- Supercluster
-
Jason NeSmith
Casper & the Cookies -
Bob Hay
Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Squalls, Noogeez, A. Che Why -
John Fernandes
Circulatory System, The Olivia Tremor Control, and more... -
Bryan Poole
Of Montreal, The Late BP Helium, Elf Power -
Hannah Jones
The New Sound of Numbers, Sound Houses -
Heather McIntosh
Circulatory System, Elf Power, The Instruments, Gnarls Barkley, Lil' Wayne -
Kay Stanton
Casper & the Cookies -
Vanessa Briscoe Hay
Pylon -
Bill David
Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Monkey, Noogeez, North Georgia Bluegrass Band
L to R) Jason NeSmith, Bob Hay, John Fernandes, Bryan Poole, Hannah Jones, Heather MacIntosh, Kay Stanton, Vanessa Hay, Bill David. Photo by Michael Lachowski.
Click here for hi-res print quality version. (20 MB tif)
L to R) Jason NeSmith, Bob Hay, John Fernandes, Bryan Poole, Hannah Jones, Heather MacIntosh, Kay Stanton, Vanessa Hay, Bill David. Photo by Michael Lachowski.
Click here for hi-res print quality version. (20 MB tif)
With a blast of creative energy fueled by an enthusiasm for making music together, a stellar combination of Athens, Georgia musicians formed a new musical family- SUPERCLUSTER- in the Spring of 2007. Formed by Vanessa Hay as an outlet for material that did not fit in with her main project Pylon. She recruited Hannah Jones from The New Sound of Numbers and they picked a "dream team" from their musical friends.
Supercluster span the history of Athens music from the early days of the B-52's and R.E.M. to the present. Musicians include Vanessa Hay (Pylon), Hannah Jones (The New Sound Of Numbers), Bob Hay (Squalls/Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars), Bill David (North Georgia Bluegrass, Monkey), Kay Stanton and Jason NeSmith (Casper & The Cookies), and John Fernandes (Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System and many others).
Supercluster are occasionally joined by Bryan Poole (of Montreal/The Late BP Helium), cellist Heather McIntosh (The Instruments, Kevin Ayers, Gnarls Barkley, Lil' Wayne and tons more), and pianist extraordinaire Damon Denton. Alumni include Will Cullen Hart and Peter Erchick.
The sound is best described as "Appalachian Wave," a combination of electric and acoustic instruments and a blending of bluegrass, European folk, Krautrock, and new wave musical styles. Early on they briefly changed their name from Supercluster to FFFM and back again.
Waves, released in October, 2009 was one of the last documents of the guitar skills of Randy Bewley from Pylon, who passed away in February 20009 before the CD was completed. After several months, Supercluster finished the recording as a tribute to Randy. Jason NeSmith and Bryan Poole joined in his stead. Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound played guitar on three of Waves' tracks. Even without Bewley, the imaginative and playful side of the group continues to emerge. In March 2011, a new single was released titled Paris Effect on the A side backed with Neat In The Street-a song written by the Side Effects back in 1980. Hana Hay helped them make a video for Neat In The Street enlisting the help of friends, and local kids. Currently they are recording another single at Bel*Air Studio in Athens, Georgia.
Supercluster have performed at 500 Songs for Kids, Athfest, Athens Popfest, The Next to Last Festival, as well as a short journey to and from Austin, Texas in the spring of 2011. They opened several shows for the B-52s in the summer of 2010.
*************
Song Of The Day 363: Collapse Board
"Ain’t Athens GA neat? Confused, crazy, wired, dorky … do ALL the bands there sound this fun?"
Everett True
See full entry here
*************
30 Great Athens Bands
List Of The Day; February 21, 2011; Paste Magazine
*************
"..what's really compelling about this album is the way it allows a very time-specific new wave sound to evolve, reflecting an adult context where parenting and mortality play a role, yet retaining the bubbly, prickly insouciance of early 1980s underground pop."
Jennifer Kelly, Dusted Magazine
*************
"Supercluster somehow manages to steer clear of being compared to any one of the bands it is formed from. Like a musical magnet, pieces from the most Elephant Six-sounding bits to the more pop-oriented song become rearranged and settled in a way that few have before...topics ..range from the seriousness of war to lighthearted tales about mermaids."
Jordan Stepp, Flagpole Magazine
*************
"Somewhere between moody early-'70s rock bands -- think Jefferson Airplane's followers in particular -- and a more current indie rock theatricality is where Waves lies, all the more interesting given that the appropriately named Supercluster themselves are something of a supergroup of their scene." "One of the nicer touches throughout Waves comes courtesy of the un-rock instrumentation, for lack of a better term..." All Music Guide
Click here for hi-res print quality version. (20 MB tif)
L to R) Jason NeSmith, Bob Hay, John Fernandes, Bryan Poole, Hannah Jones, Heather MacIntosh, Kay Stanton, Vanessa Hay, Bill David. Photo by Michael Lachowski.
Click here for hi-res print quality version. (20 MB tif)
With a blast of creative energy fueled by an enthusiasm for making music together, a stellar combination of Athens, Georgia musicians formed a new musical family- SUPERCLUSTER- in the Spring of 2007. Formed by Vanessa Hay as an outlet for material that did not fit in with her main project Pylon. She recruited Hannah Jones from The New Sound of Numbers and they picked a "dream team" from their musical friends.
Supercluster span the history of Athens music from the early days of the B-52's and R.E.M. to the present. Musicians include Vanessa Hay (Pylon), Hannah Jones (The New Sound Of Numbers), Bob Hay (Squalls/Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars), Bill David (North Georgia Bluegrass, Monkey), Kay Stanton and Jason NeSmith (Casper & The Cookies), and John Fernandes (Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System and many others).
Supercluster are occasionally joined by Bryan Poole (of Montreal/The Late BP Helium), cellist Heather McIntosh (The Instruments, Kevin Ayers, Gnarls Barkley, Lil' Wayne and tons more), and pianist extraordinaire Damon Denton. Alumni include Will Cullen Hart and Peter Erchick.
The sound is best described as "Appalachian Wave," a combination of electric and acoustic instruments and a blending of bluegrass, European folk, Krautrock, and new wave musical styles. Early on they briefly changed their name from Supercluster to FFFM and back again.
Waves, released in October, 2009 was one of the last documents of the guitar skills of Randy Bewley from Pylon, who passed away in February 20009 before the CD was completed. After several months, Supercluster finished the recording as a tribute to Randy. Jason NeSmith and Bryan Poole joined in his stead. Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound played guitar on three of Waves' tracks. Even without Bewley, the imaginative and playful side of the group continues to emerge. In March 2011, a new single was released titled Paris Effect on the A side backed with Neat In The Street-a song written by the Side Effects back in 1980. Hana Hay helped them make a video for Neat In The Street enlisting the help of friends, and local kids. Currently they are recording another single at Bel*Air Studio in Athens, Georgia.
Supercluster have performed at 500 Songs for Kids, Athfest, Athens Popfest, The Next to Last Festival, as well as a short journey to and from Austin, Texas in the spring of 2011. They opened several shows for the B-52s in the summer of 2010.
*************
Song Of The Day 363: Collapse Board
"Ain’t Athens GA neat? Confused, crazy, wired, dorky … do ALL the bands there sound this fun?"
Everett True
See full entry here
*************
30 Great Athens Bands
List Of The Day; February 21, 2011; Paste Magazine
*************
"..what's really compelling about this album is the way it allows a very time-specific new wave sound to evolve, reflecting an adult context where parenting and mortality play a role, yet retaining the bubbly, prickly insouciance of early 1980s underground pop."
Jennifer Kelly, Dusted Magazine
*************
"Supercluster somehow manages to steer clear of being compared to any one of the bands it is formed from. Like a musical magnet, pieces from the most Elephant Six-sounding bits to the more pop-oriented song become rearranged and settled in a way that few have before...topics ..range from the seriousness of war to lighthearted tales about mermaids."
Jordan Stepp, Flagpole Magazine
*************
"Somewhere between moody early-'70s rock bands -- think Jefferson Airplane's followers in particular -- and a more current indie rock theatricality is where Waves lies, all the more interesting given that the appropriately named Supercluster themselves are something of a supergroup of their scene." "One of the nicer touches throughout Waves comes courtesy of the un-rock instrumentation, for lack of a better term..." All Music Guide
