Exclusive Blues Interviews, Blues Reviews, Blues Videos, Top Blues Artists, New Blues Artists.
Pages
▼
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
SuperCool (This is amazing)
“just put me in a wheel chair and get me to the show” – Jeffrey Marshall
SuperCool is a band with an incredible story, and the musical goods to back it up.
Jeffrey Marshall (bass and vocals) was born with no arms or hands, and has an amazing self taught bass technique which has to be seen to be believed. Jeffrey jokes about obviously not being enthusiastic about sports as a kid, thus leaving music as his main pursuit. He has had to figure out how to play the bass without any possibility of learning his instrument by seeing how others do it. Not only is he a soulful bass player, delivering dynamic and passionate bass lines, but is able to do this while singing lead and playing harmonica.
Daniel Levanti (guitar and vocals) has honed his guitar skills at Berklee College of Music, and through touring during his years in Europe. Daniel’s guitar playing has over the years with Supercool evolved into a style identifiable throughout the textures of diverse sounds and emotions which the band has come to be known for.
David Koller (drums and vocals) is an extremely accomplished musician from Prague, and an icon of the Czech music scene. From 1987 to 2005 he was drummer, guitarist, and lead singer for the band, Lucie, which turned out dozens of songs now thoroughly imbedded in the culture of Czech and Slovak rock and pop music. Since then he’s delved into his solo work with a zeal and intention that’s recently earned him comparisons with the likes of Sting and Peter Gabriel. His most recent album, “Ted A Tady” (”Here and Now”), released in late 2010, has already been nominated for best album of the year.
Part of their intriguing story is that these musicians all met in Prague, Czech republic.
Jeffrey one day pulled out a map at home in Denver Colorado, after friends had encouraged him to travel. He closed his eyes and randomly pointed his toe at it. By chance his toe landed on Prague. Soon after Jeffrey was there, where he was later to meet Daniel, who’s story of how he came to find himself in Prague goes actually along somewhat similar lines. He too was itching for a change after he felt his days in Boston had run their course. Sipping coffee on Newbury St. he overheard someone telling exalted stories about the city he’d just returned from… Prague. He’d heard enough, and resolved to get there somehow. Roughly a year later Daniel and Jeffrey inevitably crossed paths, with the help of some friends, in the Prague music scene.
From this moment they’ve been an inspiration to each other as songwriting partners and friends. At first collaboration, they both fell immediately in love with the sound they created together. Despite the apparent randomness of their hooking up, they have found a solid musical partnership. As roommates they were able to share and unite emotions and experiences and turn them into songs. Jeffrey mentions an example: “when you are dealing with Czech women, you never run out of love songs”.
Soon after they began creating music together, there was a gap that needed desperately to filled, that of the drummer, of course. Fortunately enough, and this is one in a litany of examples where the legendary “Prague magic” has materialized on the Supercool stage, Daniel’s future wife, Katia, whom he’d just met at their first official concert, was a good friend of David. After an introduction David invited the guys to his studio where they recorded a demo with Pavel Razim on drums. This led to a succession of talented drummers, which included also Vasek Polansky and Barry Becker, who all appeared on the band’s first album, Supercool, Greatest Hits Vol. I, available on Earwave Records.
It was only much later, in 2005, that while organizing a benefit concert for the studio full of guitars (one of Daniel’s and seven of Jeffrey’s), that were stolen in Prague while Daniel and Jeffrey were in Nashville checking out the music scene, that Supercool as it exists now, first took the stage. Meant to be a one night line-up, the band clicked so well that the notion was immediately born that this band should play together. So now, five years and a dozen cities later, Supercool has released their second album, Greatest Hits Vol. II. It’s available now from Championship Music (championship.cz).
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
No comments:
Post a Comment