Super Consumers

Super Consumers have a moody yet enjoyable sound. Ron's intelligent lyrics weave into catchy melodies, and he sings with an intensity that perfectly fits what he's singing about. Bottom line, these guys put out a great EP. I highly recommend it. - Michael Harmon, Studio Crash

Umm ... Drop: Super Consumers
by Doug Wallen


With a name like Super Consumers and a debut EP called Terrorism, you might expect something like anarchist punk. But no, this local five-piece is a radio-ready anthem factory that only seems subversive when you pay attention to the lyrics. So are Super Consumers smuggling actual social critique in modern-rock clothing or simply stocking their tunes with rabble-rousing themes? Let’s take a look at Terrorism and find out.

1) “$1.99 for the First Minute”: Between Ron Sansone’s vocals and the band’s moody mechanics, this sounds like Dogs Die in Hot Cars gone emo. Lyrically, flesh is sold and melancholy reigns: “She dons the wig and discards her jeans/ Silent he spells out the familiar fantasy.” Not really political, but pretty creepy.

2) “Say It With Me Now: Bodega”: Ah, a title worthy of Minus the Bear. But again, the music is straight modern-rock. The theme is addiction, and after a falling-down drug den is conjured, Starbucks suddenly emerges as the enemy: “An overfilled cup corrupt by the taste of franchised flavors.” Hmm … Starbucks is an easy target, and who doesn’t like coffee?

3) “Crucifixion Starts at Home”: That title’s not likely to win over the mainstream, nor will lyrics decrying the print media, radio and the FCC. Could earn some credibility, though.

4) “Other Uses for a Lightbulb”: A desperation- fueled plea for salvation.

5) “Death and Taxes”: In which the band lashes out at: paychecks, jewelry, charge cards, foresting and … KFC. Bottom line: “Why do the pearly gates resemble prison bars to me?”

Verdict: Super Consumers appear genuinely dissatisfied with our empty-calories society, and their lyrics are darker and more thoughtful than those of most teen-baiting bands. If they could escape the upbeat/downcast modern-rock paradigm and embrace chaos a bit, their songs might better match their sentiments.

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/articles/17608/music--umm--drop - Philadelphia Weekly

The thing that stands out for me about Super Consumers is that while they are an alternative rock band, they manage to have a decent balance between the two genres. They still totally rock out with awesome guitar melodies, but the creative beats and vocal harmonizing gives it more of a mellow thoughtful feel.

Their interview is one of the entertaining ones! Read through their history and how they all met, and the painful lesson Ron learnt from being in a band.

How did you come up with the name?

"The term 'super consumer' is actually a term used by marketers to segment potential customers. A ‘super consumer’ is defined as an American consumer between the age of 35 and 44 earning over $100,000 a year. They’re the most sought after customers since they have the most disposable cash. We chose the name Super Consumers because it shows the warped way that businesses view people and how people in turn view money as such a major status symbol."

Tell me a little about yourselves?

"I’m Ron, I’m 24 and I make odd noises with my mouth. I’m originally from Long Island, NY, but I relocated to Philadelphia for the beer.

The rest of the guys are:
Matt (age 23), Andrew (21), and Ryan (24), all from South Jersey. Matt and Ryan are our resident guitar heroes, and Andrew smacks the drums. Our bass player, Eric is 24 and hails from Harrisburg, PA.
We all live in Philly now and spend our time eating, drinking, and playing music."

What did you guys do before the group started?

"Ah geez, I know this. Let me see if I can pinpoint where everyone was before the band. Ok, I had just started an office job, Matt was teaching at the New Jersey School of Music, and Andrew was playing drums and thinking about becoming a chef. Eric and Ryan were probably still doing college."

How did you start out/ was it hard?

"It’s the same timeless story: Boy meets Band. Band breaks Boy’s heart. Boy and Band stay together for the kids.

Actually, the whole thing started off with Matt and me posting competing classified ads. We were both looking for new bands since our old ones had ended, and we go crazy when we’re not playing music. After realizing that we lived within blocks of each other, we hit it off and started writing acoustic songs. Later, we brought in Matt’s brother Andrew on drums and realized how much more awesome it was to do this as a full band. After trying out a few people, we eventually found Eric at a falafel place, and Matt asked Ryan to join during a game of racquetball."

Any big plans for the near future?

"Our first CD is coming out in a few days, and we’re pretty excited about that. It’s called Terrorism and features some pretty raucous guitar songs with titles like 'Say It With Me Now: BODEGA' and 'Other Uses for a Lightbulb.'

Aside from that, we going to start playing around the Northeast pretty heavily, and we there’s a good chance we’ll be back in the studio to record some live stuff too."

What one valuable thing have you learnt from your time being in a band and performing?

"Haha, I’ve actually learned two. Always play with friends, and don’t get hit in the head with a guitar. That sh*t hurts! Haha"

What song have you been listening to most in the past few weeks?

"I actually just caught a great show last night. It was the Toadies, and they played with this awesome band called Lions. Real balls out rock and crazy high energy. Aside from that, I’ve been digging the new Weezer album, Genghis Tron, Horse the Band, and the new Portishead. Matt, Andrew, and Eric saw Pearl Jam recently, so there’s been a lot of discussion of Yellow Ledbetter’s lyrics. Ryan’s taste is pretty eclectic, but he’s a big John Zorn and Mike Patton fan."

What one materialistic thing can you not live without?

"Pants, although Ryan wore my pants at the last gig and never washed ‘em."

Do you have a secret name for your favourite inanimate object?

"Not really, most of my favorite objects are animate. I’m a big fan of nicknames though, which is why I know a Papa Lum, Tony Sizzle and Frodo."

Does being in a band help in picking up girls/boys?

"I’ve definitely lost more girls than I’ve gained by being in a band. Girls don’t usually like the crazy amount of time we spend doing music, and they hate it when you roll in at 3am stinking of cheap beer and White Castle. Bands usually take up a lot of time and cause a lot of bad decisions, haha!"

Has anything crazy or embarrassing ever happened during a live gig?

"When we first started out, it was just me, Matt, and an acoustic guitar. Our buddies in the Styrofoam Junkies brought us up to New York for our first gig at this amazing dive.

When we got there, the first thing we noticed was the big hole in the ceiling above the stage. There was a fire there the night before! Aside from that, the door to the bathroom was just a large piece of cardboard or something that was propped up against the entrance. You had to move it out of the way to get in and then have somebody watch the entrance because you could see into the bathroom from anywhere in the room! I was told that there was another bathroom but somebody went number 2 in the sink there. Still, we got to play with some friends, and it was a pretty awesome show!"

So check out their awesome rocking/mellow music and listen to the new EP ‘Terrorism’! do eeeeeeet. - Hot Generation