Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Matt Santoro-vocals
Adam Smith-guitar
Michelle Anthony-drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to (insert band/artist name here)? How long has the band been around?
Adam and Matt we’re never in any other bands, Michelle was in a band called Fur Elise that was local to the Savannah Georgia area. We have been playing for about 12 years, 7 of which we’ve been full time and independently touring 180-250 dates a year.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
We changed the name from bob, to super bob. We started out with the name “bob” because we wanted something short, easy to spell, hard to forget, and simple. Something so stupid that you’d never forget it. We changed it to super bob when the rapper b.o.b trademarked b.o.b and it started to cause confusion with our fan base.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
The music is written mostly by adam, Matt writes the lyrics. However we write as a democracy, if anyone doesn’t like something we simply toss it out or make it better. We have four full length records and are getting ready to release our fifth. Our topics range from a song about the best day you’ve ever had, to the worst day, some are light hearted and poke fun, some tackle topics which we feel need to be addressed and are important to us. Our topics have changed over time because we have changed as people and staying exactly the same is boring.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
To be honest we currently draw influence from a lot of pop and EDM. We are a rock band and will always have a rock attitude, but we feel as if a lot of rock has become stale. We pride ourselves on sounding different.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Adam grew up listening to 80’s rock, so he always had the arena bands like Guns N’ Roses inspiring him. I (Matt) was never in a band, I wasn’t even a musician until adam basically forced me to be the singer of our own band. I was writing lyrics for him to sing until one day he looked at me and said “you can write, you don’t sound like anyone else, you’re the singer”. So I guess I could say that adam inspired me. Michelle is new to the band, she's only been with us for about 4 months, so this is a question I still need to ask her!
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
We have a very physical live show, we have injured ourselves before so we make sure to stretch all the appropriate muscles! As a singer I need about an hour to warm up my voice, I do so while I’m stretching. Beyond getting ready physically we don’t have any weird things we do.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
We once won 25k from a nationwide ESPNs X games “battle of the bands”. We won a van and a check from another battle in North Carolina, but the thing we’re most proud of is the fact that we haven’t had to work jobs in 7 years. We make a living playing music and we do so without a record label and without an investor. Our booking agency is artery global, we just started working MK music as management, and we’re sponsored by GHS strings and PRS guitars.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Honestly, we’d take any opportunity to tour with a band or rapper that’s doing well. We’ve been a part of some good tours, and been on many dates with popular artists. We’re grateful for every opportunity we get, and we’d love more opportunities.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thanks for the interview!