Like fellow Murderecords bands
Eric's Trip,
Jale, and
the Inbreds,
the Super Friendz
broke up before they reached success -- if success means big U.S.
sales. The group was well-known and respected on Canada's East Coast,
with each member writing and singing his own songs, but their many
talents ultimately led to the band's demise.
Formed in 1993 by
Matt Murphy (guitar),
Charles Austin (bass), and
Drew Yamada (guitar), the trio was influenced by
Television,
the Clash,
the Kinks,
Neil Young,
the Beatles, and
the Meat Puppets. They played the burgeoning Halifax rock-pop scene with a myriad of stand-in drummers, including
Thrush Hermit's Cliff Gibb and
Sloan's
Chris Murphy
(no relation, though they've influenced each other's music). The Super
Friendz released their first EP, By Request, in 1993 on the then-local
Murderecords label. The cassette-only
Sticktoitiveness
was released in 1994, and in late 1994 they recorded their full-length
debut, Mock Up/Scale Down, in ten days. The album was produced by
Brenndan McGuire (
Jale,
Thrush Hermit,
Sloan) without a permanent drummer -- local percussionist
Dave Marsh filled in. After Mock Up's release in 1995,
Lonnie James signed on as the fourth member of
the Super Friendz.
The refreshingly pop album had solid reviews and sales, and was
nominated for a Best Alternative Album Juno in 1996.
The band's second EP,
Play the Game, Not Games, was released in 1996; the full-length gem
Slide Show was issued in 1997, as was the U.S. release of
Sticktoitiveness, which combined Mock Up and Play the Game. Like other Halifax groups, the bandmembers had many side projects, but soon
the Super Friendz
project itself was pushed aside. The group disbanded in September 1997,
and the old Friendz worked on their other music activities full time.
Matt Murphy formed the Flashing Lights,
Austin opened his own recording studio and formed Neusiland,
Yamada toured with
Mike O'Neill (of
the Inbreds) and played with Neusiland, and
James formed Lonnie James and the High Five Band.
Murphy and
James later lived and played in Toronto, while
Yamada and
Austin stayed in Halifax.
Tracklist
