Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
December 15: Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
December 16: Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
December 17: Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theatre
About Craft Recordings:
Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers.
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