Silver Bella “We Are Limitless Beings”

Silver Bella – the first time our paths have crossed must have been around 2017. Her band, Ashes and Dreams, had just organised an online remix contest for one of their songs. At the time, I was straight out of a long illness and on the verge of making a life-changing decision to permanently bring music back to my life. Little did I know that participating in that remix contest, further down the line, would result in one of the greatest musical (and not only) friendships I have ever had in my life. There you go – this is getting personal. Silver Bella, her kindness and her incredible patience, have helped build up my musical self-esteem and fight the (totally natural) fear of sharing my own music with a wider audience. Fast forward to 2024, we have just released out latest collaboration as The $cience, and I asked Silver Bella to talk to me about her philosophy, her creativity, her music, and much more!

Bartek: From Ashes and Dreams to The $cience, and everything in between and beyond, what was the path that led you to become Silver Bella?

Silver Bella: There are a number of catalysts that led to the creation of Silver Bella. First, a handful of quirky, odd-sounding songs began making their way out of my subconscious mind a few years ago and they didn’t quite fit the sound of my main project at the time, Ashes and Dreams. These outliers seemed to belong somewhere else, so I started mulling around the idea of a side project.

A short time later, Liv Mircea, my songwriting partner in Ashes and Dreams had to step away from music for personal reasons and took a bit of a sabbatical from releasing songs. I wanted to continue songwriting, so began to collaborate with a few people including my good friend, Bartek, to form our quantum pop project, The $cience. I also strengthened ties with producer friend, Paul Claxton and percussionist, Kevin Cote – both of whom I worked with in Ashes and Dreams’ live productions.

Instead of using my given name, I wanted to add a bit of whimsy and fun to life, so decided upon Silver Bella. The name was also inspired by the fact that I grew out my brown hair during the Covid health pass/lockdown era, emerging as a silver-haired vixen. Lol!

Do you remember the first time you heard music and how it affected you?

I grew up in a family that was heavily influenced by harder-edged rock & roll music, but it never really felt like my genre. I was drawn to synthesizer music. Anything with a synth seemed to transport you into a different world. On my family’s rural property in the Canadian Prairies, I relied on the radio and my dad’s record collection to hear music. Some of those records included Jon & Vangelis’ The Friends of Mr. Cairo, Kraftwerk’s Man-Machine, and the B52s self-titled album. My first personally-owned recordings were a garage sale copy of Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits 1974-1978 (so I could hear the ethereal, otherworldly opening of “Fly Like an Eagle”) and a 7-inch “45” vinyl record of Foreigner’s Waiting For a Girl Like You (what a synth line!) given to me by my Aunt Marge. The 7-inch record was the first new musical item I had ever owned. I must have walked by the record display at our local mall about a hundred times desperately wanting that little 7-inch. I had no idea my aunt was going to buy it for me for Christmas. It is still one of my favourite gifts, along with a cassette tape copy of Shabooh Shoobah by INXS from my sister, Angie, who gifted it to me for Christmas when I was about 16. It wasn’t a tape you could easily find in our small Prairie town. She managed to get it, and I cried.

What was the most important lesson you have learned as an independent Artist?

That is easy. There are no white knights coming to rescue you, and if they do arrive, what they are seeking is probably in their best interest, not yours. There is only one person that holds the responsibility for your success, and that’s you. While it is hard some days to muster up the energy to create, release and promote your music, it is an exceptionally worthwhile mission. I absolutely cherish the friends, family, and fans that have embraced my/our music, and those who have helped create our little community of music lovers and aesthetes. Caring for and appreciating music helps rejuvenate our souls, much like water.

Inspirations and influences! If you were to pick just one Artist who had a major impact on you as a songwriter, who would that be and why?

I am not so much inspired by other mainstream artists as I am by the people around me. I would say my biggest influence has always been the artists I have worked with in the various projects I have had the honour to serve in. Like you (Bartek) and Liv Mircea, or rehearsing and jamming with other humans, like our Ashes and Dreams’ percussionist Kevin Cote. That is what motivates and inspires me – the connection of creating and building a song from the ether into an intangible musical entity. Every once in a while, someone plays a musical line or hits a note, and you think, “this is God speaking through us.” It’s a crime to not let God speak, and we should work to release our creative efforts, even if it is just singing a melody that has popped into your head out loud. You are transporting an idea from the ether to this earthly world. Speak, carve, sing, paint, and write what is in your heart!

Songwriting or singing? Which one makes you feel more fulfilled? 

Songwriting, 100%. What I have learned from participating in many different projects and bands is that everyone gets their own talent. For some, it is incredible proficiency in their instrument. For others, it is creating beautiful rhythms and polyrhythms, or perhaps singing. Using a carpentry analogy, I have always seen myself as a person in the group who creates, or helps create, the frame of the building: the structure. The musical chords and lyrics are the essence of a song. I love participating in that, even if it’s just offering up lyrical melodies, or writing the mainframe of a song from scratch. The challenge in a group project is to get everyone to add their special talents, and to encourage them to mine their souls for the best parts to add (like a bass line or drum pattern). A lot of musicians want direction, which I am often reluctant to give, because I would be stripping them of their purpose. There is a beauty in contributing your special spice to a song.

Is there one main message you want to convey to your audience through your songwriting?

Live your truth. Be a part of the world. Have the courage to put your crazy ideas out into the universe.

Out of the current ‘mainstream’ performers, who would be your favourite and why?

This is not my territory or realm, I’m afraid. I transitioned away from mainstream music years ago and am much more likely to listen to Indian ragas, solfeggio frequencies or independent artists instead, seeking out new music on YouTube and Soundcloud. I am more apt to try to identify a bird singing in nature, or a song’s polyrhythm than I am to pinpoint who is on a commercial playlist. For other artists, my most recent song plays this month include Avence, Betablock3r, Liv Mircea, Dark Phenomenon, Phildel, and this great band called ThunderFuzz. You should check them out! 😉

If you were to give your younger self an advice from the perspective of your current music experience, what would it be?

While I generally can’t be bothered with the idea of regret, if I had to give my younger musical self a little tidbit of advice, I would say: do not listen to others’ opinions of you. Give them no power. Am I the best singer in the world? No, but I do my best. Am I the best performer? No. Is that going to stop me on my mission? Hell no!

My advice would be to embody yourself. Ponder Plato’s theory of forms, and imagine the ideal form of yourself, and be that person. For myself, I try to imagine the best possible version of Silver Bella, and actively embody her (as much as I can). We are limitless beings, so do not try to cage or limit yourself. I fully realize that I am not everyone’s cup of tea, and I am okay with that.

Who would you like to perform on stage with and why? No limits here, dead or alive!

When I envision performing on stage, it is always to improve what we have already accomplished. We went through great lengths to program a wonderful light show synchronized up with our music. It would be absolutely amazing to have Liv Mircea join us for a live show on guitar. Or perhaps do a live production for The $cience. For supporting musicians? Never gonna say no to Victor Wooten or Carol Kaye on bass! Chick Corea on keys? They would all steal the show for sure – lol!

Considering the ‘dead or alive’ angle, I would love to play with the ancients. Hear what they sound like. Perform with ancient Egyptians, or perhaps cave dwellers and their rudimentary instruments? That would be a dreamy experience.

Plans for 2024?

Well, on April 1, my lovely project, The $cience, releases it’s newest track, “Can’t Stop a Riot”. I am very excited about that one. 😊 Ideally, we will work on new material over the summer and work on building new content surrounding it.

Aside from that, my solo project Silver Bella continues to release music, and I am actively working on my content calendar to build momentum on that front.

As for Ashes and Dreams, my co-writer Liv has had a resurgence in his online presence lately, and has been creating some very fun content on his Instagram account @livmircea

Other plans include playing more live shows and ramping up our live space for filming and rehearsals. Here in Winnipeg, we have spoken about recruiting some additional members for our live shows, just to fill out our sound a bit more.

Generally, my nature-loving family spends a lot of time in Whiteshell Provincial Park over the spring/summer/fall, so that will definitely be a go-to destination for us. We are looking forward to hanging out with our cow, fox, moose, fish and bird friends over the summer. Hopefully the bears will give us a wide berth!  

Photo: Silver Bella