Before their first show of the year at BottleRock Napa, AUDACY spent some time with Brian Aubert & Nikki Monniger of Silversun Pickups to find out what they've been up to these past, strange years, upcoming plans & sharing a spot on a festival lineup with a band that has a very similar name.
On playing BottleRock Napa on the same day as Silverado Pickups, a band that people mistake for them each year at the festival, Brian & Nikki said they want to watch their set and they would like to meet them. "We hear about them every time BottleRock happens because people are like, 'what the f***, man?'" Said Aubert. Did they ever consider sending a cease-and-desist over the name similarity? Aubert was adamant that they wouldn't: "Why? They seem like they're having fun. We kind of roll in a way where everyone is an adult and a couple of letters does change a thing. I did not ever confuse Dio with our friends band dios (malos).
Silversun Pickups were on the road in March 2020 when they abruptly had to go home due to the pandemic, so we asked what that was like for them as parents who often miss a lot of time with their kids while they're touring: "We were itching to get back to our kids. I needed to get home and figure out the next couple of steps for my son & once we got there that was it." Said Aubert. "They said, 'I'm going to be out of school for two weeks,' & I said 'I don't think so.' It was hunkering down in the beginning and doing what we could to help make it safe & fun. Make sure they understood, but not like 'WHAT'S HAPPENING?'" He added. "It was great to be home because it was they needed and what we needed." Said Monniger.
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On new things their kids got into during the downtime Aubert noted that his son went through several phases including 'Godzilla,' 'Ultrman,' 'Phineas And Ferb,' and the video game 'Hollow Knight'. It all culminated in a Beatles phase, which Aubert & Monniger admitted they were in as well. "It was a fun dive, just watching him consume it." Nikki, who has 9-year old twins, spent much of the pandemic keeping them busy outdoors and 'Avatar,' not the movies, but the TV series.
Earlier this year, Brian made good on a 2020-pandemic promise to singer/songwriter Ben Lee that they would hug one day and they made some music together as well, "It was just for fun, we had a record in the can already, so it was too late."
Silversun Pickups have been in the studio and we'll have more news on their sixth studio album shortly.