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“. . .UNTIL I FULFILL ALL MY DREAMS” An Interview with THE SUPERKINGS The Superkings feature a conflicted array of tunes - often singing of a life out of control or asking for redemption. Many feature a big rock sound with well-performed vocals with guitars and guitar solos front and fore. We’d like to thank the band’s sound engineer Sal Benet for taking our questions and assembling the responses below from the band. Who are “Superking” and what is the “Superking” sound? How long have you been together? “The “Superkings” are a four-piece band from Burnley: Lenni (lead guitar/vocals) Mark (bass/backing vocals) Wes (riff guitar/vocals) Christian (drums) Lenni and Mark are brothers and Wes is their cousin, they had been playing together for several years, when they decided to recruit a drummer. This resulted in Christian Taylor-Hilton joining the band in December 2005 and they have been a full four-piece band ever since. The Superkings’ sound can best be described as “Brit-Rock”, a term coined by the band to best describe their sound. “Brit-Rock” is a combination of Brit Pop (artists such as Oasis, Blur, Manics etc) fused with a harder sounding American Rock (artists such as Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and Guns ’N’ Roses).” What do you like best about the band’s sound and music (band’s strength), and what things are you still working on to improve or what things aren’t fully conveyed yet in your songs? “Obviously the soaring guitar solos spring to mind instantly, as do the more than competent vocals. However, being a four-piece, it somewhat restricts how intricate certain guitar parts can be, due to the fact that one of the guitarists will always be singing. To clarify, try and sing “Sweet Child ’O’ Mine” like Axl Rose whilst playing Slash’s guitar parts.” Talk about your musical influences. There seems to be some 80s and 90s guitar rock influence there, with melodic similarities to Oasis. “As previously mentioned, we have grown up listening to Oasis, The Manics and Blur. Oasis being the most popular choice amongst the three. In fact, it was Oasis that made us want to play the guitar, and playing and singing their songs from an early age has obviously manifested itself in our music today. Also, Slash lends influence to some of the guitar solo structures, as does Eddie Van Halen. Both of these guitarists were predominant in the late 80’s - early 90’s.” “Fire Tears” (HIFI)
“Fire Tears” has a big thick sound. Nice guitar solo. I hadn’t really listened closely to the lyrics
until I sat down for the interview, but there are some heavy lyrics with a powerful well done vocal performance.
Comments on the song, lyrics, performance, etc? “The big sound you hear in “Fire Tears” is a result of the bass and rhythm guitars playing in unison, with the drums playing straight eights like a heartbeat, thus giving out a more organic vibe. Although the tempo is quite slow, the melody and expressive nature of the vocals sit powerfully over the guitars due to the high key. A classic example of this method can be found listening to Bon Jovi. The solo had to fit the mood of the song and not just be a melee of notes. Sometimes it’s the notes you don’t play and not the notes you do play that matter. Also it had to rise out of the song, sing, and slowly sink back into the mix to maintain the organic vibe whilst conveying a soul crying out to mirror the lyrics. Due to the powerful and cathartic nature of the song, the lyrics had to be just as powerful so that people could relate to them. The thought of never being able to make up one’s mistake has, I’m sure, crossed the minds of many people for one reason or another, be it somebody who’s committed murder, somebody who’s has contracted an incurable disease, a broken relationship...the list is endless. So in using this idea, and embedding it in religious metaphor, we are conveying the message on an epic, biblical scale, which in turn is also cathartic.” “Come What May” (HIFI)
“Come What May” is an introspective tune that lays out an interesting theme of many of the songs: wanting a
change for the better but knowing it won’t happen. “It’s about perspective really. The narrator questions the recollections of a friend’s perspective of a drunken night out, where the guy concerned has gone home with a girl who isn’t so gorgeous. Alcohol has blurred his perspective and his friend questions his morals.” “Slack Alice” (HIFI)
Pick one of the other songs you particularly like from the site and comment on it.
“ “Slack Alice” is a song that all the band like and love playing live. With its hard dirty riffs joined together by a ghostly sounding guitar and phat bass sound it almost instantly comes to life as soon as your hear it. It also has a bluesy guitar solo which suggests that it has more feeling than a rock solo because the blues has more soul, as does the song and the topic of the song. The lyrical composition is two-fold. Ostensibly it is the tale of a woman who is a victim of her circumstance, leading a life of drugs and prostitution which eventually climaxes in her epiphany: that there is no use in aiming high, when society is constantly setting “honey-traps”; She cannot escape her reality, which is one of squalor (how does it feel knowing this is real?). Secondly, with the slight undertones of referencing to Alice in Wonderland, it serves to create a surreal, farcical atmosphere almost mocking our protagonist and the society she lives in, the Cheshire cat signifying trouble, the mad hatters being potential clients of hers, and the rabbit in the headlights signifying her will has been drained. But all in all it’s simply a great song and we love playing it live.” |
“All My Dreams” (HIFI)
In “All My Dreams” can you comment on aspects of the song, multiple vocals, feedback intro, etc? I think the song is
well constructed and performed with a great energy. “Due to the intricate, delicate nature of the opening riff, which is played with a heavy amount of gain, I, (lenni) felt there had to be something which preceded this in order to grab the listeners’ full attention. The moment you hear the high frequency note piercing through it has your attention and the riff has full credence. In order to keep the song moving, so it doesn’t become laborious and predictable, I decided to change up the vocals, so Wes took the bridge and I the verse and chorus. With Wes taking the main melody line in the bridge, it freed me up for the harmonies, as Mark had his hands full with the bass line. In the chorus, I Retook the now higher, main melody with Mark and Wes providing harmonies at both one third and two thirds below the main melody, manages to secure the hopefulness that the lyrics are conveying whilst allowing the music to come full circle, leaving us back where we started at the beginning chord of E. By keeping the vocal line bouncy, and interchangeable, coupled with a fast, upbeat tempo, an energetic, feel-good atmosphere is created. ” Almost all of your tunes feature big in-your-face guitar solos. Are you trying to bring back the guitar solo? “Yes. Since the Brit Pop era there hasn’t been any English bands (except the Darkness) attempting guitar solo’s really. We’re old school in a way, in that we think rock n roll has to have a guitar solo. Lenni thinks that’s what the electric guitar was invented for and practices what he preaches.” In particular if you could expand on your approach to lyrics. “Our lyrics are basically about various aspects of the human condition (what it is to be human - virtues and vices). We write about life - thoughts, feelings, experiences (all experiences).” The vocals in the songs are particularly well done. Some very tough vocal parts are pulled off almost effortlessly. Can you speak some to your vocal performance? “Lenni sings most of the songs and has quite a broad vocal range as well as some raspy characteristics comparable to Kelly Jones from the Stereophonics. The broad range is probably the result of singing Bon Jovi and Oasis from an early age, and then being harnessed by vocal coaching thus learning how to deliver strong vocals which come straight from his stomach much like opera singers do. It’s all in the diaphragm, not in the throat.” On Songwriting: Can you talk some about how a song comes together for the band (music, groove, lyrics, etc)? What inspires you? “Lenni writes most of the songs by playing his acoustic guitar, humming different melodies over a chord progression until a melody is found that he likes. Depending on what that melody will become (verse, bridge, or chorus) two more parts that compliment or mirror the initial melody will be composed and memorized. The vocals are then written so that the vibe of the song becomes apparent, then the bass and electric guitar parts are constructed accordingly. Usually if the song has an uplifting feel, a rock riff will be placed over the chords and the bass will accent the kick drum and a scorching solo will be added as well as the occasional illustrious drum fill. If it’s more chilled then acoustics will be used for the two main guitars, one playing chords, one finger picking will mellow soft sounding bass accenting the picking guitar. Percussion will also be added in the form of a tambourine or two maracas. Most compositions will be slightly different in their construction because most songs are different, so it just depends on the mood and how best to convey the mood with the set of skills the band has in its ever-growing repertoire.” “Burning Inside of Me” (HIFI)
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Interview by Shane Milburn |
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