When Dean Tartaglia and Matt Klein work toward their passion for music, their driving force is commitment.
The bassist/singer and drummer/singer respectively form the duo Toledo rock band Silent Lions and are set to hit the stage at Howard’s Club H on Saturday night, with opening acts from Tree No Leaves and The Miracle Vitamins.
The band has only been secured for about a year and has already released an EP “The Parliaments,” has been on constant touring and is in the works of releasing another EP, “The Compartments” in January. Before Silent Lions, Tartaglia played saxophone and Klein played drums in a band called Gold, which is no longer.
Klein, who attended the University as a student from 2001 to 2005, pursuing an art degree, said he always knew he wanted to play music, and it was going to happen one way or another. Right before Silent Lions was born, Klein and Tartaglia decided to quit Gold, while at the same time put a halt to the bassist’s other project Mind Fish, who was able to open for Tenacious D in the past, to solely focus on the new priority.
“We saw the band as an opportunity to do something that we haven’t done before,” Klein said. “It’s something challenging and different for us. We both just saw in each other that we were really serious and wanted to keep the momentum going.”
When the heavy soul rock duo aren’t driving their van with a trailer full of equipment, they’re busy trying to create new songs to expand the band musically.
Tartaglia said one of the influences on the band comes from the beats and rhythms of hip hop, which even stemmed from performing in Gold. Writing and performing music together with Klein in the previous band makes him easier to work with in Silent Lions, as the two share the same influences and understand one another, he said.
“I think we’re both pretty lucky that we have very similar goals and ideas about what we want to do musically,” Tartaglia said. “We both don’t have to compromise about what we want to go for.”
Dustin Galish and his band Tree No Leaves has performed several shows with Silent Lions throughout the past year. He said the two bands share similar sounds in what they both want to create and how Klein and Tartaglia are entirely DIY artists, just like Tree No Leaves.
“They do everything themselves and have accomplished a lot,” Galish said. “It’s inspiring to me to try and do some similar things and in the end being inspired by the musicians is why a lot of us still play.”
The show is open to the public starting at 10 p.m. with a cover fee of $4.
“Playing music can really define you through its constant challenges,” Klein said. “Like anything, the harder and smarter you work, the more you’ll find reward.”
