Biography
Though they shared a Murderecords roster with Eric's Trip, Jale, and the Inbreds, the Super Friendz dissolved before attaining major commercial traction south of the border. On Canada’s East Coast the quartet enjoyed both recognition and esteem because every member composed and performed his own material, yet those same individual strengths ultimately unraveled the group.
Matt Murphy on guitar, Charles Austin on bass, and Drew Yamada on guitar launched the band in 1993, drawing from Television, the Clash, the Kinks, Neil Young, the Beatles, and the Meat Puppets. They gigged throughout the emerging Halifax rock-pop circuit alongside a rotating cast of drummers that included Thrush Hermit’s Cliff Gibb and Sloan’s Chris Murphy—unrelated yet mutually influential. Their debut EP, By Request, appeared on the fledgling local imprint Murderecords that same year. A cassette-only follow-up, Sticktoitiveness, surfaced in 1994, and ten days later that autumn the band tracked its first full-length, Mock Up/Scale Down, with Brenndan McGuire—already known for work with Jale, Thrush Hermit, and Sloan—behind the board; local percussionist Dave Marsh supplied the beats. Once the album reached stores in 1995, Lonnie James became the permanent fourth member. The brightly melodic record earned favorable notices, healthy sales, and a 1996 Juno nomination for Best Alternative Album.
A second EP, Play the Game, Not Games, followed in 1996, while the full-length Slide Show and the American edition of Sticktoitiveness—now bundling Mock Up with Play the Game—both arrived in 1997. As with other Halifax acts, outside projects multiplied until the Super Friendz themselves were eclipsed. The group formally disbanded in September 1997, freeing its members to pursue those other endeavors full time: Murphy started the Flashing Lights, Austin built a studio and assembled Neusiland, Yamada joined Mike O’Neill of the Inbreds on tour and also played with Neusiland, and James formed Lonnie James and the High Five Band. Murphy and James eventually settled and performed in Toronto, whereas Yamada and Austin remained in Halifax.
Matt Murphy on guitar, Charles Austin on bass, and Drew Yamada on guitar launched the band in 1993, drawing from Television, the Clash, the Kinks, Neil Young, the Beatles, and the Meat Puppets. They gigged throughout the emerging Halifax rock-pop circuit alongside a rotating cast of drummers that included Thrush Hermit’s Cliff Gibb and Sloan’s Chris Murphy—unrelated yet mutually influential. Their debut EP, By Request, appeared on the fledgling local imprint Murderecords that same year. A cassette-only follow-up, Sticktoitiveness, surfaced in 1994, and ten days later that autumn the band tracked its first full-length, Mock Up/Scale Down, with Brenndan McGuire—already known for work with Jale, Thrush Hermit, and Sloan—behind the board; local percussionist Dave Marsh supplied the beats. Once the album reached stores in 1995, Lonnie James became the permanent fourth member. The brightly melodic record earned favorable notices, healthy sales, and a 1996 Juno nomination for Best Alternative Album.
A second EP, Play the Game, Not Games, followed in 1996, while the full-length Slide Show and the American edition of Sticktoitiveness—now bundling Mock Up with Play the Game—both arrived in 1997. As with other Halifax acts, outside projects multiplied until the Super Friendz themselves were eclipsed. The group formally disbanded in September 1997, freeing its members to pursue those other endeavors full time: Murphy started the Flashing Lights, Austin built a studio and assembled Neusiland, Yamada joined Mike O’Neill of the Inbreds on tour and also played with Neusiland, and James formed Lonnie James and the High Five Band. Murphy and James eventually settled and performed in Toronto, whereas Yamada and Austin remained in Halifax.
Albums
