That 1 Guy
By Bonwell Parker
Photo by Mitch Tobias

At music festivals across the nation, and even around the world, a Bay Area-based act has been garnering attention for half a decade. The concept of a one-man band comes with a stigma, and the idea of musicians who play an instrument of their own invention only makes the idea sound like more of a novelty. It becomes evident very quickly, however, that this guy, or more specifically, That 1 Guy, is something different.
Every show begins the same way — That 1 Guy, a man with squinty eyes and a full-brimmed hat, stands before an old-time microphone and a twisted pipe. He proceeds to sample himself making what are essentially monkey noises. As the vocal loop plays, he goes to work on the pipe with a bow, sampling sounds coming off of a single string strapped to the front. He then puts away his bow and starts slapping away at a second string, hidden on the back bend of his twisted pipe. After a slight pause in the action, he taps a black pad on the pipe, triggering some sampled mechanical noises, and with a broad motion and all four limbs, the possibly crazed man is making more noise than half the bands out there, forming a surprisingly cohesive melody.

When Mike Silverman grew tired of being limited to his jazz band and broke out into his solo act, he realized he wasn’t going to be able to do it with just the double bass he had played for so many years. So, with a clear idea of what kind of sound he wanted to make and no idea how to get there, he started assembling what he would later christen “The Magic Pipe” — two steel pipes attached at the top and a series of foot pedals, hand triggers, samplers and loops. An ordinary snare drum occasionally comes into play, and in the six years he has been playing, Silverman has added “The Magic Saw” and “The Magic Boot.” The Pipe itself also continues to evolve, bringing about new sounds and experiences for even the inveterate listener.

The real creative outlet for Silverman, however, is not in The Pipe but in the performance. “Nobody wanted anything to do with me at first,” Silverman says of his start on the touring circuit, “so it’s hard to say no [to playing shows]. I love playing every night. It feels good to play.” That 1 Guy’s rising popularity has led to five years of essentially non-stop touring, though this year is slated to have an additional flurry of activity: a DVD of That 1 Guy’s live show is in the works and, after concluding a short northwestern tour, Silverman is finally returning to the studio to record not one, but two new CDs.

Silverman considers his recording process “pretty weird,” explaining, “I do it totally live so I have to do it completely through. It sounds fresh, because it’s live. But I’m playing all the instruments with different parts of my body so I really have to concentrate.” He feels that he is just now starting to get comfortable playing The Magic Pipe, which means that on the new albums he’ll have the flexibility to try plenty of new things.
Although That 1 Guy has found a great deal of success over the years, not just with his never-ending tour circuit and consistent CD sales, but with showers of praise from critics and a Tap Water Award from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t anticipate appearing in the mainstream anytime soon.

“I love the element of surprise that comes with playing to new audiences,” Silverman says, and so long as That 1 Guy keeps getting invited to the festival circuit in the U.S. and elsewhere, he will have new people to surprise. “The more abstract the festival, the better [the reaction] is. People are really taken off guard.”

That 1 Guy has just wrapped up a two-part tour through the northwest, as well as Turkey, and is heading into the studio with hopes of finishing up one of the two new CDs. He will then be back on the road, surprising new audiences worldwide.

www.that1guy.com