Five questions with... Simeon Coxe of Silver Apples

A little background...

I found a copy of Contact by Silver Apples at a garage sale on the south side of Des Moines last summer, pulling it from the usual collection of grandma’s dusty old Herb Albert records. I’d never heard of the band, but for a buck I threw it on the purchase stack assuming I’d found yet another generic and forgotten rock record that might have a decent song or two on it. Was I ever wrong.

From the moment the needle hits vinyl, Contact is some seriously unique and weird shit with primitive synthesizers taking the lead over timid, almost apologetic vocals, discordant banjo, and percussion that is odd only in its normalcy among the chaos. It’s hypnotic and almost impossible to stop listening to once it begins. And, despite (or because of ?) the weirdness, it’s incredibly listenable and provides new discoveries with every repeat play. From the first listen I knew this was one of my all-time great garage sale finds. 

Silver Apples consisted of two members: Danny Taylor on percussion and vocals, and Simeon Coxe on vocals, oscillators, and banjo. Simeon and Danny (who had previously played with Jimi Hendrix) started off in a more traditional rock band, but Simeon discovered the audio oscillator and started incorporating it into the band’s performances until shit got so weird that everyone but Taylor just walked away and left them to whatever it was they were doing.

What they were doing, incidentally, was breaking new ground and establishing the framework for new musical genres to come — EDM, Kraut Rock, underground dance music, and indie rock

Simeon Coxe at work on The Simeon synthesizer. 

The backbone of the Silver Apple’s sound came from The Simeon, a homemade synthesizer that Simeon has described as “consisting of  12 oscillators, an assortment of sound filters, telegraph keys, radio parts, lab gear and a variety of second hand electronic junk.” 

Simeon and Danny parted ways after Contact, the follow up to their 1968 self-titled album, following the collapse of their record label (Kapp). An unauthorized CD issued by a German label in 1994 that contained both albums helped rekindle interest in the group. The pair reunited in 1996 and performed until Danny’s death in 2005. Simeon released Clinging to a Dream under the Silver Apple name in 2016, and has continued performing around the world. 

I reached out to Simeon to thank him for creating such amazing work and he agreed to do a “Five Questions With...” interview for The Bigfoot Diaries.

Silver Apples, 1967, first live show in Central Park.
 30,000 people were in attendance.

1. What is the best way an intelligent being from another planet or dimension could make contact with us?

“By decorating its message with confusing emojis so we get so hung up in trying to crack the code that we forget to guard against their attack.”

2. What is your all-time favorite sound?

“The sound of my own tinnitus because only I can hear it.”

3. How did you first discover the audio oscillator that you began incorporating into your music?

“A friend of mine in NYC had one that he used to play along with Beethoven after drinking a pint of vodka.”

4. Was it madness or genius that led you to create The Simeon Synthesizer?

“Definitely madness.”

5. What are you currently working on or have plans for in the future – musically or otherwise?

“I am currently basking in the joy of doing absolutely nothing.”

Bonus question: What is the strangest experience you’ve ever had?

“That time, remember? When time stood still, and everybody on earth had to reset their clocks, but no one could agree how much. That was strange!”

Check out Contact in full here.

If you only listen to one song: A Pox on You

All photos from www.silverapples.com courtesy of Simeon Coxe