We’re honored to partner with Silver Retriever to bring you an exclusive look into their debut EP Valley Days, out wherever you listen to music on May 15. A staple of the burgeoning college music scene at the University of Virginia, Silver Retriever has been entertaining student audiences at bars and house shows with a dynamic live set for over a year, and they take that same energy to the studio on this brilliant new release, replete with powerful vocals, infectious guitar riffs, groove-laden hooks, and inspired lyricism. Valley Days is a captivating piece de resistance that beautifully honors the group’s members (five of whom are graduating), showcasing their expert musicianship and signature camaraderie.

Boxcar Collective’s Zack Holden conducted a socially-distanced Zoom interview with Silver Retriever’s Courtney Jacobs, Ian Fraser, Gabe Aguto, Matt McDonnell, and Henry Cohen, who discussed everything from inspirations and influences to the recording process to personal reflections on the overall experience of being in a college band.

Zack Holden: To start things off, I know that you guys have been playing house shows and bars and other venues around Charlottesville for a little while now. So, I was wondering what led you guys to decide to go into the studio and record an EP?

Ian Fraser: Well, we’ve been playing together for close to a year … Is that right?

Matt McDonnell: Yeah, that sounds right.

Ian: And we just wanted to put something together that showcased all the work that we had put in together. A lot of our collaboration was either jamming at practices or working on covers. I know Courtney had come up with a lot of songs of her own, and I know Tom and Henry were working on some as well. And we just wanted to start to create our own distinct sound as a band and gain a following with a certain sound that people would start to recognize and want to come back and hear. In the wake of the pandemic and this whole situation, it’s taken on a whole new level of meaning for us because this project was the culmination of our efforts. So, we’re really glad to be able to share it with people.

Courtney Jacobs: I think we also took a lot of inspiration from all of the bands in the UVA/Charlottesville scene that have been making such great music, and a lot of them encouraged us to pursue our own style and our own sound. Especially because Matt and Gabe are in another band called Cougar Beatrice, and they have been releasing some really awesome stuff, basically before we were even a band as Silver Retriever. So, we basically took a lot of inspiration from them and a lot of other bands that we’ve been playing with. It’s been super fun to collaborate and really share ideas between those.

ZH: Okay, so my next question I have for you guys: I was fortunate enough to see you guys at the WXTJ house show this past semester, and one thing that really impressed me about Valley Days is that it really did capture the essence of your live set, even though it was recorded in the studio. How did you go about the recording process, and was this sonic consistency among live and recorded sets something that you strived to maintain, or do you think it was just a byproduct of the approach you took when you went into the studio?

Gabe Aguto: The reason it sounds live is because we recorded it live, which was mainly because we were trying to get as much done as we could. It’s hard to get six people together to do anything, really. So, we recorded it all in one day. Major grind.

Courtney: It took thirteen hours in the studio to get everything done, but I’m actually really a fan of how raw and live it sounds because I think that really captures our sound. We kinda have this balance of being serious musicians, but we also like to just joke around and have fun. We bring people into that vibe where not everything has to be polished, but I think that’s the cool thing about Valley Days in particular is that we have several songs that are more polished with a more distinct sound. Then, we also have two instrumental jams that every time you listen to it you’ll hear something new because everything wasn’t pre-planned in advance — there’s a lot of improvisation. It really took a lot of cooperation for six people to be able to go through a whole take and make sure everything sounds good and have each person spotlight their personality in one song.

ZH: And then how did you produce the EP?

Ian: There’s been a lot of work post-recording. I mean, obviously it’s been a while since we were in the studio. We meant to release the album a lot sooner, but there were some things that we weren’t happy with. All of you can touch on that. Basically, we were discussing some minor modifications to the sound. To tweak the stems a little bit to get it to where we wanted it to be. Do you guys have anything to add to that?

Gabe: I’m happy with how it sounds.

Courtney: He [Chad Aylor of ProSound Solutions] put in a lot of work. A lot of work was put into this album to make it sound how it does. So, we really appreciate all of the collaboration that was put in between all of these different minds in the band that went into making comments and iterating several times in order to have the desired sound that you are hearing now.

ZH: In hindsight, the things that you aren’t happy with, do you think that they could have been corrected, or do you think that they are the product of working with six different people?

Ian: That was a big part of it. Most times when we ran through a song, since it was live, if one person made a slight error then that kind of soured our attitude toward the whole take. Then, we would want to redo it. Then, there were a lot of times when we were kinda on the fence about one or two of them. Considering all of the songs that we’d done takes for, and ranking them in terms of priority as to which one needed to be re-recorded. So, we did that multiple times. It was usually because of one small error or another. The drums, the bass, the electric guitar, we were all plugged in. It was all transduced through the cables. So, for the acoustic guitar, the sound on the original raw takes was kind of tinny. What Chad ended up doing was having me play separately. I went down into the booth where he was working downstairs, and he just miced me and I played acoustically rather than plugged in. And so he replaced my original stems from when I had the cable in and inserted them into the original takes. So, it sounded a lot better, but that was just for the acoustic guitar. We tried to make modifications. I know Gabe made reiterations of at least one of his solos. So, we kinda just worked out some of the kinks.

Gabe: In retrospect, it woulda been nice to single-track everything. I don’t know if we would’ve had the time for it, but maybe we would’ve. Just because then if one person messes up on a take, it doesn’t ruin everything. But, we got it done. We single-tracked some stuff, which helped.

ZH: My follow-up to that: do you think it was a benefit to have honed playing together live before recording in the studio?

Courtney: Absolutely. I can speak for myself in that having to sing at a bar for three hours at a time trained my voice to have the stamina to be able to be singing all day long. I ended up recording the vocals for “Birds” and “Bad Mood” at around 11 PM, and we had gotten there [the studio] at around 11 AM. So, I’m really happy with how it turned out. But then also, for the guys, playing on that one cold night at Crozet, when everyone’s fingers were falling off from playing their guitars; basically, being able to just get our heads in the game, and when we decided that we wanted to do another take, just clear everything out and just get right back onto what we wanted allowed us to have a really positive mindset throughout the whole recording experience and not really get too frustrated. We knew we just wanted the best product possible.

ZH: So, taking things in a different direction, the EP features a really classic and time-honored sound, but you guys do have a really unique and refreshing take on it, blending jam rock with funk and alternative. Who would you say were your primary influences in creating that sound?

Courtney: Henry, you should take this one.

Henry Cohen: Yeah, on the funky stuff, I listened to a lot of Vulfpeck. They’re kind of what got me into playing, if you’ve heard of them. So, that would be a huge influence for me personally. Anyone else? [Laughing]      

Ian: Definitely the Strokes and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. We also took some influence from them, too. 

Gabe: Before we formed Silver Retriever, Matt, Ian, and I would jam a lot, and the Strokes and Red Hot Chili Peppers were definitely influences there. And then we were like, “We want to start a band. Henry, learn how to play bass.” And he was like, “Okay.” [Laughing] 

Courtney: We should tell the bass story.

Ian: Yeah. So, one of my step-brothers had a couple of basses that he used to play. I don’t even know if he played them that much. Point is, he moved out, and they were collecting dust under a bed. I asked my step-dad if he was gonna use them anymore, ‘cause he was gone. And my step-dad said, “I don’t think he’s interested in them anymore.” I knew that Gabe was, so I sold him one. And that ended up changing hands throughout the band. Now, Courtney has since learned to play bass on it, as did Henry.

Courtney: Also, Tom learned how to play bass on it before he bought his own. So, five of the six members of the band have learned to play bass on this one. It’s blue and white. I think it’s beautiful; the other guys think it’s shitty. But, I really like it. [Laughing]

Gabe: I think it’s beautiful, too, but the pickups on it are just really bad. [Laughing]

Courtney: It’s a cool band story, something that connects us all. We’re always learning new instruments and stuff like that. I think that’s something that’s really cool about our band: everyone in the band is multi-talented. Everyone in the band can sing. It’s really cool to have “Fallout” on the EP where Tom is singing instead of me being the lead singer on that. I think it brings a diversity of sound to it. And in our live sets, it’s really fun to see Ian do “Stray Cat Strut”, and Gabe and me do “Come a Little Closer”. I think it’s really fun for an audience to see the singers change it up, instead of just the same sound every time.

ZH: On your Instagram, you guys gave shoutouts to some of the original tracks on Valley Days, and I was wondering if you could expound on those and provide a breakdown of some of the inspiration and some of the songwriting for each of the tracks on the EP.

Ian: Take it away, Courtney.

Courtney: I can do “Birds” and “Bad Mood”, for sure. So, “Bad Mood” being the first track. Basically, I wrote both “Birds” and “Bad Mood” over this past summer when I was just kind of figuring out that I could write music. And that was really convenient to figure it out at that exact time. Basically, “Bad Mood” is about being angry and fighting with the person who you’re with. It’s not necessarily the same old victim story of “Oh, you’re so mean to me, and I’m the best person ever.” It’s about how even though you’re the one singing the song, sometimes you’re also the bad guy. I think that’s a fresh take on similar songs of that meaning. And then, “Birds” is about the world being overwhelming and retreating back into a place that makes you feel safe and comfortable with the person that you love. And just talking about taking life a little slower instead of always rushing into everything that you want to do.

Gabe: I kind of like that distinction with putting “Birds” second. I think originally we were going to have “Birds” first on the tracklist, but I think it’s more compelling to have it after “Bad Mood”, in terms of the retreating that you were talking about.

Ian: My dad has said that he really appreciates the nuanced message in the lyrics. He used the word “self-deprecating” to describe the speaker. “Do I ever miss when I take a cheap shot?” I love the way that you crafted the lyrics, and especially listening to the clean recording and hearing your vocals so distinctly. It was almost like hearing the song for the first time, and I was just wowed by your vocals, Courtney, and the message.

Courtney: Aw, thank you.

Ian: I really like that song, and I just wanted to add that.

Courtney: Appreciate it. Henry, can you talk a little bit about “Funkyard”?

Henry: Yes. “Funkyard” just started off as a jam that I brought in one time with the bassline, and then it became a collaborative song that everyone built off of with their own stuff. So, that’s everyone in this group’s song, just whatever they wanted to bring to this little “funky intermission”, we also called it, of the album. We just wanted to have a good time and pay homage to Vulfpeck and that kind of funk vibe that we were considering at the beginning.

Courtney: Well, Tom’s not here, but I can talk about “Fallout”. Basically, long-story-short it’s about being near the end of a relationship and not having any particular reason not to fall out of love, but the relationship is over whether you like it or not. You just kinda have to find a way to accept it, and just really pave your own path out of the relationship so that you can just become your own separate person again. I really love the fast and loud vibe of this song. It’s angry, but it’s empowering, and it can be a really cool way to bring this album into the rock-’n-roll sphere, as opposed to alternative and that kind of stuff. Anyone want to mention anything about “Untitled”?

Ian: “Untitled” is kind of a— 

Matt: It started out as a jam, and then we just started adding on it and finalizing it. I don’t know.

Ian: It’s hard to say a lot about it because it is instrumental — or at least we recorded it that way. But, it’s a two-part song, and the mood changes significantly. It’s chill at first, and then it amps up to a really rousing, upbeat finish. It gets really intense. I think it’s a great way to end the album because a lot of albums have the not-so-great songs towards the end, finishing out on a lower note. I like how ours ends. You can kind of interpret it as you will.

Gabe: I have some thoughts on interpretations. Obviously, it’s just mine. But, I kind of view it as an outro of sorts. It’s an overture of the album, almost, where it has it’s nostalgic parts at the start and it has it’s intense parts at the end. It has a redemptive feel to me, where it’s like, “Alright, it starts looking nostalgic back at the past, but I’m charged up for the future.” As Ian described it at one point: an “aroused, intense fetish”. [Laughing]

Courtney: I kind of see it as a descent into a kind of fever dream. Obviously, on this one, since it’s instrumental, I’m just there observing and taking it all in. And I think all the guys being so focused on making sure that their individual part sounds great, I think when we listened to it with all the parts together, it just melds into this like liquid. It’s very liquid at the beginning. It’s smooth. It’s feelgood. And then it, as Gabe said, gets more intense. There’s no official interpretation to this song, but definitely “descending into chaos” can be one interpretation of it.

ZH: Is there any reason why you left it named “Untitled”?

Henry: The one member of the group who isn’t here was adamant about leaving it “Untitled”, so we can definitely send that info when we learn about it ourselves. [Laughing]

Courtney: I think that part of Tom’s idea about it was that he wants the listener to be able to interpret the song in their own way. Just like we were talking about how each person in the band could guess about what they thought the song means. Tom thought it was really important to leave some things open to the imagination and by titling it you can really start to interpret the song in a really narrow way. So, he wanted each listener to have feelings created in them by the song.

Ian: That was a good answer.

Courtney: That’s the truth; that’s what he actually told me. And I wish he was here to say it because he could probably say it in a much more competent way. That’s the best I can do.

Ian: Holding your own.

ZH: On a final note, I saw in your press release that five of your six members are graduating fourth years. Naturally, will you continue playing and recording together in the future, and how do you feel that being a part of Silver Retriever defined your college experience?

Courtney: I’m the only one that’s not gonna talk. I’m just letting you know. [Laughing]

Ian: We have not discussed our plans moving forward. When we were last together, we were planning on learning more covers and writing more originals. I know that Henry and Courtney have been working on one [original] that we didn’t end up getting ready for recording. We definitely had plans that got interrupted. There were other gigs that we were really looking forward to, like one at the Southern, I think. This kind of put everything on hold. It’s a challenge. I’ve seen some really inspiring examples of musicians collaborating remotely, and I think it would be really cool to do something like that. It would definitely take a lot of engagement from the six of us to make something happen and still make it sound good. It’s definitely difficult not being together, but I definitely don’t want this to be the end of our band collaboration. But, that’s definitely something that we have to discuss, the six of us. As far as, for me personally, defining my college experience, being part of a college band was something that I’d always dreamed of doing. To have shared so many fond memories with the five of you guys, it’s been really really special to me. From those humble beginnings in the house with Gabe and Matt, before all of this, just jamming to … the six of us, and then putting together originals. On one hand, it relieved stress; it was a creative outlet; it was just something to look forward to. Just a great way to balance college life and the other demands and just do something fun and productive. [I was able to] really spend quality time with passionate, talented people.

Gabe: So, in terms of moving forward, I obviously want to keep working with these guys. Personally, I do my fair share of producing, so if you ever have anything you want to work on, you know, I’m down. The only thing is, right now, with Corona, and also with all of us just living in different places, I don’t know how plausible it is to continue going, which is sad. But, we’ll just have to see if people have ideas that they want to make a reality. I’m down to make that happen. In terms of what we can do immediately, I don’t know because most of our songwriting process was in-person: jamming on stuff or if someone came up with something they would have to show it in-person to make it happen. So, that’s unfortunate. In terms of how it defined my college career, being in this band was definitely a very defining part of my career. First year, I didn’t play music at all. I liked music, but I wasn't super into it. As the years went by, I started playing guitar [during the] summer after first year, and then I just got more and more into it. It was being with passionate people that drove me to get better, and now music is a passion of mine, something that I want to pursue as a career even. So, thank you guys for always pushing me forward, and for keeping me honest. Initially, Matt, Henry, Ian, and I wanted to start a band, and then we had another friend that we wanted to sing with us, but he just had a lot of other stuff that he was doing (like plays and acapella), and he just didn’t have time for it. Matt and I were also playing in another band, so we were basically like, “I don’t think we can handle this time-commitment right now.” Henry got pretty mad at me — and there was a little falling out — but I think in the end he woke me up to [the fact that] I said that I wanted to do this. So, let me stick to my guns, and let’s work this out. But, Henry, you have to find people. So, he found Courtney, and then through Courtney we found Tom. And then we had a shit-ton of fun. It got stressful at times, being in two bands and doing school, but I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. It was a fun time, and I wish we could jam right now. But, instead I’m in my room, playing guitar and bass by myself — and video games. So, it goes.

Henry: Yeah, that was good. There was a little falling out before the band even started, which was funny. But, it was a really good experience, the whole thing. I think that people said the future plans as well as they could be said with everything up in the air. In terms of my experience, it was just so much fun. I did not expect to play bass guitar ever in my life. I literally only did it ‘cause Gabe one time handed me a bass guitar and said, “Just learn this.” And then I just started, which was second year or something. So, I just think it’s a really unique experience that a lot of college kids don’t get to have. Being in a band, which also seems like a weird staple of college in a way. I just think it’s a really cool holistic experience. Part of the reason we made this EP [was because] it’s an activity that’s fun, collaborative, and [allows us to] show something for it to people. I would much rather just play at bars or play gigs at night than drink or go to the bars as a patron or anything, which told me that it just ended up being a way better experience than I could have ever thought or hoped for — and a better one than most people have gotten to have. So, I feel blessed in that respect.

Matt: It was a great break from school to be able to jam, practice, be in a band, and yeah, performing was the best part. I don’t really like going to bars as a patron, so being able to perform was a lot of fun.

Courtney: I said I wasn’t gonna say anything, but I’m gonna say something. [Laughing] Being in a band with all people who are a year older than me was a really incredible experience to be able to learn from these guys and participate in a lot of things that I would be able to otherwise. I think everything that the guys were saying is really reflected in our EP. It kind of — like I mentioned in our press releases and stuff — is a celebration of all that we’ve accomplished at UVA, and the songs are about topics that many college students, especially UVA students, have to deal with. I think we can relate to a lot of people’s experiences. I think one thing that I’m really proud of about our EP is that our experience fuels our music, and I think that makes it very authentic in a way that people have really resonated with in our live sets — and I feel like they’re really going to resonate with when they hear this EP.