In more than a few respects, Silversun Pickups are very much a 21st century band, formed during 2000 and essentially untouched in membership since the core group coalesced in 2002. Since then, the nucleus of the alternative rock band, which plays Buckhead Theatre on Wednesday, has remained Brian Aubert on guitar and vocals, original member Nikki Monninger on bass and vocals, Christopher Guanlao on drums and Joe Lester on keys.
Aside from Monninger’s relatively brief hiatus from the band a decade ago because of maternity leave, this remarkable longevity isn’t lost on anyone in the group, which maintains a career-long home base in Los Angeles. Aubert jokingly attributes the group’s long tenure to “What else are we going to do? We’ve got no choice,” though he opens up about the band’s life together with minimal prompting.
“You know, I think it’s something that you reevaluate all the time,” Aubert says. “There’s nothing conscious about it, we don’t get into child’s pose to discuss it. But when you’ve always had a thing, is it still energetic? Do you still feel compelled to do it?
Credit: (Courtesy of Claire Marie Vogel)
Credit: (Courtesy of Claire Marie Vogel)
“We were friends for a little while before being in a band and so you get a lot of the personal stuff stripped out of it in a certain way,” he said. “You already know how to read each other and especially now that we’ve gotten so good at touring, you know when people need space. I say that all the time, but everybody has their role in the band. I’m going to lead it in certain ways. It’s just natural in the way that’s happened. But no one’s higher up than anyone else. And no one’s fireable, unless it was for something absolutely insane. Touring with other bands, you see some that think, ‘If only we could get this other drummer.’ We don’t go into that conversation. It’s not on the table, which is probably why we’re still around.”
The group also has an interesting 21st century connection in that its members have been active through pretty much all of the iterations of music that’s been released and promoted over the last quarter-century, experiencing most of the options that could come its way. Digital music has been around since its beginning. They’ve known different record labels. They’ve had music licensed for video games and TV/film. They’ve toured as a headliner, in support and played festivals. They’ve recorded short live spots for the hip streaming channels and have offered up the occasional clever cover. And they’ve even done something that not all contemporary rock bands can claim.
“We do get played on the radio,” says Aubert with just a hint of amusement. That, plus a host of other factors, has meant that the band has been able to turn over a fan base over the years, keeping long-term fans in its audience, while continuing to blend in new followers.
“We’ve had songs in video games and played ‘Letterman’ and knew Napster, so people have found us in so many ways,” Aubert said. “Maybe they heard us playing along to us on a video game or we’re that weird band that still gets onto the radio, so it’s all about different pockets. I am very curious, having been around for so long, to look out into the crowd and see that it’s much more diverse than it used to be. The ages are all over the place. There’re teenage punk rock girls, older dudes, little kids. I don’t know when they all started listening to us.”
Touring has always been a part of the group’s build, though, and Silversun Pickups only had the obligatory time off during the pandemic. Aside from that stretch, the band has been at it since the release of its debut EP, “Pikul,” in 2005. Things accelerated with the release of its debut album, “Carnavas,” in 2006, which featured the indie hit “Lazy Eye.” Five more albums, which have woven in elements of dream pop and shoegaze into the alternative rock, have followed.
For the latest round of touring, the band still plans to pull from its last album, 2022’s strong effort, “Physical Thrills,” which was produced by Butch Vig (a member of the band Garbage).
“We did some pretty heavy touring on it,” Aubert said, noting that for this round, “We’ll lean into it a little, not as heavily as on the previous tour. Now it’s more about weaving in and out of different eras.”
Aubert feels the band’s work on “Physical Thrills” will hold up well in the Silversun Pickups catalog.
“I haven’t listened to it in a while,” he said. “With most bands, the most that we ever listen to a record is when it’s not done. By the time it is done, you’ve heard it a few times and you rehearse it and interpret it live. Now it’s just about swimming in the live experience of it, which is really fun, seeing how it all works in juxtaposition with the older songs. And every time a ‘Physical Thrills’ song comes on the set, I’m really proud of it.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Silversun Pickups
8 p.m. Wednesday. Hannah Cole opens. $56.50. Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road NW, Atlanta. 404-843-2825, livenation.com.
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