Admission with MusicfestNW Wristband or $12 at the door. Doors open at 8pm
Superhumanoids make dreamy pop that shouts summery ‘60s harmonies, garage rock’s raw tonality, slick new-wave electronics, and the adventurous dissonance of ‘90s indie rock. Originally the solo bedroom project of Cameron Parkins, the LA band quickly evolved into a multifaceted quintet featuring Sarah Chernoff (vocals and keys), Max St. John (bass, vocals, and programming) and Evan Weinerman (percussion).
Parkins began the project as an escape from the music of his past, revivalist rock and folk, intending to experiment in electronics that fused an interest in pop music, new technology, and lush orchestration. A crash-course in electronic music history, keen knowledge of vintage synthesizers and drum machines, and a DIY home studio left Parkins with a new musical palette to nourish. Early demos reflected a keen pop sensibility and child-like wonder for the sounds and textures these machines could create.
Soon after these early ventures, Parkins met Chernoff, a university-trained jazz vocalist who quickly gelled with the tones, melodies, and progressions put forth in Parkins’ productions. St. John, a longtime friend of Chernoff’s and a musician-producer in his own right, heard their recordings and began collaborating with the two, adding a sense for R & B’s smoother textures to Parkins’ more angular designs. Weinerman, a close friend of the trio, rounded out the troupe with his background in orchestral percussion, forging a uniquely symbiotic relationship with the rigid, mechanized drum machine.
?After some months spent honing their live show and songwriting as a unit,Superhumanoids entered the studio and recorded their debut EP Urgency,released in July 2010 on artist-operated label Hit City USA. The EP received acclaim from myriad sources—The Guardian, The FADER, LA Weekly, Popmatters, and others praised it’s unconventional yet accessible sound.
The band made waves at CMJ with their boundary-pushing live set, fluidly mixing organic textures with electronic elements. Later that fall, the band toured the UK with LA brethren Local Natives, rounding out a year of excellent shows with an array of amazing independent artists—Delorean, Surfer Blood,Broken Social Scene, School of Seven Bells, Liars, Beach Fossils and more.
2011 is off to an even stronger start—the band’s second EP, Parasite Paradise, is set for release right before SXSW. After descending upon Austin, the band will tour with Cults, Magic Kids, and Royal Bangs on two separate tours that cross the greater United States. In May, LA-based label Black Iris (Best Coast, Fool’s Gold) will release a 7” containing two brand new tracks. Following the release, Superhumanoids is poised to tour straight through the summer, eventually landing in the studio this coming fall to record their debut full length album.