By Bob Makin
originally published: 03/20/2026
The Makin Waves Song of the Week is “Footman’s Tale” from Jersey City-based Silver Heir’s debut album, “Hindenburg Variations.” PHOTO COURTESY OF SILVER HEIR
Hunterdon County roots rockers Colonel Pratt have regrouped as the Jersey City-based outfit Silver Heir.
“Footman’s Tale” from their recently released debut album, “Hindenburg Variations,” is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.
As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “Footman’s Tale” also can be heard between 6 and 8 p.m. on March 20 on “Radio Jersey” at ThePenguinRocks.com. If you miss it, you can tune in any time in the archives at The Penguin, Mixcloud and RadioJersey.net.
“I started on this song about three or four years ago running on the asphalt ‘boardwalk’ in Manasquan,” said Travis Miscia, Silver Heir’s singer-songwriter-pianist. “The first line was originally ‘Thirty-three years old in Monmouth County, ‘ but that's a real mouthful, so after casting about for other places, I decided to return to Monmouth County and just get more specific with it. That's how it ended up ‘Twenty-three years old in Little Silver.’ I've always loved the name Little Silver.
“I envisaged it from the perspective of a very lonely and forgotten man,” he continued. “Inevitably, given the place and subject, the song started out with a real Springsteen hangover. Sounded a bit like one of his country stomps. And frankly it wasn't coming together. That all changed when Chris, our guitarist, delivered a finger-picked acoustic track and some scratch vocals suggesting a less strident, more hesitant, vocal approach. The song basically took shape from there.”
Silver Heir’s guitarist, Chris Sandor, and Travis are joined by Colonel Pratt drummer-percussionist Brian VanDerveer and bassist John Koneval, who mixed and mastered “Hindenburg Variations.”
The album’s title is a nod to Keith Moon’s comment that inspired the name of the great Led Zeppelin. While some might expect “Hindenburg Variations” to be a midlife crisis-fueled disaster, it’s actually a sincere and well-written ode to New Jersey.
“The album is very New Jersey, because I am,” Travis said. “There are references throughout. And of course, the Hindenburg crashed in Lakehurst. It crashed in an airfield later named for my kids' great-great-grandfather, who had died in another airship disaster about 15 years earlier.”
Because their busy dads, the members of Sliver Heir won’t be playing out any time soon, but you can hear their album on Bandcamp.
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and Instagram and contact Bob at [email protected].
About the author:
New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.
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