Déjà vu is translated as “already seen” but for South California native Ben Schwab, his discovery in a small Ohio town 2000 miles from home led to an epiphany of creating the “already heard.” Unearthing a box of 1975 cassette tapes of his father’s old band, the recordings – or “Sylvies” as Ben would affectionately call them later – became the imprint for a familiar feeling he would end up chasing. The songs were timeless, effortless, and soulful.
True to Mad Anthonyʼs form and blissfully reminiscent of Laurel Canyon’s rootsy collaborative scene, Sylvie’s rolling folk-rock runs a strict go-with-the-flow policy. Inviting close friends and inspiring musical colleagues to gather and record at his own garage in Silverlake CA, Ben channels his years of writing, arranging, recording, and playing with bands Golden Daze and Drugdealer into writing and recording expansive original arrangements without temptation of decorative reverb/delay or pedal effects.