Biography
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Years Active
2002 – present (22 years)
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Founded In
Brooklyn, New York, New York, United States
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Members
- Justin Russo
- Ryan Ross Smith
- Shannon Fields
The Brooklyn-based orchestral pop band THE SILENT LEAGUE originated as the solo identity of singer Justin Russo in the late nineties. While a keyboardist with Mercury Rev in support of the critically acclaimed albums "Deserter's Songs" (V2) and "All Is Dream" (V2), Russo secretly stole each available moment in a busy tour schedule to write and record his own fragile and epic LP, "The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused".
The resulting debut record - hailed as "a masterful blend of sepia-toned chamber pop and sunny-sinister piano balladry" (Bang Magazine), "stellar"and "heavenly" by the Village Voice - features performances from, among others, Sam Fogarino (Interpol) and Sean 'Grasshopper' Mackowiack (Mercury Rev). Blending glockenspiels and trumpets, howling guitar drones and gentle piano, the live incarnation, a dense and boisterous chamber pop ensemble, is quickly becoming NYC's most whispered about 'conversion experience'.
The group skillfully melds '70s-era piano balladry and a sense of offbeat childlike vulnerability with the heavily arranged and darker elements of Russo's former band.
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