March 8, 2002
Night Out: Accidental Superhero regroups in the Springs
Three years ago, Accidental Superhero was the "it" band in the Springs. They made the regional finals of the Jim Beam Back Room Band Search, their demo was creating major-label buzz, they got radio spins across the country and they were named Best Local Band by The Gazette.
Then they fell off the end of the Earth.
Actually, the pop-rock quintet got sucked into the merciless vortex of the music industry. One minute major labels were romancing them at their Los Angeles showcase gigs at House of Blues and Whisky A Go-Go, and the next minute they were all alone.
"It's like the worst dating relationship you've ever had in your life," says frontman Jonathan Kuiper. "You're thinking marriage, and then she dumps you to date the quarterback of the football team."
Kuiper was in L.A. by the end of 1999, acting and producing other bands to pay the rent. The plan was to ink a deal and bring out the rest of the band, but it didn't work out that way and the band disintegrated. He says the band tried to avoid paying dues - "we were just too cocky" - and it bit 'em in the derriere.
"The whole industry is just a big BS machine. Gobbledy, goobledy," he says. "People come around with the biggest hats and no land. They have 10-gallon hats and one head of cattle."
Kuiper turned down some labels that didn't seem too committed to the band, and sang with other bands - including Zero, an earlier incarnation of Linkin Park without Chester Bennington.
"I played with them about a month and hated every minute of it," Kuiper says. "It just wasn't my thing."
In fact, California wasn't his thing. He came back to Colorado Springs in January 2001, hooked up with Superhero co-founder Sean Mulholland, added Chris Willard on guitar and Chris Mann on drums, and spent the past year producing a new demo.
Now, the band is back.
They make hook-laden pop with a bright sound, catchy choruses, rock guitar, and a hint of samples and scratching.
Accidental Superhero is plotting its next assault on the music industry. It has a New York manager with good connections (who told Kuiper his only problem is he's "too fat"). Two major-label presidents have called Kuiper at home in the past week. And the band is tuning up with the Acoustic Coffee Lounge show and a March 21 gig at the Gothic Theatre in Denver before heading back out to showcase the demo for labels in Los Angeles and New York.
This time around, the guys have their feet on terra firma and know what to expect from the heavy hitters.
"They stay for two songs and then take off," Kuiper says, "leaving you feeling like a big turd."
Nevertheless, he's still dreaming of that sweetheart deal: "Were holding out for somebody who is committed to it and is really excited about it. We'll see."
|
