Alex Silas & The Subterraneans brought beats, bars, and honesty to Ritual Nightclub Nov. 15 at the launch party for their first full-length album, Roots.
The alternative hip-hop group from Ottawa shared the stage with local acts that filled the venue with an eclectic range of sounds, most of which stayed within the hip-hop genre but extended to pop punk and Irish pub music.
The lineup came as no surprise to fans and listeners of Roots, an album that draws heavily from folk and alt-rock influences.
Alex Silas & The Subterraneans—consisting of frontman rapper Alex Silas, guitarist Liam Burke, in-house DJ J2xF, and new drummer Matt Robillard—said they have no boundaries when it comes to trying new ideas and incorporating different sounds into hip hop.
“We were tossing around the idea of doing a rockabilly track at one point,” Burke said.
Roots, released June 30, was a nearly year-long project that took off after the group came together in 2013.
But before The Subterraneans, there was just Alex Silas, an artist from Moncton, N.B. struggling to find his voice in the music industry.
Roots album producer Bryan Ruckstuhl said when they first started working together four years ago, Silas was trying to portray himself as a “gangster rapper,” not reflective of his true self.
After telling him that he needed to start creating believable content, Ruckstuhl said he witnessed Silas evolve into an increasingly self-aware artist who has just begun relaying his musical talents into fields beyond rapping.
Silas said working with Ruckstuhl has allowed him to “open up and to be vulnerable” in his songwriting.
“I went through a huge amount of personal growth working on it and I think that shows in the album,” he added.
Silas said Roots marks the first time he has been honest with who he is as a person and an artist.
The personal stories Silas shares in songs like “Spruce Tree” came as a surprise even to his bandmates, who all said Silas’ openness has given them a better understanding of who the normally introverted rapper is.
Silas said it’s not easy for him to open up in his music, but that it’s necessary for him to do as an artist.
“I don’t want to cheat myself and I don’t want to cheat the people listening to [my music] by holding back,” he explained. “And when you perform in front of people and you can see people relate to it, that’s one of the best feelings in the world.”
The audience at the album launch showed the connection they felt to Silas through their response to the music and with the many hugs shared onstage once it was over.
“I think that’s one of the main reasons why I do music,” Silas said. “To get that real person-to-person connection.”
