Super 400 The Deli's reviews and interviews

Step into the Wayback Machine and let Super 400 set the controls for the heart of the late 60’s when the Brit-soul sound of Cream, Free, and Spooky Tooth were on the ascendant, just before rock lost its commercial virginity and cranked up the distortion and posing. Super 400 are here to take that brown sound back and re-emphasize the earnest soul angle. Admirably, whereas it takes the Black Crowes five guys to get the job done, Super 400 only needs two guys and a gal. Lori Friday is not your average female bassist, quietly plunking away in the corner. In a trio there’s no place to hide, so she’s up there carrying the weight alongside lead singer and guitarist Kenny Hohman and drummer Joe Daley. Here’s what she had to say when we grilled her.

Do you think that it’s harder or easier for independent bands to gain a following today?
Independent bands tend to attract the real music lovers. Audiences are more finicky in general because they’re frustrated with the slop that’s being fed to the general listening public on commercial and corporate radio. So while it’s harder to attract a large audience, it’ll be a more loyal one in the end.

Are you a band that tours to support a CD, or is your CD more a calling card for your live shows?
When we tour, we try to represent all of our records across the set lists. The albums exist on a separate plane, because they’re collections of moments in time we don’t try to recreate those moments on stage. We couldn’t paint by numbers every night. It wouldn’t be fun for anyone in the room.

Are your tunes more often the result of individual songwriting or group jamming?
Most of the time, one of us will develop an idea as far as we can before bringing it to the group to flesh out the arrangement and feel. We
have also used group jams as a starting point. We're recording our new record now, in Memphis. We brought in a couple of unfinished ideas and worked the rest out in the studio. That was a fresh approach for us, and we've been excited about the results.

Do you see your style of music as something that is re-emerging?
We don’t see a revival in rock and roll because to us, the movement never disappeared. The real rock and rollers have always been out there, everywhere. We meet them every day. Now that so many people have an Internet presence, the mainstream is starting to take notice of the fact that reality TV and formula-driven songwriting don’t sustain all the layers of American culture. Lift the lid and find something to chew on.