Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Pete August- Guitars
Nick Del Virginia - Drums
Joe Laga - Guitars
Jerry Jones - Vocals
Jesse Mariani - Bass, Keys
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Super Snake? How long has the band been around?
I (Jerry) am in Trophy Scars (currently on hiatus), Pete was in the Banner as a touring guitar player, Jesse was in Chambers, Joe was in Arcanum, Nick was in Frozen Gentlemen.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
The name was actually derived by members who are no longer in the band, but we still dig it. It’s the name of a very rare Shelby Cobra… so we had the rare car thing in common with Pantera which is cool. It just feels good to say. It kind of like an ultimate venomous snake that hypnotizes you before devouring you. It makes old folks uncomfortable. People’s minds are in the gutter. We never had any reason to change it.
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?
Everyone contributes to the writing process, but I (Jerry) write all the lyrics. A lot of the themes come from B-horror movie tropes; terror, panic, sex, drugs, empowerment, bad guys winning type of things. We like things that are exciting and dangerous. The topics will always change as they reflect personal struggles and accomplishments as well. When life changes, we change too - but don’t ever expect Super Snake to write a “break-up” song or anything sappy like that.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Black Sabbath, Butthole Surfers, Jesus Lizard, Canned Heat, Mogwai, Sonic Youth, Uncle Acid, White Zombie, GOAT, Grinderman/Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Earth, Rolling Stones, Aesop Rock, Thee Oh Sees, Type O Negative, Nicolas Jaar.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
The original guitar players wanted to sound like Kiss and Queens of the Stone Age fucking in the trunk of a Buick at a Monster Magnet show… they are no longer in the band but we’ve fleshed that out into Sabbath and Sonic Youth dropping L in outer space trying to recreate the late night shows at Woodstock ’69 while the stage hands are running around, bumping Grinderman on their iPods.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
We drink beers, maybe a cocktail or two if we are feeling confident. Some of us try to stretch. Sometimes we dress up.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Finishing our new record “Leap Of Love.” When we wrapped up the recording all of us felt so relieved. It was such a personal accomplishment that no other flashy thing that has happened to us so far will stand the test of time compared to that. It was a wild tracking experience in a cabin haunted by a ghost dog in the mountains of north Virginia. We had guns, fire, and lots of God medicine stuck in our teeth. Two years later after painstaking sessions of listening to detail after detail it was done.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Black Sabbath (w/ Ozz) - because what a party and they are the end all be all
Grinderman - we would just gel so hard
King Gizzard - my favorite psych band right now
Uncle Acid - our type of thing
QOTSA/Them Crooked Vultures - Josh Homme is rad and so is everyone he surrounds himself with
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for the interview! Stay tuned for shows!