Supernova is an American
punk rock band formed in
Costa Mesa
Costa may refer to:
Biology
* Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy
* Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus
* Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral
* Costa (entomology), the leading edge of t ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, United States, in 1989. The band has released three full-length albums, numerous singles and EPs and were part of the original 1995
Vans Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
line-up. They are perhaps best known by wider audiences for their song "Chewbacca", which was featured on the soundtrack to
Kevin Smith's 1994 independent film ''
Clerks
A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store.
Office holder
Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court.
*Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...
''. They are also known for the song "Up & Down", which was performed in 2007 on the
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
children's show ''
Yo Gabba Gabba!
''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock ( Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...
''
Biography
Early years (1989–1994)
The original line-up of Supernova formed in Costa Mesa, California in 1989, consisting of bassist/vocalist
Art Mitchell, guitarist/vocalist
Hayden Thais Hayden may refer to:
Places Inhabited places in the United States
*Hayden, Alabama
*Hayden, Arizona
*Hayden's Ferry, former name of Tempe, Arizona
*Hayden, California, former name of Hayden Hill, California
*Hayden, Colorado
*Hayden, Idaho
*Hayden ...
and drummer
Dave Collins
David S. Collins (born October 20, 1952) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball from to .
Collins is one of three players to have made it to the major leagues who played for the Rapid City Post 22 American Legion baseball program in ...
. Noted for their energetic live shows and outlandish
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
-themed aesthetic in which the members claimed to be aliens from a distant planet. the band quickly became a popular draw within the
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
punk scene, independently releasing a slew of 7" singles and EPs throughout the early 1990s and receiving regular airplay on local and
college radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
.
In 1994, Supernova received significant exposure when their song "Chewbacca" - a mostly instrumental piece featuring the band members growling like
Wookiee
Wookiees () are fictional humanoid aliens in the ''Star Wars'' universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk. They are distinguished from humans by their gigantism, hirsutism, and physical strength. The most prominent Wookiee is Chewbacca, c ...
s - was featured in the successful independent comedy ''
Clerks
A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store.
Office holder
Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court.
*Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...
'' and its respective
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
. That same year, however, Thais departed from the group's line-up, later joining the popular
surf rock
Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...
outfit
Man or Astro-man?
Man or Astro-man? is an American surf rock group that formed in Auburn, Alabama in the early 1990s and came to prominence over the following decade.
Primarily instrumental, Man or Astro-man? blended the surf rock style of the early 1960s like ...
and fronting the robot-themed New Wave rock band
Servotron.
Indie breakthrough (1995–2005)
After hiring
Jodey Lawrence as their new guitarist, Supernova recorded their debut studio album ''
Ages 3 & Up
Supernova is an American punk rock band formed in Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa, California, United States, in 1989. The band has released three full-length albums, numerous singles and EPs and were part of the original 1995 Warped Tour, V ...
'' in 1995 on
Amphetamine Reptile Records
Amphetamine Reptile Records (or AmRep Industries) is a record label founded in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer in Washington state. The label specializes in noise rock and also released '' Strap It On'', the debut album by alternative metal band Helmet w ...
. The release of the album was followed by extensive touring as the band joined the line-up of the inaugural
Vans Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
in 1995, spending the remainder of the decade regularly touring with such notable Orange County bands like
The Aquabats
The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer the MC Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson have remained the band's two constant fixtures. ...
and
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Orange County, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album ''Turn the Radio Off''. Soon af ...
, as well as opening for bands including
The Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...
,
Dick Dale
Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scale (music), scales and experimenting with reverb eff ...
,
The Presidents of the United States of America and
The Supersuckers
The Supersuckers are an American rock band, formed in 1988, whose music ranges from alternative rock to country rock to cowpunk. AllMusic describes the band as "the bastard sons of Foghat, AC/DC, and ZZ Top after being weaned on punk rock, una ...
. In 1998, Supernova released their second album ''
Rox'', accompanied by another appearance on the Warped Tour in 1999. ''Rox'' was soon followed by ''
Pop as a Weapon'' in 2001, a compilation album collecting all of the band's early vinyl releases.
In 2003, ''
OC Weekly
''OC Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly paper distributed in Orange County and Long Beach, California. OC Weekly was founded in September 1995 by Will Swaim, who acted as editor and publisher until 2007.
The paper was distributed at coffee ...
'' ranked Supernova No. 86 in their feature "The 129 Greatest OC Bands Ever". The reviewer described the band as "part of the wave of bands that brought the spotlight to OC for a bit", summarizing them as "one of the first and best of the slew of outer-space-themed rock bands". In an
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
review of ''Pop as a Weapon'', reviewer Ned Raggett called Supernova "one of the most underrated acts of the '90s", calling their songs "
ick, brisk, to-the-point, and hilarious as all hell" and writing "Quite why they never connected with more folks like the equally wonderful Man or Astro-man?...will have to remain one of the many cosmic mysteries of music".
Resurgence (2006–2009)
In the mid-2000s, after several years of relative inactivity, Supernova experienced a resurgence of popularity after embarking on several tours with The Aquabats, following their own commercial resurgence with the 2005 album ''
Charge!!
''Charge!!'' is the fourth studio album by American comedy rock band The Aquabats, released on June 7, 2005 by Nitro Records.
Following a nearly six year semi-hiatus which resulted in numerous line-up changes, ''Charge!!'' was The Aquabats' fir ...
''. In 2007, Supernova appeared on two episodes of ''
Yo Gabba Gabba!
''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock ( Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...
'', a popular children's television series developed by Aquabats singer
Christian Jacobs
Christian Richards Jacobs (born January 11, 1972) is an American musician, television producer, and actor. He is perhaps most recognized as the co-creator of the award-winning Nick Jr. TV show ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'', on which he additionally serves a ...
, where they performed their song "Up & Down" and featured Lawrence in a segment playing electric guitar with Aquabats guitarist
Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk. Following the release of the live 7" ''
¡Diga Queso!'', the band's first recorded material in six years, Supernova played a number of high-profile festivals, including the 2006 and 2008
Bamboozle fests and the 2007 Warped Tour.
In August 2008, Jodey Lawrence left Supernova; in a
MySpace blog announcing his departure, the band facetiously explained that Lawrence had decided to become a "full-time Earthling". Former Aquabats guitarist and longtime Supernova fan
Corey Pollock was recruited as a temporary replacement, though immediately following his first show with the band, it was announced that Pollock would become a permanent member, retaining his Aquabats
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
of "Chainsaw".
Current era (2010–present)
Since 2007, Supernova had announced plans to record a new studio album, with at least two new songs, "Poodle" and "Whiffle Bat", having been written and performed at live shows. Following Lawrence's departure, however, the band mentioned wanting to re-write the material with Pollock, though plans for the album were dropped as the band quickly slipped into an unexplained hiatus, performing their last show as "Supernova" on January 29, 2010.
On June 16, 2012, Mitchell, Collins and guitarist "Ben Nova" performed an all-Supernova set at the Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa under the name "Gum Fighters". There was no further information on Supernova's status until October 28, 2014, when the band released an EP entitled ''No Data'' on
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
, featuring demos and various recordings from the cancelled studio album.
On April 26, 2015, Supernova - with Lawrence back on guitar - performed as part of a benefit show at The Boathouse in Costa Mesa.
On July 2, 2016, Supernova - Art, Dave, Jo - will perform at SATURDAY IN THE PARK festival in Sioux City, IA, as well as a club show at Marty's Tap in Sioux City on July 1, 2016.
Band mythology and live shows
Similar to such bands as
The Aquabats
The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer the MC Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson have remained the band's two constant fixtures. ...
,
The Phenomenauts
The Phenomenauts are a musical band from Oakland, California, that combine several styles of music with a futuristic science fiction theme. Their sound uses elements from rock and roll, punk, glam, garage rock and new wave styles of music. Th ...
or
Servotron, one defining aspect of Supernova is the fictional mythology which accompanies the band's outer space theme.
According to the band's biography and press kits, the origins of Supernova begin on the distant planet of Cynot 3, a world inhabited by kind aliens who spend their days relaxing and searching for valuable
tin foil
Tin foil, also spelled tinfoil, is a thin foil made of tin. Tin foil was superseded after World War II by cheaper and more durable aluminium foil, which is still referred to as "tin foil" in many regions (an example of a misnomer).
History
...
. One day in 1989, their sun exploded in a
supernova
A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...
and the Cynotions were forced to flee the planet. Three native Cynotians - Art, Hank and Dave (later
retconned
Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...
to include Jo in hybernation phase) - escape just in time with their rock n' roll-powered tour bus spaceship and crash land in Costa Mesa, where they decide to start their very own rock band and use their popularity to convince Earth kids to bring them precious tin foil.
In 1995, Supernova produced a 25-minute
television pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
starring themselves based on the band's mythology. Entitled ''Last In Space: A Show for Kids?'', the pilot was an adult-oriented children's show chronicling the trio's adventures within their space van, complete with musical numbers. The pilot ultimately failed to generate network interest, but copies of the pilot were regularly sold on VHS at the band's shows up until their hiatus.
Live performances
While not as elaborately staged as other theatrical bands like The Aquabats, Supernova's live shows were characterized by a heavy science fiction-themed visual aesthetic. The band members most often entered the stage wearing shiny silver
jumpsuit
A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachuting, parachuters.
The original skydivers' j ...
s and custom-made space helmets, removing the latter to frequently reveal bizarre hairstyles or facial hair.
Tin foil
Tin foil, also spelled tinfoil, is a thin foil made of tin. Tin foil was superseded after World War II by cheaper and more durable aluminium foil, which is still referred to as "tin foil" in many regions (an example of a misnomer).
History
...
was a crucial element of the band's style: both Collins' drum kit and Mitchell's bass guitar were covered in foil, and the band would hand out sheets to audience members so they could create their own accessories. Fans were encouraged to wear tin foil to Supernova shows - with most venues offering ticket discounts for those who did - and, at the insistence of the band, attempt to pelt the members in the face with foil balls during the show. Mitchell often incited mass foil attacks by frequently making the often-disputed claim that he had never been successfully hit in the face.
''Rock Star'' dispute
In 2006,
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
premiered the second season of their
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series ''
Rock Star'', in which contestants compete to become the lead singer of a new band featuring established musicians. The band which was created for the season, including musicians
Tommy Lee
Thomas Lee Bass (born October 3, 1962) is an American musician and founding member of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem and has pursued solo musical ...
,
Jason Newsted
Jason Curtis Newsted (born March 4, 1963) is an American musician who was the bassist of heavy metal band Metallica from 1986 to 2001. He first performed with thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam from 1981 to 1986 before joining Metallica to su ...
and
Gilby Clark, was to be named "
Supernova
A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...
".
On 27 June 2006, the members of the Orange County Supernova filed a lawsuit against CBS,
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Television, MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows The Apprentice (American TV series), ''The Ap ...
and Rockstar Entertainment, seeking
compensatory and
punitive damages
Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and/or to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. ...
, as well as
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
protection of the "Supernova" name and the destruction of all Rock Star materials bearing the name "Supernova". One of the primary pieces of evidence was a
MySpace message from Rock Star producer
Butch Walker
Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s as well as the lead vocalist ...
in which he notes that the defendants had been informed of the existence of a prior Supernova, but decided to proceed anyway.
[Supernova Sue 'Rock Star: Supernova' Producers, Bandmembers]
, Chris Harris, MTV News, posted July 11, 2006, accessed July 18, 2006.
The defendants did not believe that the plaintiffs had exclusive and enforceable trademark rights to the band name "Supernova" for a number of reasons, including that the Orange County Supernova band had not performed for years, that they were not the only band who used the name "Supernova", and that their trademark rights had never been very strong.
On 12 September 2006, the judge ruled in favor of the original Supernova, granting their request for a preliminary injunction. The injunction kept the producers and musicians of Rock Star from performing, recording, or selling merchandise under the name "Supernova" pending the outcome of the lawsuit. As a result, the CBS band was simply renamed "
Rock Star Supernova
Rock Star Supernova was a reality television-formed supergroup consisting of drummer Tommy Lee, bassist Jason Newsted, guitarist Gilby Clarke, and singer Lukas Rossi. The band was formed during the second season of the '' Rock Star'' reality ...
" and the lawsuit was dropped soon thereafter (Rock Star Supernova disbanded in 2008).
Band members
;Current line-up
*Art Nova (
Art Mitchell) (born March 25, 1965) - bass, lead and backing vocals (1989-PRESENT)
*Dave Nova (
Dave Collins
David S. Collins (born October 20, 1952) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball from to .
Collins is one of three players to have made it to the major leagues who played for the Rapid City Post 22 American Legion baseball program in ...
) - drums, backing vocals (1989-PRESENT)
*Jo Nova (
Jodey Lawrence) (born April 28, 1968) - guitar, lead and backing vocals (1994-2008, 2010 - PRESENT)
;Past members
*Chainsaw (
Corey Pollock) - guitar, backing vocals (2008-2010)
*Hank (
Hayden Thais Hayden may refer to:
Places Inhabited places in the United States
*Hayden, Alabama
*Hayden, Arizona
*Hayden's Ferry, former name of Tempe, Arizona
*Hayden, California, former name of Hayden Hill, California
*Hayden, Colorado
*Hayden, Idaho
*Hayden ...
) (born April 5, 1969) - guitar, lead and backing vocals (1989-1994)
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Ages 3 & Up
Supernova is an American punk rock band formed in Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa, California, United States, in 1989. The band has released three full-length albums, numerous singles and EPs and were part of the original 1995 Warped Tour, V ...
'' (1995,
Amphetamine Reptile Records
Amphetamine Reptile Records (or AmRep Industries) is a record label founded in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer in Washington state. The label specializes in noise rock and also released '' Strap It On'', the debut album by alternative metal band Helmet w ...
)
* ''
Rox'' (1998, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
Compilations
* ''
Pop as a Weapon'' (2001,
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by Long Gone John. The first Sympathy release was the Lazy Cowgirls' ''Radio Cowgirl'' LP ...
)
EPs
* ''More Songs About Hair'' (1993, Oddessy Records)
* ''Live at the Lava Room'' (1997, What Else Records)
* ''No Data'' (2014, Religious Grandma Records)
Singles
* "Long Hair & Tattoos" (1992, Odyssey Records)
* "
Calling Hong Kong" (1993, Goldenrod Records)
* "Electric Man" (1993, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
* "
Costa Mesa Hates Me" (1994, Tres Hombres Musica)
* "Monsta!!" (1995, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
* "
How Much More
"How Much More" is a song written by Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin that was first released as part of the Go-Go's debut single along with "We Got the Beat" in 1980. A re-recorded version was released on their 1981 debut album '' Beauty and ...
" (1996, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
* "¡Diga Queso!" (2007, Rococo Records)
Non-album tracks and compilation appearances
* "Chewbacca", ''
Clerks: Music from the Motion Picture'' (1994, Sony Records)
* "Math", ''AmRep Motors 1995 Models'' (1995, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
* "Math", ''
Tromeo and Juliet
''Tromeo and Juliet'' is a 1997 American independent transgressive romantic black comedy film and a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Romeo & Juliet'' from Troma Entertainment. The film was directed by Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay ...
(Soundtrack)'' (1996, Oglio Records)
* "Vitamins", ''Dr Marten's Capitol Records Music Sampler'' (1996,
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
)
* "Calling Hong Kong" ''
Super Mixer: A Goldenrod Compilation'' (1996,
Goldenrod Records Goldenrod Records was a record label formed by Tod Swank in 1991 in San Diego, California to release the first 7" record by Custom Floor, a band consisting of skateboarders Garry Davis, Phil Esbenshade, and Miki Vuckovich. After the release of the ...
)
* "Gates of Steel", ''We Are Not Devo'' (1997, Glue Factory Records)
* "Vitamins", ''AmRep Equipped'' (1997, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
* "Sugar Coated Stucco", ''Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking in the Streets'' (1997, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
References
External links
Supernovaon
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
Supernovaon
MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Supernova
Amphetamine Reptile Records artists
Bands with fictional stage personas
Musical groups established in 1989
Musical groups from Orange County, California
American musical trios
Pop punk groups from California
Sympathy for the Record Industry artists