The band Cilver is really having a banner year in 2014 and they are preparing to ride that massive wave of momentum into the new year. Some of their accolades include their EP In My Head being released in February to rave reviews from critics and fans, being on the Revolver Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock tour with Lacuna Coil and Eyes Set to Kill, playing on Motorhead’s Motorboat and landing another tour with Lacuna Coil as their direct support. That’s pretty awesome for a band that was told they were crazy and discouraged along the way. We were fortunate to catch up with lead singer Uliana Cilver, as well as guitarist Leon Lyazidi, before a show in North Carolina. We talked about their EP, chasing dreams and crowd surfing that ended in a splash. 
I have been waiting to talk to you for months now and it’s finally happening, so thank you so very much.
Leon Lyazidi: No, thank you for reaching out to us; we really appreciate the chance to do this.
I guess we can start off by telling our readers how all of you came together to form Cilver.
Leon: Our drummer was in a project, our guitarist and bassist were in a project together, and Uliana and I were in a different project as well. All of those bands were doing cool things and we heard each other’s music and were fans of each other. We decided to end our project which at the time was signed under Universal. We had a change of heart and we decided that we wanted to go in a different direction. We closed up shop and disappeared for a while and came back as Cilver. We added the other three guys, who we already knew, and that’s how Cilver was formed.
If any of our readers are unfamiliar with you, how would you describe the band to them?
Uliana: It’s definitely hard rock with some dark nuances to it, but it’s still very melodic. The music that you play is a part of who you are and collectively, we come from so many different places. We have a lot of different influences and we try to put the right amount of them into our music.
Leon: I think it’s a lot of song oriented music that’s very guitar driven. There are two guitarists in the band and that allows us to do a lot of really cool stuff that we couldn’t do in any of the previous bands.
2014 has been a very good year for you, hasn’t it? That little EP really attracted a great deal of attention from many sources.
Leon: You’re right, it really did. It was released on February 20 and we’re so very grateful for all of that attention.
Is it too early to look ahead to the follow-up?
Leon: No, the wheels have been in motion ever since that one came out. The first single came out about six months before the actual EP did. When you put five people in a room who love to create music, that’s what came out of it. Now, we’ve had eight to ten months of road wear and tear and we know each other’s idiosyncrasies and what we like and don’t like. We’ve been working on writing the whole time since we have portable studios everywhere with our iPhones and everything. We’re really close to making a big announcement, but we can’t say anything just yet.
Uliana: There are a lot of people who are asking for a full length album next time because they want to hear more. We definitely have many more songs, that’s for sure. They may not be ready for tonight or tomorrow night, but they will be for 2015. We feel as if there are these expectations from the fans for a full length album and we feel very blessed to hear that from them.
How did you get Bumblefoot to appear on the song “In My Head?”
Uliana: He saw us play when Leon and I were in a different project. It was right near the end when we had decided that we wanted to go in a different direction. He saw us and liked what we did at that time and we stayed in touch. As soon as we formed Cilver, I told him that if he liked the stuff that we did before, that he needed to check us out now and that he was going to like this much more. We just asked him if he’d like to lay down a solo on a song and he was very interested in helping out. We sent him a bunch of songs and that’s how it all came to be.
Can we talk a little bit about the Motorhead cruise?
Uliana: Oh my, that was so much fun!
I think it’s great that I said Motorhead cruise and both of you just lit up. That must have been a pretty amazing experience?
Uliana: We were definitely one of the smallest acts on the package, but we didn’t let that intimidate us. It was such a strong community, but we really didn’t know what to expect because a lot of these people knew each other and had been on these types of cruises before. Everyone was so welcoming and our set even ended with a stage dive right into the pool (laughs). We had a lot of people coming to the stage to help me achieve the trajectory. It was so cool to see everyone come together to help me make it happen.
Was this the first time you had been on one of these cruises?
Leon: It was our first time and I don’t see why any band would say no to that opportunity. It felt more like a vacation than a normal tour. We went on there and played and they took such good care of us. You didn’t even have to load in and out because they had a full crew to take care of that. Everybody on that boat loves music and they’re there to see just about all of the bands and not just one. We feel very lucky and honored to have been a part of it.
Uliana, how did you end up in the US from your homeland of Romania? Did you come here for music or was it a family move?
Uliana: It was for both reasons; my mom was here, but I was pursuing music. I had the big dream in the back of my head, but I didn’t have the English down yet. I also had to go through a lot of people saying that I was crazy. I had every reason to fail, but I proved everyone wrong. In the meantime, my mother passed, so it’s just me and Cilver now.
Cilver – In My Head Official Music Video
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Did you ever want to rub their noses in it, all of those people who didn’t believe in you?
Uliana: That’s not what fulfills me as an artist; I’m not the type of person to tell someone ‘I told you so.’ I think when you have so much purpose in your life and you have so many things to do and focus on, you have to forget about all of those people who didn’t believe in you. I remember the people who did believe in me because those are the kind I want to associate with. Leon was definitely one of those people who did believe in me.
Leon: I think the bigger story is us getting to a level in the US that a lot of bands we knew and were friends with couldn’t. We got it to that point with the other band and we woke up one day and realized that this wasn’t going to be enough focus. At that point, everyone thought we were fucking crazy. We had an agency, management and everything going on and why would we just shut it down? Well, it was because people can see through bullshit; we couldn’t get on stage anymore and say this is who we are. We heard everything from it was the worst mistake in the world to we’ll never be able to get back to the point that we were at. We disappeared for about a year and a half and now we’re back stronger and better than ever. This year has definitely been one of the best years musically for us.
What do you have on your plate for the rest of 2014?
Leon: We’re going into bear mode for a bit and hibernating. We’re going to be putting together a really great record and making some really big announcements very soon, so stay tuned.
Here’s one of those big announcements:
I had two quick questions that I took from fans on social media. The first is from Adam from Wisconsin and he wanted to know what your favorite show ending, crowd surfing moment of this year was?
Uliana: Oh, I would have to say Motorboat because it’s not like you have a pool at your access at every show (laughs). I think another favorite would be in New York City at Irving Plaza; there was this huge sea of people and I made it all the way to the back of the venue. If there are enough people there, it’s just so much fun for everyone involved.
The other question is from Natasha from New York and she wanted to know what was the strangest thing that you’ve been asked to autograph?
Uliana: We’ve signed lots of shows, hands, upper bodies, but I think the strangest may have to be someone’s face. A face is pretty weird because your face in general is like your own personal sign.
I know you have to go finish getting ready for your set. Thanks again for taking the time to talk to me tonight. Here’s to an awesome show tonight and congrats on having such an amazing 2014.
Uliana: Thank you for wanting to talk to us because we really appreciate it. We want to thank everyone out there because none of this would be happening if they hadn’t put their hearts out there for us. We’re very, very grateful for each and every one of you.
By Johnny Price, Senior Lead RockRevolt Magazine Journalist
