The Antlers are an indie band hailing from Brooklyn, NY comprised of Peter Silberman, Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci. In 2009, The Antlers exploded with the album Hospice. The heart wrenching album is the story of an emotionally abusive relationship told through the analogy of a hospiceworker and terminally-ill patient. It's an album that if it's not on your top ten, really should be. Since Hospice, The Antlers have released 2 albums, Together and Burst Apart as well as the EP, Undersea. Each one being a separate, amazing journey of their own. 

The Antlers are playing MPMF on Friday at The Emery Theatre. I got to sit down with Peter Silberman and talk about patience, reggae and down time.

CM: Any advice for local musicians?
PS: Patience is the best advice I can give. Slow and steady growth is the best way. It’s seems seductive to take off right away but it’s better to have a gradual progression. Wanting things to grow can be frustrating. Challenge yourself creatively.

CM: What is your guilty pleasure music, you can tell me, mine is Whitney Houston...
PS: I do not really consider it to be a guilty pleasure but the music people tell to turn off most often is old reggae. I don’t really think any music to be a guilty pleasure if it’s enjoyed.

CM: What is your process when you begin an album? Each album seems to be stories that build on each other. 
PS: No process for the past 2 albums, since we moved into our new studio. We just play music and see what we come up with. We record free form and then edit down. We get a sense of what that sounds like then get down to a concept. It all happens pretty naturally over a period of time. Eventually a pattern is noticed and we go from there.

CM: What do you do when you are not touring or writing?
PS: Hang out at home with friends and family, catch up on our lives. We all end up still playing music as that is what we enjoy to do.

CM: What musicians inspire you?
PS: There are allot, depends on the day, even the hour. Elliot Smith as an early influence. Microphones showed me that you didn’t have to record the way everyone else was, opened my eyes to recording in a different way.

CM: Plans for the future?
PS: This is our last week of touring so plans to hang at home and then get started on a new record!