THE SUPERJESUS SARAH & STUART – Q&A

Twenty years on from their platinum selling album Sumo hitting number two on the ARIA Chart (and with a few ARIA Awards in the trophy cabinet), The Superjesus are back with an anniversary edition of their celebrated 1998 debut, set for release on August 17. As well as seeing the original album reissued on vinyl, the CD edition of Sumo – 20th Anniversary features bonus material sourced from triple j’s Live At The Wireless archive, as well as a never before heard studio recording: a Superjesus cover of Kylie Minogue’s Confide In Me. Supported by Triple M and New World Artists, The Superjesus will be hitting the road with an epic stack of gig dates in the second half of 2018 – fans had better get ready to get Down Again to the sounds of Adelaide’s finest ‘90s alternative rock band!

Ahead of the Sumo re-release and tour, Sarah McLeod (GUITAR/Vocals) and Stuart Rudd (BASS) answer a Q&A for us

What was your first guitar?
Sarah McLeod: A Yamaha acoustic
Stuart Rudd: First guitar was a Takamine GX 100 that my brother invested in for me!

What was your first band t-shirt?
SM: Abba
SR: First band T-shirt was Kiss . I wore that top so much that the print eventually went white, and you could only see the band if you looked real close.

A record that changed your life?
SM: The Beatles Please Please Me
SR: KISS ALIVE

What’s your main guitar now?
SM: Gibson SG
SR: Main bass now is a Fender Jazz. I take two on the road.

Through what amp and why?
SM: Marshall JMP 100 watt through a Marshall quad with green back speakers because it’s the best sounding rock amp I’ve ever heard, especially with the SG.
SR: My amp is AMPEG classic, with 8×10. I’ve been playing them pretty much the whole time TSJ has been around. They just deliver the classic sound, at a volume that’ll compete with any Marshall!

Which pedals are your standards?
SM: I’m a minimalist with pedals, I very rarely go further than a hot cake distortion and eq in The Superjesus. My solo show consists of me playing bass and guitar at the same time through a guitar that I designed so that needs more help pedal wise, like a POD bass Octaver, a sans amp, and a distortion for the bass and then a delay, eq and distortion for the guitar.
SR: My standard pedals are a sans amp bass driver / a boss tu3 tuner / a boss compression sustainer and a A/B box . All day!

You’re releasing a 20th anniversary edition of your classic album Sumo, what comes to mind when you think back to the Sumo recording sessions?
SM: Discipline, we were very disciplined. We worked so hard on that record and the producer Matt Serletic cracked the whip on us daily. We were very ambitious with what we wanted to achieve, but we were also super inspired the entire time. It was a very rewarding experience.
SR: The SUMO album was recorded overseas in Atlanta, so first of all being somewhere foreign seemed to harness the focus that was needed. It was a huge thing for us at the time, to work in a studio like Triclops. The band worked incredibly hard day and night, along of course with Matt Serletic and Jeff Tomei, to get a sonic sounding album. I recorded my bass with a full PA in my little sound proof room. When you closed your eyes, it was so loud and clear, you not only heard the drums, you felt them! It was like you were back on stage in the pubs and bars of Australia

You have an extensive Sumo tour coming up. What’s one of your fave road stories?
SM: We drove around America about 4 times on tour in a Dodge Ram. On one particular occasion when it was the hottest day on earth I climbed into the back to change into my shorts. There was an exposed cog in the back that worked the air conditioner. My shorts ties got sucked in the cog and I could hear a weird sound coming from it. I didn’t want to alarm the band so I just tugged on the shorts really hard until I managed to get them out of the cog. A victory that I was pleased about until I heard the air conditioner stop completely. Suddenly it was an epidemic heat wave and everyone was panicking. I was a sitting duck in the back with my hand in the cookie jar, I had to come clean …. just as we entered Death Valley in the Nevada Desert. We had to all strip down to our underwear to endure the rest of the journey to Vegas. As you can imagine I was not the most popular member of the band that day. However, a van of half-naked sweaty musos rolling into Vegas was a funny sight.

SR: Fave road story would be, or at least a story, was driving around US and doing 72000 miles in under 3 months. I saw a lot of great things. Also I’d have to say going on our first Australian tour, was a highlight. Playing around the country you live in and where all this great music comes from, and playing night after night. It’s an awesome experience.

Most memorable gig?  
SM: The Metro in Chicago, we played the night after we won best rock album at the ARIAS. I flew to Australia to attend the awards then jumped on the red eye back to Chicago and went straight from the airport to the gig, which was packed and we had one of our best shows ever.
SR: Most memorable gig for me was our first headlining at the Metro in Sydney.

Worst stage nightmare?
SM: If I can hear myself singing that is like hell on earth for the entire show, I’ve had a lot like that.
SR: Worst stage nightmare is having gear that’s not working, it’s happened in the past, it’ll happen again. I’m a bit more in control of things these days.

A guitar tip for the kids?  
SM: Learn your favourite songs, it’s the best way to get ideas for your own songs.
SR: I’d say a good tip is to play. Play or learn songs you like, and don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. There’s a lot of great music out there!

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