1. If I knew absolutely nothing about Super 400,
how would you describe the group’s music to me?
-- We are a hard rock band with a brutally delivered
live show.
2. If I were to buy your new album 3 and the Beast,
what songs should I pay particular attention to and why?
-- Emergency, Push Back Now, The Leaves, It's
Gonna Burst and Faces to the Sun probably represent the corners of
the album's sound. It is hard to single out a couple songs, since i
think of the album as one whole piece of our life as a band.
3. When and where did the band form, and where didthe
name come from? -- Kenny and Joe
had been playing music together since high school. While they were living
in New York City, Joe overheard his brother, who was dealing vintage guitars
at the time, discuss a Gibson Super 400 during a telephone conversation.
Joe thought it would make a great band name. After a couple temporary bass
players came and went, the guys moved upstate, where I met them one night
at an open Blues jam. I thought their playing was magical. We set up a casual
date to get together and play at their warehouse loft, and I was asked to
join that day.
4.
What was your worst on stage experience? What was your
best?
-- For me, the worst was when I cut my hand open
onstage during a show and had to finish the set with blood all over me,
dripping onto the floor. It got very sticky as it started to dry and
i could not look down! Then there was the time a guy in the crowd kept
touching me, so Kenny had to smack him with his guitar. I can't point
to a 'Best' moment - it is always a privilege to play our music for people.
There is no better feeling than the volume behind me and the crowd in
front.
5. Do you think that the Internet (whether it be Internet
radio, legal downloading, MySpace, streaming audio, etc.) is a good tool
for musicians or is it a bad thing because it hinders profits?
-- It depends upon what the artist defines as success.
For us, it's always been about reaching out to as many people as possible.
The small amount of profit lost to a free listen is well worth the chance
to bring our sound to a larger audience. Those that get into the band will
purchase the record, they'll come to the show, and that's what we are aiming
for. Our bootlegged shows have been heard around the world and we've expanded
our fanbase to include lots of amazing folks we wouldn't have met otherwise.
The internet is still new, in the grand scheme of things, and it's exciting
to see how quickly the music industry has changed, trying to keep up! We
are ready for whatever the future of technology brings, because the music
will always come from the same human source. It is meant to be shared.
