By Darian Counts
SUPERLAST
The last few years for the band Superlast have been quite a ride. What started out as 5 guys working as studio musicians has grown into a tight knit musical powerhouse. Coming off of a year where the band played venues like the Magic Bag, DTE Music Theater, Winter Blast 2013 and the Machine shop, Superlast has done its best to make it self available to music fans all over Michigan. Yet it’s the road gigs that truly tell the tale of Superlast. Sure it helps to have a band member on a national reality show. But it’s the mental cohesiveness of this band that’s driving their success. It’s clear that all the members of this band are on the same page. I met up with Rich Pyle, Tim Roemer and John Quiroz (Johnny Q) at a local pub to discuss the evolution of the band.
mean if we go to out of state Rich is a national figure. In Michigan we’re just another band. But on the road, it’s a whole different deal. Johnny Q: We get a lot of love on the road. We rolled into Boston recently and they were playing us on the local rock station. But in Detroit we just don’t get airplay from the local rock and roll stations. Rich Pyle: We love the motor city and we feel lucky to be from a city with such a rich musical history. We’ve got a lot of incredible fans here, but what really pays off for us is out of town gigs.
Performing multiple Sturgis events as well as with bands like Jackyl for the TV show Full Throttle Saloon combined with Richs appearances on Hardcore Pawn has given Darian: How much has Rich’s role on Superlast an incredible nationwide Hardcore Pawn affected the band? following. But the reality is that it doesn’t matter how many people Tim Reamer: It definitely helps. I show up to your out of town show if 16 LIVE - DETROITLIVEMAGAZINE.COMthe band isn’t tight and over the past
three years this band has definitely come together to form a cohesive unit. But right now, what really is propelling this band is the success of their newly released self titled CD. Comparing the CD to their debut release the difference is night and day. Their first CD “American Lunatic” was released in 2009. The CD was a project they were all hired as studio musicians to do and when health issues of the person who hired them became an issue they banded together and finished the CD and released it. For this latest release Superlast has really dug deep. There is an emotional presence on this CD that differentiates it from their debut. It’s obvious this release is more of a reflection of who the band is in 2013. The presence of a talk box, mandolins and upright bass give this CD variety and depth. It’s clear that the last few years have helped this band gel. The ten tracks of the