Beyond The Fall

May 11, 2006 By Tom Harrison

After five years, it was time to fly into the radar and be noticed.
So Superbeing has gone from being a secret, except to its fans, to going public.
Tonight is the CD release party for its Bright Idea album as well as its video launch. Also on the bill are Waiting For Roger, Reel Vinyl, and Ten Ways From Sunday.The band always has drawn well, but this gig is different.
"The show is sold out" says Jason Wilkinson, Superbeings singer and guitarist. "We just want people to know about this band and record."
Its a good record, too. The first impression is that you've heard this modern rock stuff before-you know, a little punk, a little pop-but the songwriting wins you over. Superbeings songs are both thoughtful and melodic, anchored by a solid rock perspective. For the first time, Wilkinson has been moved to write topical songs-"Down in Flames""When The World Was Unveiled" and "Evening News" is an irreverent dig at the media obsession with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston."We just wanted to make the most honest rock'n'roll record we could"Wilkinson explains."Its a fun record, a little tongue in cheek."
And it continues the momentum the band has rode for the last year. Superbeing was formed five years ago by Wilkinson.
"When we started out, it was my project" he says. "When we had our first gig, we were only together three months. So, we really didnt know each other."
Yet they were onto something. That first gig, at the venue formerly known as Studabakers, drew 800 people.Theyve continued to draw well and tour the country"many times." On one of those times, two years ago in Saskatchewan, Superbeing's van hit a stretch of black ice and rolled out of control. Injured but alive, the band turned the incident into the material for a second album.
Seemingly nothing could stop it, but something did."There was a big turning point about a year ago," remembers Wilkinson."We did a tour of Canada and nearly broke up. Its not like we hated each other, but its so hard. So we sat back...
And re-evaluated. They got a manager?Blackcreek Entertainment out of St Louis) made Bright Idea in Nashville( the recording) and Memphis( the mixing), finished up in Vancouver at Greenhouse, and got a distribution deal with Warner Brothers. Bright Idea became a bright idea.
"Thats when everything started for us"
And it was time to let everyone know. - The Province-Vancouver

http://viewer.zmags.com/showmag.php?mid=gfshs - Access Magazine Issue 93 July 08

Surviving rolling its tour van gave this local modern rock/pop quartet the title for its second CD. It also sparked a creative fire, as "Unglued", " Some Cliche" and many more rock with pro style. - Stuart Derdyn

Having been looking forward to this record for nearly a year since hearing new material live, I'd allowed the hype to build to an almost-unreasonable point. Actually having the record in my grubby little mitts and sliding it into my stereo was far too satisfying, there was almost nothing that could top the feeling and I hadn't even listened to the tunes yet. Trying to shove all biases aside for forty-five minutes, I let the disc start to play and drove on home.

Single "Some Cliche" leads off the record with an explosive start and sets the tone for an exciting plunge into the rock'n'roll attitudes of yesterday. Finding a comfortable medium between the lo-fi garage rock and the over-produced modern rock standard, "How Lucky You Are" is polished without being self-indulgent. Each song clocks in relatively economically, the songs are jam-packed with harmonies and hook-laden melodies and don't waste too much time on elaborate showoff-y solos. "Wall of Fire" and incredible title-track "How Lucky You Are" are the irresistable sirens on this record proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that the band has the capability to take Canada (and the rest of the world for that matter) by storm. Another breath of fresh air on this record is its resilency. It doesn't quit after drawing the listener in with good songs early on the album; there is no filler on the album. "Betrayed" especially is a highlight. Fusing acoustic elements with a soaring rock chorus, singer Jay Wilkinson is at his vocal best. "Unglued" plays out with fast/slow tempos and jerks the listener out of his radio-rock comfort zone. And if all of the original songwriting isn't enough to captivate a new fan, the Duran Duran cover is a coup to say the least. A live staple in their show for years, "Hungry Like a Wolf" provides the ideal reprieve in the middle of the record by not letting up on the rock, but throwing something familiar in the middle of Superbeing's unique assault.

Fans will undoubtedly embrace this new record as everything it's been expected to me, there's nary a disappointment on it. New fans will flock to the harmonies blended evenly with heavy guitars and crashing drums, a breath of fresh air emerging from the tired mold of standard modern rock. Felipe Freig and Kevin Fulton bring better musicianship to the table than what was presented on debut record JupiteR while originals Dan and Jay show-up battle-worn and improved. Detractors will claim the music isn't anything spectacularly new, but the fact remains that Superbeing have created a rock'n'roll record that is built on razorsharp riffs and humble integrity. How many other bands can say that right now? This record isn't a get-rich-quick scheme like so many others currently out there - this is the blood, sweat, and tears of a band honing their craft on their own terms. The finished product is something to be proud of and inspiration to any other band going at it alone right now. Go out and buy Superbeing's "How Lucky You Are," it's one of those timeless records that will never lose its appeal. Kudos on a record well made by a great band.

- by Anthony - Anthony Benda

The Vancouver foursome is, while looking forward, on retro-rock rewind with a second album that echoes tan era of punch-along Bon Jovi anthems and ballads, heavy and thick with vocal harmony.
Producer Todd Kerns knows what buttons to push, with every little lick and hook in place, with purpose. The lyrics are mostly relationship-confessional, but the title track veers left by referring to the bands near death crash on an icy stretch of Saskatchewan highway. Four stars out of five. - Tom Zillich

'"Conversation Piece" is the best pop-rock song to come out of Greenhouse Studios in the last 5 years" -Roger Levins, Owner, Greenhouse Studios

" Superbeing has one of the best live shows I've seen on the west coast, and they have no problem getting a capacity crowd."- Bruce Levins, Owner Greenhouse Studios

" Superbeing is a force to be reckoned with. They have the songs, the chops, the presence, the energy and the following to go all the way."-Todd Kerns, Producer - Kirsten Andrews

SUPERBEING ‘HOW LUCKY YOU ARE’ (INDEPENDENT)


As impressed as I was with THE CLICK FIVE recently, as much I am surprised to see a 2003 CD of the Canadian band SUPERBEING reaching my desk in late 2005, because this is the first time I hear of them and why this is an independent release is completely unknown to my ears. Why do you ask? Well, their CD is filled with superb high quality catchy modern sounding 80s influenced Melodic Rock which sounds like the perfect mix between HAREM SCAREM, RA, LOUD AND CLEAR and THE CLICK FIVE, so pure Melodic Rock actually with strong vocals, lots of hooks and memorable choruses, but still also with great guitar riffs. Any of the 13 included songs is a highlight, but the uptempo rockers “Some Cliché” (very catchy chorus like RICK SPRINGFIELD did in the early 80s!), “Conversation piece”, “Infected” and “Unglued” as well as midtempo/semi-ballads like “Wall of fire” and “How lucky you are” are definitely a must to hear if you’re a melodic rockfan. Still unbelievable these guys are not signed to UNIVERSAL MUSIC or something, because their sound is radio-ready for Ameica’s renewed interest in melodic rock and simply beats the likes of SWIRL 360, SR-71, BLINK 182, GOO GOO DOLLS… More info at: http://www.superbeingmusic.com and e-mail them at: info@superbeingmusic.com



(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
- Strutter Magazine

Superbeing from Vancouver is band to be reckoned with,their catchy super melodic modern rock is made for radio and one more proof of that Canadian music most often is a guarantee of top class stuff.
Are you waiting for new albums from Greenwheel,Von Ray and Dakona?,why wait........order this 2003 effort "How lucky you are" from Superbeing's website and you'll be satisfied for awhile.
The band consisting of Jason Wilkinson-lead vocal/ guitar,Dan Swinimer-drums,Felipe Freig-guitar and Kevin Fulton-bass guitar released their debut "Jupiter" in 2001 and has toured like crazy in Canada making them one of the smartest and hardest working independent rock bands on the scene today.
With songs like "Conversation piece" (catchy as hell),"Some cliche" (screams out HIT a long way),"Unglued" (should be picked up by a major label for the next Spiderman 3 soundtrack!) and their warm summer cover of Duran Duran's "Hungry like the wolf"-SUPERBEING could be the next big thing to come. - Kaj Roth www.melodic.net