Artist Interview: The Superpowers

March 28, 2008

For a band that has no lyrics in their songs whatsoever, The Superpowers still manage to convey a wide variety of messages in their music. The eleven piece group (slimmed down to nine for the in-studio performance) fit in extremely well with the current Afrobeat/funk revival that bands like The Budos Band are trying to bring back to the forefront. However, where The Budos Band seem more fixated on riding grooves and enjoying themselves, The Superpowers have an underlying rage in their songs, which only manifests itself on certain occaisons.

"The overall intention of this band is to have a group that makes people want to move together. There’s such an amalgamation of discontent in America, that we’re trying to go for collective unionizing on the dancefloor," says band leader/drummer Adam Clark. "In most cultures, dancing is what brings everybody together. It goes beyond whatever other problems they may have with one another."

The group’s political consciousness makes itself apparent just by the title of the first song, "American Exceptionalism Is The Bringer Of Great Sorrow," which was composed by trombonist Alex Asher. However, one would never guess the song was ever about sorrow or our country’s inflated sense of purpose. Over an air-tight funk groove, the dual guitars of David Bailis and Ryan Dugre pluck out subtle guitar lines. Then come those horns. Having a four piece horn section obviously tends to give your band a thick sound, and this is no exception. Asher and alto sax player Nick Videen break off for solos, punctuated by hyper-technical drum rolls from Clark. Eventually the original groove sneaks back in, and the song comes to an end.

Not long after their in-studio session, The Superpowers are set to re-enter the studio and record the follow up to their debut album, Revival Time. "I feel like it’s really impossible to capture the live energy of this band. We did all of the first album live, straight to tape. This time I think we’re going to go in and maximize what we can do with the studio. The songs are shorter, maybe more to the point this time around."

Bailis’ "Sinesthesia" comes up next, led off appropriately by an almost math-rock guitar part from Bailis. The song really sounds like Battles if they decided to drop some of their robotic stiffness and allowed a little funk to bleed in. Clark adds stuttering hi-hat hits, the horns wander around quietly, and then Eric Lone tops it all off with a screaming keyboard solo.

The Superpowers are also an incredibly politically active band, performing benefit shows for a variety of African causes, including the conflict in Darfur. "I’m tired of people prancing around being direct. For us, it’s about saying what you have to say, without trying to appease someone, or being afraid of losing a gig because of it. We could play benefit shows all year. It’s really just a way for us to help. The music we play came out of oppression in Africa, but it’s just so happy and loving. It’s party music, and you want to do positive things with it."

The set concludes with the Clark composed "32 Bit," which stands as the group’s most aggressive number yet. The keyboards are draped in distortion, and the song grows and grows before exploding in an almost hardcore breakdown at the end, the entire band engaging in this huge catharsis."

While several of the Superpowers play with other groups, Clark remains loyal to the SP’s. "I really have no desire to play with anyone else. This is my baby." One can only wonder where it will end up with just a bit more of Clark’s already expert nurturing.

www.myspace.com/thesuperpowers

-Erik Ziedses des Plantes