Untitled Document

Interview COPPERHEAD COUNTY with Corvin Silvester (singer)

by Philippe ArchambeauDegand, May 2021

RTJ : Hi Corvin, thank you to give us a little bit of your time for Road To Jacksonville, a French website about Southern Rock. First, where do you come from and how old are you ?

Corvin Silvester : Hello RTJ! Thanks for having me. First of all, my name is Corvin Silvester.

I was born in a small village in the Netherlands in the year 1974. ;-)

RTJ : Can you tell us who are your favourite musicians who gave you the envy to sing Music ?

Corvin Silvester : My favourite musicians, well…Audley Freed, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks, Charlie Starr among others… at the time of this interview I am listening to Blake Mills, he is a genius... you should check him out!

I started singing because of Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, but when I heard the Black Crowes my life changed and I knew Southern Rock is my religion.

RTJ : How did you become a singer ?

Corvin Silvester : I remember one rehearsal with a trio (I played guitar) and we needed a singer. No one opted so I tried it and I loved it! This is years ago and it changed my life forever.

RTJ : Can you tell us which have been your first bands ?

Corvin Silvester : My first band was called Cybergod… we made music like Black Sabbath… well… we tried! :-))) It was fun, I learned a lot and played in a lot of bands after that.

RTJ : Can you remind us how did Copperhead County begin and how did you choose such
a name ?

Corvin Silvester : Copperhead County was founded by Jordy Duitscher (organ). He found Robert (van Voorden, guitar) and Copperhead County was born. I came in to play later when they were looking for a singer. When I came in the room and we talked I immediately knew this was a perfect fit. I was right! ;-)

RTJ : Can you introduce the Copperhead County members to us ?

Corvin Silvester : On drums we have Alex Stolwijk, on bass we have Marja Boender. Jordy Duitscher plays the organ and Robert van Voorden is rocking the guitar!

RTJ : Who is the composer and how do you create the new songs ?

Corvin Silvester : Jordy and Robert start with a musical idea and they come up with the basic structure. From there I do my part and bring in the vocal melodies and the lyrics. In this stadium most of the time the song is born. Marja will bring in backing vocals when needed and we do some arrangement changes when needed. Then the demo is of the song is born and we finish it in the rehearsal room.

RTJ: And what will be the musical direction of this album ?

Corvin Silvester : It will be a modern southern rock album. Fans of Blackberry Smoke will love it but I think folks who listen to Jason Isbell will like it too! We bring our own flavor of southern rock and if you like guitars and rock with good melodies, this is your album!

RTJ: The first title of the album Be Different, reminds us by its texture of the Outlaws, can you tell us what this title is about?

Corvin Silvester : Be Different is basically about following your heart and do what you feel like doing. Other people will tell you what they think you should do and that’s fine, I can respect that… but I learned early on that your gut feeling and happiness have a strong marriage! No one can tell you what will make you tick but you. Take control, be different, be yourself!

RTJ: I appreciated your work on the mid-tempo track “Not Even The Wind”, which you fill with emotion, can you tell us more about this track?

Corvin Silvester : Thank you! This song is special to me. It is the first vocal line and lyric I wrote for Copperhead County.

The song is about eternal love. About finding your soulmate and knowing that nothing can take away the love you feel. I remember talking to my grandma years ago and she told me that my grandfather (he had passed years before) was the love of her life. There wasn’t a day that she didn’t think about him. When she was dying I was there in the hospital with her and she was happy she got to see her husband again. Nothing could take away her feeling for him.

RTJ: A true maelstrom of guitars dot the two end tracks “With You Again” and “Southern Feeling”. Can you tell us how you are perceived in Holland playing with guitars in the age of electronic music?

Corvin Silvester : We do very well actually! There is a healthy scene for southern rock, blues and roots music. We do play all over Europe and when the world is back to normal we are ready for it!

RTJ : What is Southern Rock for you today ? Do you think that there's place enough for new bands such as Blackberry Smoke, for instance ?

Corvin Silvester : Southern Rock for me is a musical comfort zone, it has all the ingredients I enjoy and it is the perfect music to rock out on, drink beers with your mates to or make love to! ;-)))

Blackberry Smoke, The Black Crowes and the likes show us that if you are willing to work for it you can go everywhere! We are not aiming for a big hitsingle, we just love what we do and we love being on the road and have fun with likeminded people….and there are a lot! I can’t wait to get back on the road again!

RTJ : How are the sales of your album ? How can we get it ?

Corvin Silvester : We sell a few each week through our website. Go to www.copperheadcounty.com and simply place your order in our webshop. We have lots of stuff!

RTJ: How did the album come out? There are two different sleeves, can you tell us more?

Corvin Silvester : The first sleeve (black one with the logo) is the original edition we released ourselves when we where unsigned. When we got signed we were almost out of albums and we did another pressing with another cover.

I am really excited about the artwork for the new album, it’s gonna be killer!

RTJ : Are there new bands you enjoy in Netherlands? Do you know the group Leif from Leeuw Band which plays in an Allman Brothers style?

Corvin Silvester : I rarely listen to new bands but Leif is special. He is a good friend of mine and his band is awesome. Once in a while we sit together and I learn stuff from him. I think he is the best guitarist in the Netherlands (he actually won the “best guitarist of the Benelux” award of Guitarist Magazine for the 6th year in a row) Amazing band.

RTJ : Which are your favourite Southern bands ?

Corvin Silvester : Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cry of Love, The Black Crowes and a lot more…

RTJ : What does really mean for you the Southern Flag ? Do you use it on stage ?

Corvin Silvester : To me personally it doesn’t mean anything. We don’t use it on stage.

RTJ : Last traditional question ; if you have to live on a desert island for the rest of your life,
which would be the five albums you take with you ?

Corvin Silvester :

Shake your moneymaker -The Black Crowes

(pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Brother - Cry of Love

Southeastern - Jason Isbell

Dreams - The Allman Brothers Band

RTJ : Thank you for answering our questions.

Corvin Silvester : Anytime, thanks for having me! Cheers.