The Silencers (American rock band)

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The Silencers (American band) are a rock group formed in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1979. They released two albums on Precision Records, a CBS Records subsidiary, hitting the national charts in 1980 with their single, Shiver and Shake. Their innovative music video aired on the very day of MTV's network premiere in 1981. The original group disbanded in 1985, but is currently enjoying a resurgence, with original vocalist Frank Czuri and early member Michael Cercone on bass.

History

In 1979, Pittsburgh singer Frank Czuri started producing demo tapes of original music for producer Tom Cossie's Precision Records , a subsidiary of CBS Records. Soon, Czuri was talking with Pittsburgh guitarist Warren King about forming a band to be called The Silencers. Both had previously performed in a popular mid-1970s rock band called Diamond Reo, which released three well-reviewed albums, a cover of Ain't That Peculiar (which remained on Billboard's Hot 100 for six weeks), and toured nationally, opening for bands like Kiss and Aerosmith.

Together, Czuri and King recruited Silencers' members Dennis Takos on keyboards, Mike Pella on bass, and Ron "Byrd" Foster on drums. Before they had even played their first gig, Cossie had managed to land them a two-album record deal with Precision Records, based solely on the band's demo tape. Soon, The Silencers would become the premiere rock band in the Pittsburgh region with their raucous covers and original material that combined rock, New Wave, R&B, soul, and reggae. They toured nationally and opened for acts such as Hall & Oats, AC/DC, and Heart.

Recordings

The Silencers' debut LP, Rock'n'Roll Enforcers was produced by Bob Clearmountain and yielded two singles: Modern Love and Shiver and Shake, the second of which charted nationally and was named by Pittsburgh Magazine as one of the all-time 10 best local artists' recordings. Billboard Magazine said of Rock'n'Roll Enforcers: "The Silencers are armed with a hard hitting debut. Fronted by the aggressive vocals of Frank Czuri...the Silencers show an amazing command of rock history…This is slashing rock which goes for the jugular."

The band's second LP, Romanic, was released in 1981 and featured all original material. It yielded the single Sidewalk Romeo (Angel of Mercy), which received heavy regional airplay.

MTV Video

A stylish video of the Silencers' Peter Gunn/Remote Control/Illegal medley aired on MTV on the day the network premiered - August 1,1981 - and received heavy rotation. It was the 40th song ever shown on the network.

Lineup

Original Members:

• Frank Czuri - lead singer, songwriter (1979-1983, 2019 to present)
• Warren King - lead guitarist, songwriter (1979-1983)
• Dennis Takos - keyboards (1979-1983)
• Mike Pella - bass (1979-1981)
• Michael Cercone - bass (1981-1985 and present)

• Ron "Byrd" Foster - percussion (1979-1985)

Members, 2019 to present:

• Don Hollowood - current
• Ed Kowalski - current
• Jack Mrzowski - current
• Joe Cipollone - current

Discography

Albums

• Rock-n-Roll Enforcers - 1979, Precision/CBS Records
• Romanic - 1981, Precision/CBS Records

Singles & EP

• Shiver and Shake - 1980, Precision Records, (Warren King & Cathy Capiola)
• Peter Gunn Theme - 1980, Precision Records, (Henry Mancini)
• Remote Control/Modern Love - 1980 EP - Epic Records (Warren King, Cathy Capiola & Frank Czuri)
• Sidewalk Romeo - 1981, Precision Records (Frank Czuri, Warren King, Dennis Takos, Michael Harbadin)

References

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