My City September 2022

“Are you happy here?

Be honest.”

From Chaos to Peace

Fernando Silverio Solis asks this question of his audience and most importantly, himself, in an original song that more than any other expresses his perception at this point of his life. After decades on tour performing for thousands of fans in musical genres that never quite felt like his own, the singer/songwriter has nally found his inner voice and a new way to express it; a style he found long ago but never had the time or the con dence to try. “I always dreamed of becoming a singer/songwriter,” says Solis. “I was fascinated by the sort of ‘blue-collar’ songwriters like Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Billy Joel. It feels good now to do it myself.”Today, Solis describes his music genre as “Americana; a portrait of the working class in the United States – of love and loss,” and it’s something very di erent for his past fans and a far cry from the music of his beginning … Solis grew up in Flint and attended Flint Central High. “I was born in Fairfax, VA but it’s just where I was born, not where I’m from,” he states. “I’m from Flint and that’s something I’m proud of.” As a child, he was interested in music but it wasn’t until middle school when his love a air with it began. “I really got into punk and nu metal – bands like Korn and the Deftones,” he remembers. His love continued into his high school years when the relationship started to become serious. “A friend took me to Flint Local 432

The Evolution of Fernando Silverio Solis BY PETER HINTERMAN ® PHOTOGRAPHY BY JADEN MAXLOW

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