The Super Friendz

The Super Friendz are a band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, active between 1994 and 1997, reforming in 2003. Contemporaries of Sloan, their early work was on Sloan's Murderecords label.

Origins

The Super Friendz were formed in 1994 by three King's College students. Matt Murphy, who had earlier played guitar with Black Pool; bassist Charles Austin, briefly a part of Al Tuck and No Action; and guitarist Drew Yamada formed the core of the band. At first the band had no permanent drummer: at various times Chris Murphy (no relation to Matt) of Sloan, Cliff Gibb of Thrush Hermit, and Dave Marsh filled the role.

In 1994, The Super Friendz released a single on Chris Murphy's label, Murderecords, and later toured Canada with Sloan.

Early years

The Super Friendz' first album, Mock Up, Scale Down (1995, Murderecords), drew great critical praise, if not necessarily commercial success. Recorded in a Halifax house rented by Austin and Murphy by Brenndan McGuire with Dave Marsh on drums, Mock Up blended retro-pop with Canadian rock influences.

The following year, the band released Play the Game, Not Games, a 10-inch single, also on Murderecords. The songs on Play the Game—especially the contributions of Austin and Yamada—were significantly more experimental than on the album, and prefigured both the band's future work and its creative tension. This highly collectible 10" piece of vinyl marks the Super Friendz recording debut of Lonnie James on drums who had joined the band six months earlier. With a solid lineup and a dynamite live show, the next year and a half for the Superfriendz were the busiest and hardest working as the band would ever be.

Mock Up, Scale Down was released in the United States in 1997 on March Records under the title Sticktoitiveness (which earlier had been the title of an independent tape made by the band). A few of the songs from Play the Game also appeared on the U.S. release.

Later years and break-up

Continuing to tour, the band pulled together their last studio album, Slide Show. Featuring Lonnie James on drums, this album is often considered the band's strongest effort.

The band broke up in 1997 so that the members could focus on new projects.

Matt Murphy later re-emerged with a new band called The Flashing Lights. He also played with the bands City Field and Cookie Duster, and starred in the film The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico. Charles Austin is a recording engineer and producer in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Drew Yamada later toured with Mike O'Neill and others, before leaving the music industry full-time to pursue post-secondary education. Lonnie James went on to release two critically acclaimed solo records on Teenage USA records(This Land is your Land,Dee-o) as well as recording and touring as a drummer in Royal City (Toronto).

Reunion

In late December 2002, the Super Friendz came back together for a special holiday reunion. The band continued on to start recording their return effort, Love Energy, released summer 2003. A small tour followed in September.

Currently the Super Friendz are recording their as yet unnamed follow-up to 2003's Love Energy. Its status is unknown.

Discography

• By Request (7" vinyl) (1994)
• Sticktoitiveness (cassette only) (1994)
• Mock Up, Scale Down (1995)
• Play the Game, Not Games (10" vinyl) (1996)
• Slide Show (1996)
• Sticktoitiveness (March Records' U.S. compilation CD of Mock Up and Play the Game; different from the original Sticktoitiveness) (1997)
• Love Energy (2003)
• Sticktoitiveness (remastered, CD) (2006)

Music videos

Videos were made for the singles 10 lbs, Karateman, Rescue Us From Boredom, Up and Running and Forever A Day.

External links

• The Super Friendz official website