4 by Silverstiles
At its heart, this fourth album from the country-rock band Silverstiles is about loss – and then finding what’s really important. The cover’s image of an RV beneath the northern lights isn’t just scenery; it’s a moment that we’ve all had when we recognize that every moment of beauty will never come again. Using a layered acoustic/electric sound with the faraway notes of pedal steel, the shimmering aurora finds expression musically throughout 4’s tracks.
From Bevil Web, Tobin Sprout (GBV)’s backing band, drummer Michael Houseman brings these songs into focus . Then some of Western Michigan’s finest musicians take it from there. “Icebergs” features Brian Oberlin on banjo, his notes evoking electric transmissions along powerlines. Also featured are Dutcher Snedeker on keys, Justin Wierenga on pedal steel, and Jeffery Niemeier on violin. And, from Bevil Web, Tommy Schichtel recorded the album at Goon Lagoon, his all analog studio.
In a time of closing venues and increasing social media overload, why wait for a new world to come into view? As the closing song, “Connections” insists, the time to build a bridge to this world is now.
Tracklist
| 1. | Culver City | 3:11 |
| 2. | Moving Sideways | 3:54 |
| 3. | 70s Love Song | 2:32 |
| 4. | Icebergs | 2:17 |
| 5. | Trade Your Last Tomorrow | 3:41 |
| 6. | Blood on the Page | 2:34 |
| 7. | Miles are Free | 3:23 |
| 8. | My Town Lost Its Name | 3:29 |
| 9. | State Line | 4:07 |
| 10. | Connections | 2:57 |
Credits
John Bruni – vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar
Keith Jaissle – bass guitar
Michael Houseman – drums
Brian Oberlin – banjo
Jeffery Niemeier – violin
Tommy Schichtel – guitar, Fender Bass VI guitar, Moog synthesizer
Dutcher Wright Snedeker – keyboards
Justin Wierenga – pedal steel guitar
Emily Schichtel – backing vocals
Dale Wicks – backing vocals
Christopher Schichtel – percussion
All songs by John Bruni c 2025 Marclipse Records
“Icebergs” co-written with Rachel S. Anderson
“My Town Lost Its Name” co-written with Justin Stover
Mixed and produced by Tommy Schichtel at Goon Lagoon Studios, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Mastered by Jim Diamond/Edited by Josh Kaufman/Photography by Rachel S. Anderson
License
All rights reserved.
Grand-Rapids based Silverstiles let their songs go where they want to go. Sharing a love of classic country jukebox hits like “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” guitarist John Bruni and bassist Keith Jaissle find the emotional center between Bruni’s imagistic tales about rogues and misfits—that border on absurdist humor—and Jaissle’s arrangements anchored by painterly bass lines.