The Silver Jews
| Silver Jews | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, United States |
| Genres | Country rock, indie, alt-country |
| Years active | 1989–2009 |
| Labels | Drag City |
| Associated acts | Air Miami, Ectoslavia, Government Issue, Lambchop, New Radiant Storm King, Pavement, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Palace, Rites of Spring, Scud Mountain Boys, Tim Chad and Sherry, Super Bowl Rocket Ship |
| Members |
David Berman Cassie Berman |
| Past members |
Tim Barnes Pete Cummings Tony Crow Duane Denison Doug Easley Jill Fantauzza Mike Fellows Matt Hunter Brian Kotzur Paz Lenchantin Dan Mackta Stephen Malkmus Davis McCain Rian Murphy Bob Nastanovich Paul Niehaus Will Oldham Peyton Pinkerton Andra Sherman Chris Stroffolino William Tyler Steve West J. D. Wilkes Azita Youssefi Tayna Small |
Silver Jews were an indie rock band from New York City, formed in 1989 by David Berman along with Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. Berman remained throughout and was the only constant member. During the last few albums, Cassie Berman became a regular member of the band. They disbanded in 2009.
Though often labeled as a Pavement side project, Silver Jews were actually formed at roughly the same time as Pavement. Berman has falsely quoted the band's name originating from the transcription of a billboard that he saw reading "Silver Jewelry", although he has stated in an interview that the name was actually intended to be a pseudonym for a conceptual art piece and later evolved into the actual band. Others claim, however, that the name pays homage to Silver Apples, The Silver Beatles, and slang for blonde-haired Jewish people.
Though Berman had pointedly avoided playing live throughout much of the band's existence, the Silver Jews surprised fans by embarking on their first-ever tour following the release of Tanglewood Numbers in 2005. They toured North America, Europe, and Israel in 2006. A documentary, titled Silver Jew, was filmed during the band's time in Israel.
On January 22, 2009, Berman announced via the official Drag City messageboard that he planned to retire from music and that the Silver Jews would play their final show on Bluegrass Underground at Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tennessee at 3 pm on January 31, 2009. The caverns are located 333 feet underground, and only 300 general admission tickets were made available. Berman stated that he would play his 15 favorite Silver Jews songs. He also wrote that his intentions are to move to "screenwriting or muckraking". He closed the entry by saying, "I always said we would stop before we got bad. If I continue to record I might accidentally write the answer song to 'Shiny Happy People'."
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