(Photo Credit - Benjamin Lieber)
We had the opportunity to chat with Super American who's new album 'SUP' drops this Friday! Check out what they had to say!
1. How did you come to pursue music and how long have you been at it?
"Early on, like 4-5 years old, I was a big fan of Backstreet Boy’s Millennium and Closing Time by Semisonic. At the same time, my dad was really into Joshua Tree, so drives were always fruitful. I think I was always subconsciously attracted to songs, but as far as actually pursuing it — it wasn’t until I was 10 or 11 when my older cousin had started playing in punk bands. At the time, I was still an only child, so I had that heroic big brother thing going with him. Pathetically, I probably would have ended up pursuing whatever he did. Lucky for me, it was music."
2. We’re really excited about your new single “free bird”. Can you give us some background as to the writing and recording process of this great track?
"Free Bird — the first born. Originally, it was called $EWN, but then we got zooted on the cold brew(ski) in the stu and Pat miraculously came up with the latter. It was the first song we made for the record, so it holds a little bit of a special place. But to be honest, the writing/recording was pretty straight forward. Pat and I were writing songs in my attic at the time and it was a pretty quick/organic process — had a riff and a few words and we finished it that day. Recording the track itself was rewarding because it took some reinvention and critical on-the-fly thinking in capturing the initial energies. Both Jay Zubricky, who engineered the record, and the boy Sammy Checkoway on drums, particularly did a great job and I think ameliorated the process as whole."
3. Could you walk us through your process of writing music?
"Exciting Answer: I would describe the process itself as a non-process. Yes, at the end of the day, we’re songwriters — but the more we build upon our work, I start to realize that, first, we’re observers of our environment(s). A lot of lot the “process” itself is initially absorbing the world around us, and what deciphering that means to us both collectively and independently. To me, the in-betweens of an established perspective and definitive expression is really fun and exciting because the options are still endless and you can still swing for the fences without consequence. From there, we can blend our feelings/perspectives/messages to varying degrees which personally inspires me to then dig even deeper. And vise versa. Once that snowball starts, the songs just tend to write themselves. So, we almost write songs, by not writing songs."
"Boring Answer: Pat and I meet up at either one of our apartments, drink 2 coffees, 2 room temp Coors Lights and make a song. OR Pat or I independently drink 2 coffees, 2 room temp Coors Lights and email one another a riff between the hours of 12:30am - 2:15am."
4. What artists have inspired you in your career?
"In no particular order or tier, the top FIVE would have to be Algernon Cadwallader, blink-182, Brian Wilson, Goo Goo Dolls, and all my friends who I have and continue to play music with. Algernon showed me WHY, blink showed me HOW, Brian Wilson showed me WHEN, the Goo’s showed me WHERE, and my friends showed me WHO."
5. Do you have any favorite music gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards, etc.) that you love to use? If so, what’s the story on them?
"Last run of shows we did, I was using quite a bit of pedals. Or I guess I should say — I carried around a pedal board with a lot of pedals on it but didn’t use them. So I’ve dumbed down quite a bit recently and am playing a few Strats out of a Mesa Dual Rec with no pedals and picking between the channels. It’s not sexy, but it works. Pat just scooped this sick synth bass pedal and we do have a drum pad in the arsenal we always consider breaking out at some point. Other than that, it’s a pretty simple operation for now. Plug in and rip."
6. Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show?
"Most importantly, a universal sense of acceptance. It’s important to us to maintain a welcoming and safe environment that provides everyone the righteousness and freedom to be themselves without any consequence. From there, party on. Jump out of your shoes, start a pit, bob your head, drink Diet Pepsi, stand still, whatever floats your boat — no rules. Just do you, be respectful/considerate to those around you, and we’ll all have some fun." 7. What is one thing that you want the public to know about your music?
"That we care and that we do this for the right reasons. I feel it’s safe to say that we are both students of the game, of the craft. We appreciate artistry as a whole — we respect the creative process and understand how fragile it is. We like to make art because we like to consume art. So, to even have a chance to genuinely express ourselves and have folks be willing to consume/relate to our art, is all you can really ask for. And we do not take that for granted. Special thank you to everyone who has been supportive thus far."
8. What’s next for you?
"We have another single planned for October before SUP drops on October 22. We’ll be playing a record release show at home in beautiful Buffalo, NY with some awesome bands that are soon-to-be announced. Then we are lucky enough to head out on a pretty much sold out full US tour with Hot Mulligan, Prince Daddy and The Hyena, and Sincere Engineer this Nov/Dec. For obvious reasons, we’re really excited for that. Amongst all of that, we’ll keep trying to make some hits and make everyone proud who’s been willing to believe in us. Thank you for having me and Godspeed. SUP for life."