Los Angeles based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Silas Nello has been a staple of the indie-Americana scene for nearly a decade, and he shows no signs of slowing down. A native of Daingerfield, TX, Nello’s upbringing in a pastoral East Texas town left him with a deep respect for tradition and a powerful need to be on the move. His career has seen him tour across both the US and the United Kingdom, playing festival bills, club shows, record stores, and intimate listening rooms in both countries. Often joined onstage by a rotating cast of brilliant session players, Nello’s singular blend of blues, rock, and folk music pushes the notion of genre to the breaking point. 

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Nello’s debut album, Out of the Light, set the tone for his genre-bending, introspective brand of songwriting. Recorded with personnel from The Texas Gentlemen in Dallas’ Modern Electric Sound Recorders (Leon Bridges, Paul Cauthen) and released on Hand Drawn Records, the album garnered critical acclaim and airplay from NPR affiliate stations and set him on a regional touring circuit. His second full-length endeavor, Easy Listening For Uneasy People, represented a breakaway from the large-band format, with a lengthy collection of songs held together by the strength of Nello’s voice and subtle guitar contributions from longtime bandmate Robert Cody Maxwell. These releases cemented Nello as a fixture of the Dallas scene, which would see him share the stage with national touring acts including Paul Cauthen, Lilly Hiatt, Cordovas, and Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer. 

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Nello’s forthcoming EP release, From West Hollywood, reflects both his move to Los Angeles and a reimagining of road worn material - a stripped back, lyric-focused presentation with an emphasis on serving the song. Though he’s no stranger to large productions, Nello has doubled-down on independent releases and self-production, drawing on a do-it-yourself ethos and a relentless work ethic.  

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​​​​The EP marks Nello’s first fully LA based release since his move there, having been recorded in West Hollywood at Wild Horizon Sound. Producer and engineer Claire Morison has captured a special immediacy in these recordings, perhaps due in part to tracking guitar and vocals simultaneously. Morison’s production is dialed into Nello’s live sound, which is a more stripped down and direct reflection of the songs than larger productions could achieve. 

 

 "Holy Ghost Blues", the first single on Silas Nello’s From West Hollywood EP, is a smoky, sexy romp through danger and debauchery that feels right at home in LA’s darker corners. The stripped-down arrangement immediately evokes the origins of the genre, with a slinky opening guitar lick and a lyrical nod to the Faustian bargains made famous by early bluesmen. Nello’s superb harmonica playing is on full display here, replete with swaggery bends that form the backbone of the song. 

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"Tell Me What I Need" is Silas Nello’s toe-tapping, devil-may-care ride through bar rooms and bad decisions. The song’s title (and refrain) reads as a tongue-in-cheek plea by a world-weary, Dylan-esque persona whose world is falling down around him. Co-written with native Floridian Jenna Clark, the tune saunters its way around blues tropes without falling into them, kept grounded by a percussive guitar and an outro lick that cements its place on Nello’s From West Hollywood EP.  

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Always moving forward, Nello has set his sights on a series of live performances in support of the his upcoming EP releases and recent singles, including both regional dates in his new home state of California and across the US.