Eric Nichter is the lead singer for the band. He's been an Austinite most of his life; also living for periods of time in Ft. Worth and California. Some of his more well known musical influences include 311, Incubus, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Nirvana, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Alice in Chains. He's been writing rock songs since the age of 10. When not playing with the band, he enjoys writing and recording experimental music on the side, enjoying nature and the outdoors, and hanging with his extensive family of friends. Eric never wears shoes.

Josh Sokol is the rhythm guitarist well as the band's manager. He grew up in St. Paul, MN, but moved to Austin when he was 18 to go to college. He has been influenced by bands such as the Refreshments, 311, Sublime, Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Everclear, and many more. When he is not playing in the band, he is usually busy booking shows and volunteering his time with the Austin Indie Alliance.

Al Dente is the lead guitarist and latest addition to the band. Discovered by Allied soldiers in 1941, The U.S. government sanctioned the use of Al Dente to fight Hitler and his army of supernatural demons. Later on, Al Dente learned the ways of rubber chicken manufacturing as well as the mastery of french pasteries and cuisine. With this knowlege, he became an unstoppable guitar playing warrior and to this day he rocks audiences wherever he can.

Jeremy Walker is the bass player for Stealing Silence. Born and raised in Austin, TX, he began playing guitar in 7th grade and switched to bass guitar in 9th grade. He played in many bands throughout high school including Atrium (winners of the Westlake HS Battle of the Bands), Delve, and Johny Blunt (whose members also included Jason Taylor and Jerry Walker - Jeremy's younger brother). His major influences include Tool, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, and Bob Marley.

Jerry Walker is the drummer for Stealing Silence. He has been playing drums with various Austin bands since he was a Freshman in High School. He has been inspired by bands such as Nirvana, Deftones, Tool, Weezer, and Dave Mathews Band. Classic rock and 80's rock are major influences on his drumming style. Jerry's favorite drummer of all time is Dave Grohl.

Who We Are

Considered one of the most unique acts from Austin, Texas, Stealing Silence strives to be a diverse multi-genre listening experience for anyone who appreciates rock, metal, pop, alternative, ska, punk or rap. Influenced by too many bands to name, Stealing Silence overwhelms audiences everywhere with their one-of-a-kind performances and mind-blowing energy. Rocking the stage since 2001, their high-octane live shows will leave you breathless and their infectious melodies will steal the silence from right under you. Great attitudes, modesty, and songs with substance make Stealing Silence the "Next Big Thing" to come out of Austin, TX.

Stealing Silence recorded their debut Self-Titled CD in the summer of 2001. The first single off of it, "Sitting in My Room", reached #1 on the MP3.com local charts several times. They performed live on the KLBJ Morning Show and have been featured on the Austin Music Network television program "Hank Sinatra Presents". They won first place in the Braincube Records Ironman Tournament in April of 2002 with "Sitting in My Room" and "Sitting in My Room" was in the Top 100 Videos of 2002 on the Austin Music Network. The 2002 Austin Chronicle Music Poll lists Stealing Silence as the #4 Best New Austin Band, #7 Alternative Band, #7 MP3 ("Sitting in My Room"), and #13 Rock Band. In June of 2003, Stealing Silence won the Austin finals of the Rolling Rock Battle of the Bands and placed 14th overall in the national finals. Stealing Silence's "One For The Homies" music video was nominated as the Best Comedic Video of 2003 by the Austin Music Network. Stealing Silence is already a force to be reckoned with on the regional music scene and has developed an extensive following in cities throughout Texas.

Our Influences

Our influences include bands such as 311, Sublime, Faith No More, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, The Deftones, and many many more. Listening to such a diverse set of bands has helped to solidify Stealing Silence as one of the most unique bands to play Austin, TX in years.

Our Story

Josh was introduced to Eric by a close friend who was also Eric's roommate. They jammed for a while and started writing some music and began looking for a singer. Eric met Jason "Mashed Potato" Taylor while working together. He told Josh that he just had that rock star vibe to him and he could sing too. Josh and Eric were wow'd by his ability to just make lyrics up off the top of his head and took him on as their new singer. Soon they recruited Israel, a close friend of Josh's roommate to play bass, but he was later replaced with Jeremy, a long time friend of Mashed Potato's and a diehard Stealing Silence fan. Soon Eric decided that his true passion was singing and was moved to the front of the stage.  Jeremy's younger brother Jerry was more than willing to take up the drums. In November of 2005, Mashed P finally decided to take his musical desires in a new direction and left the band. Eric had always wanted to be a lead singer and quickly filled the void left in Mashed P's absence. The band decided that the only thing left to do was to find a feature lead guitarist and quickly found the perfect combination of energy, enthusiasm, and ambition in a slayer named Al Dente.   Take an equal mix of friendship, talent, and dedication and you find yourself with Stealing Silence.

1/1/2005

Received 4th Place in the BarStar Best Local Bands of 2004 Awards in Austin, TX.

8/3/2004

Interview with krazedaise during SXSW 2004 featured on the somanybands.com website.

4/1/2004

Interview featured in the April 2004 issue of The Edge Magazine out of San Antonio, TX.

3/20/2004

Selected to play in the Austin Indie Alliance SXSW Showcase.

12/26/2003

"One For The Homies" music video nominated for "Best Comedic Video of 2003" by the Austin Music Network.

12/5/2003

Played on the Curtain Club stage at the Dallas Music Festival with "Jibe".

6/26/2003

Won the Austin finals of the Rolling Rock Battle of the Bands at the Hard Rock Cafe and went on to place 14th in the national finals.

6/5/2003

Won the first round of the Rolling Rock Battle of the Bands at the Hard Rock Cafe in Austin, TX.

3/13/2003

Austin Chronicle 2002 Music Poll lists Stealing Silence as the #4 Best New Austin Band, #7 Alternative Band, #7 MP3 ("Sitting in My Room"), and #13 Rock Band.

2/1/2003

"Sitting in My Room" placed in the Top 100 Videos of 2002 on the Austin Music Network.

11/8/2002

Selected to play in the first annual Tourbaby Showcase in San Antonio, TX.

10/31/2002

Selected to play in the first annual Tourbaby Showcase in Austin, TX.

10/31/2002

Performed live on KLBJ Morning Show a second time.

10/9/2002

Debuted "Sitting in My Room" music video on the Austin Music Network.

4/21/2002

"Sitting in My Room" wins the "Braincube Records Ironman Tournament".

1/30/2002

Performed live on KLBJ Morning Show for the first time.

12/18/2001

"Sitting in My Room" hit #1 on the MP3.com Austin, TX charts for the first time.

9/22/2001

Finished recording debut self-titled CD.

2/18/2001

Played first show at Spiro's in Austin, TX.