Silver Jews

Silver Jews was an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1989. The band's origins trace back to Ectoslavia, a college band founded in 1985 at the University of Virginia by future Pavement members Bob Nastanovich and Stephen Malkmus, alongside frontman David Berman. After Ectoslavia disbanded following their graduation, the three friends relocated to New York City. Nastanovich worked as a bus driver, while Berman and Malkmus took positions as art museum security guards.

As Pavement, a band formed by Malkmus after Ectoslavia and before their move to New York, began to gain significant attention and secure a record deal, the Silver Jews were often perceived as a side project. This perception was amplified by the frequent overlap in band members between the two groups, leading some to unfairly view Berman as less capable than his Pavement counterparts.