Tony's Music Attic

The Rhythm Method were an acoustic guitar duo founded by Stan Wadowski (owner of the disembodied arm in the above photograph) and myself in 1996. I take the blame for our name, which was inspired by the fact that we both came from Catholic backgrounds. We played from 1996 to 1997, mostly in small clubs and weddings and such. We weren't really together long enough to perfect our style, although we managed to accrue a small but dedicated fan base. Occasionally we had the pleasure to play with a guest musician or two (click here to see some photos of us in action). Several of the live recordings presented here feature a guest drummer, Nick Bartolotta. Stan sang and played lead guitar and I sang and played rhythm. I sing lead vocals on the recordings presented here. In addition to the live recordings there are two studio recordings, "The Rest" and "1979". "The Rest" was recorded at a professional studio while "1979" was a home recording. Stan and I still keep in touch and discuss music; although it is unlikely that we will ever resurrect the Rhythm Method again as a steady act, we laid down tracks for a new recording recently and we performed at our folk group reunion on June 4th, 2005. Click here to see pictures. It was a blast!

The Rhythm Method (Archival Recordings):

Windfall (Son Volt)

Friday I'm In Love (The Cure)

Cheatin' (Gin Blossoms)

Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) (Garth Brooks)

Getting By, High and Strange (Kris Kristofferson)

The Rest (Will Take Care of Itself) (Webb Wilder)

1979 (Smashing Pumpkins)



Bob Shorten and I met in the mid 70's in grade school where we became great pals (Bob is the guy in the middle holding the hamster). We used to make wildly inventive recordings together on 8 track and cassette tape. Circumstance caused us to part ways in a physical sense in 1977. We briefly reunited in 1979 but immediately parted ways again when Bob moved to Utah. Although we have not seen each other in the flesh in 25 years, circumstance brought us together again through the Internet in 2004. Bob has been writing songs and performing in a 50's style band for over ten years. I have been playing guitar and singing in a church folk choir for the last ten years. We decided it would be fun to record some songs together using the electronic medium of the Internet as our recording stage. A few of our collaborative efforts are presented below along with some largely experimental solo recordings of my own (I say experimental, because prior to 2004 my experience recording and mixing songs was next to zero). On the first eight recordings presented here I handle lead and background vocals, acoustic guitar (6 and 12 string), electric guitar, piano, harmonica and light percussion; Bob helps out on bass guitar and drums (he also plays the lead guitar and sings background vocals on San Francisco Bay Blues). The songs "Little Girl" and "Fall Colored Sheets" are Bob Shorten compositions which he recorded and to which I contributed acoustic guitar.

Tony Silvia (w/ Bob Shorten):

(Songs preceded by a blue dot () were mastered by Chris Hudec of The Digital Sunspot).

Box Full of Letters (Wilco)

Nanci (Toad the Wet Sprocket)

Stones (Neil Diamond)

Seven (David Bowie)

Cotton Jenny (Gordon Lightfoot)

San Francisco Bay Blues (Jesse Fuller)

Don't Go Back to Rockville (R.E.M.)

Christmas Dinner (Paul Stookey)

Fall Colored Sheets (Bob Shorten)

Little Girl (Bob Shorten)

Tony Silvia (Solo Recordings):

I Never Dreamed (Stripped Version) (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Past the Point of Rescue (Hal Ketchum)

Operator (Grateful Dead)

Passenger Side (Wilco)

Houses on the Hill (Whiskeytown)

Brooklyn Roads (Neil Diamond)

Missin' You (Little Feat)

Early Morning Rain (Gordon Lightfoot)

Are You Sleeping? (Harry Nilsson)

Untitled (Freddy Jones Band)

Pigs on the Wing Pt. I (Live) (Pink Floyd)

The Needle and the Damage Done (Live) (Neil Young)

Nine Times Blue (Live) (Michael Nesmith)

More Collaborative Efforts:

I Never Dreamed (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

This recording features Bob on electric bass and drums. A new collaborator of mine, Harold Winer, also helps out on drums. Long time friend Don Costello contributed some smokin' lead guitar to the track. I handle vocals and all other instruments, including electric and acoustic guitars, congas, shakers and acoustic bass. I began arranging and recording this song in March 2005 and finished it in July 2005, a full three months before I expected; although it's not perfect by a long stretch, it shows what you can accomplish on a tiny budget if you set your mind to it.

In 2004 the Saint Nicholas Folk Choir recorded our first professional album. Although it featured many of my favorite pastoral pieces, there were a couple near to my heart which did not make the cut due to time and money constraints. As I had recently been introduced to the recording process by Bob, I decided nothing was beyond my power and that I could record these songs on my own. I recruited a handful of willing Folk Group musicians whom I trusted to go along with my little scheme, and I proceded to do the impossible: that is, to record two complete choral pieces in their entirety, track by track, without the benefit of a multi-track recorder. Little did I know what kind of headache I was preparing for myself. I started these recordings in April and didn't finish mixing them down until October. "Canticle of the Sun" (Marty Haugen) features Robin Anderson, Mark Shaw, Katy Peterson and Liz Meenan on vocals, Amy Crawley on flute, Bob Shorten on bass and percussion, and myself on guitars and shakers. "Blest Are They" (David Haas) features Katy Peterson, Robin Anderson, Liz Meenan and Mark Shaw on vocals, Peg Bartolotta on piano, Amy Crawley on flute, and myself on guitar. "Little Cowboy", a "bonus track" by Harry Nilsson, features Mark Shaw on vocals and me on guitar. I produced and mixed these songs and offer apologies for any acoustic flaws in the recordings. The "Canticle of the Sun" photograph is copyright 2004 by Tony Silvia. Use only by permission.

Saint Nicholas Folk Choir:

Canticle of the Sun (Marty Haugen)

Blest Are They (David Haas)

Little Cowboy (Harry Nilsson)

Note: Before I had the good fortune to discover Digital Sunspot, I had the distinctly unpleasant experience of working with another company, namely Signature Mastering Studio of Eastpointe, MI. To hear how they ripped me off, e-mail me from my Home Page or click here.

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