Silver ’27 and His Band, Cut The Kids In Half, Take on Boston’s Music Scene

Growing up, Jack Silver ’27 didn’t envision himself as a singer in a rock band. But things changed in his teenage years when he started Cut The Kids In Half with his younger brother, Charlie.

“Music has always been a passion, I just never imagined myself making it,” said Silver. “I wasn’t confident in my voice, and didn’t even sing in cars with friends. I didn’t think I understood how to channel it and make it my own.”

But his brother, who attends Boston University, started writing music, and honestly, that made Jack jealous.

Jack began writing lyrics, and Charlie would write the guitar part and sing, but after a year, Jack tried singing, and the duo started the band, which was rounded out by childhood friend and Harvard student Luke Tan, and BU students Kevin Mortenson and Joey Sorkin. (The band’s arresting name comes from the lyrics of a Radiohead song, “Morning Bell”.)

They released their debut album, What We Became, in January. The songs were all completed two years ago, so some of the themes and influences are outdated, Jack said.

Listen to Cut The Kids In Half on Spotify

“Old relationships. Growing up and leaving childhood behind. I’m no longer touching upon those things,” said the Writing, Literature and Publishing major. “Some themes like relationships, love, heartbreak, grief – are universal subjects. I’d say now I’m writing lyrics that speak more in the abstract. I’ve always focused on poetic lyrics. And now it’s more surrealist.”

Silver said he’s often influenced by what he’s reading and listening to, and he’s always working on multiple books at the same time. Nonfiction essays by Joan Didion and James Baldwin, Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, and Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, are currently on his reading list.

The group is currently working on their second album. “Since finishing the first album, we have done nothing but write and write. We took three years to write the nine songs on the album, and a lot were painstaking,” said Silver.

Now the band’s writing process is quicker, and he thinks the group has 30 songs that could fit on the next album.

“This is my main art form. When performing for people and playing music with the band, it does feel like an act. I’m playing a rock star,” said Silver. “But the labor for me, the hard work and precision that goes into it, that happens when I’m writing lyrics.”

As Silver continues to find his voice, he’s also become closer to his brother.

“It wasn’t until music that we got close. We always had different interests. I played chess for years, and he was getting into playing guitar,” said Silver. “We never really convened on the same path. Now it’s how we get along and see each other. It’s how we’ve connected and stayed in touch and found a way to share a passion.”

He was attracted to Emerson because it’s an urban liberal arts college, and it’s introduced a whole slew of professional opportunities.

“Emerson fosters the kind of community where you can pursue multiple interests. I’ve acted in a dozen student films, published short stories and essays in magazines, and I’m playing on Boston’s music scene,” said Silver. “Emerson has given me a road map to continue pursuing music.”

Silver said he’d like to continue to act, continue to write, and he and his brother would love to make the band into a career.

“We’ve poured time and love into the first album. All we want to do is get better, craft better songs, and be ingrained in Boston’s music scene,” said Silver. “We want to get stranger, more honest, and more interesting.”