SONG PREMIERE: Radiator King Shines With Arena Rock Bravado On “Ghost Of Elvis”

Photo by Michelle Shiers

Veteran producer Ted Hutt—whose credits include The Gaslight Anthem, Violent Femmes, Chuck Ragan, Lucero, Jesse Malin, The Devil Makes Three, and a Grammy-winning collaboration with Old Crow Medicine Show—certainly had a profound effect when working with Radiator King on their new song “Ghost of Elvis”. The compelling sounds of most of his prior collaborators are spread boldly in this valiant track that Glide is premiering below.

Singer/guitarist Adam Silvestri glimmers as a profound arena rock-style frontman in the vein of Brandon Flowers even if it is just for a song. But let’s let this big hook-filled song be the vehicle that gets Radiator King the notoriety it deserves where the worlds of The Killers, Gaslight Anthem, and ’80s Springsteen merge.

A decade into its existence, Radiator King took a much-needed break from the road the last few years to focus on reinventing itselfAnd now, what was once the moniker of NYC-via-Boston solo artist Adam Silvestri, is now a full-fledged band. The change came when SiIvestri packed up his van and relocated to Los Angeles in 2021 at the insistence of longtime collaborator Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls, Nine Inch Nails, Violent Femmes). The two commiserated to turn the project’s previously rotating cast into a cohesive unit with a fixed lineup that would develop its own unique sound. After some experimentation, they settled on a power trio, albeit an unconventional one—drums, guitar, keys. Completing the trinity, they enlisted virtuoso composer & keyboardist Alexander Burke (Bob Dylan, Anderson .Paak, Greg Dulli).

“The breakthrough moment for me was when I came up with the line ‘even the ghost of Elvis sings alone,” Silvestri says. “That’s when I finally uncovered what the song was about—you come into this world alone, and you leave this world alone. That’s the idea. You might need people along the way, whether it be a significant other or a close friend, but above all you have to have faith in yourself, and you have to be content with yourself. And with all the mythological figures in rock & roll history who were surrounded by people and worshiped by the world, they are often the loneliest of all. And to me that same idea relates to how you can be in a relationship and feel completely alone, or how you can live in the largest city on Earth and still somehow feel more alone than if you were by yourself in a cabin in the woods.”

“Some songs come out fully formed, but my experience with “Ghost of Elvis” was different. It took a while for me to get this one right, in particular with the lyrics. I had to spend a lot of time sifting through my subconscious to get there. Our producer, Ted Hutt, pushed me hard to not settle and go deeper. He sent me back to the drawing board many times before I finally came to the lyrics you hear on the recording. While it can be frustrating to have your producer challenge what you have and tell you it’s not good enough yet, I value and respect Ted so much for his devotion to making sure we nailed the song. And I now have complete faith that when we work together he has my back, and is always going to make sure I put down my best work. That type of trust is sacred between an artist and producer,” adds Silvestri.

“Ted was instrumental in making “Ghost of Elvis” what it is. Me and the band wrote the song in our rehearsal space and our initial instinct was to have a more drastic dynamic shift from verse to chorus. That sort of loud/quiet/loud Pixies thing.  But Ted heard the song a different way. He wanted the song to feel more consistent throughout. Every time we went to blast off on the chorus, he’d be like, “Nope. You’re taking me out of the vibe of the song. Stay in that laidback hypnotic groove.” So we did and I think he was right. It’s an example of how sometimes the way you approach a song live, the energy and the dynamics, need to be captured a different way on record. That was the case with “Ghost of Elvis”—it was one of those times where it was really helpful to have an outside ear, someone you trust, like Ted, to help make the necessary adjustments.”

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