Concert Sutra Helpless Against The SuperVillains
by terri sapp
Photographs by Leah Yetter
© Concert Sutra, All Rights Reserved
click photos for band website
I always love it when I randomly stumble upon a band I’ve never heard of, and end up an instant fan. Last month at the Toasters’ show at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta, Georgia, this happened to me for the first time in a long time. The Super Villains, a 5-piece reggae-ska-punk band out of Orlando, Florida, are favorites in the South East peninsula.
Founded in 1997 by original members Skart (vocals, guitar), Dom (vocals, drums), and Smally (sax). In 2004, the current line-up was solidified with the arrival of Rikki (trumpet) and Tito (bass).
I am never really good at making a show for the opening band, but when you are talking a full night of ska, I’M THERE!! When the Super Villains took the stage to warm the crowd for the Toasters, I knew I would love these guys. Their high energy, their fun spirited music, and youthful good looks make for a good time to be had by ALL! Immediately I was drawn to Dom, the drummer, who not only tore up the skins, but also has quite a voice!
Upon digging further into who these guys really are, I found some updates on their website that are quite 
entertaining. One can always log onto their site, and find exactly where these guys are, and where they’ve been. Skart, who seems to be a strong presence within the Super Villains and journals for the boys on their site (after battling hurricanes left and right last year), looks ahead to a brighter future, “Hopefully 2005 will send us a roof. Something nice with pretty shingles and tiles, anything but this fucking tarp.” Skart later looks back on their recent Winter, 2005 tour with the Toasters fondly, “17 days. 20 degrees below. 2 van wrecks. 12 Cracker Barrels. 6 lost suntans. 24 tanks of gas. 4 sets of trailer lights. 5 total showers. 14 ridiculous shows. 2 blizzards. 1 hot tub. and a winter we will never forget.” My kind of tour!
Even though a majority of the songs played in Atlanta that cold January night would be found on their latest album, “JahMerica,” we were still able to enjoy many from their debut full-length release “Horseshoes and Handgrenades.” Since nobody in ska bands seem to ever keep a set list, I can not be sure exactly what they played when they were here, but am sure we heard “Car Sex (Get it On),” “Snow White,” and “Mary Jane and Jagermiester,” from “JahMerica,” and “Crippy Weed” from “Horseshoes and Handgrenades.” Something tells me these guys enjoy a little “smokey smokey” every once in a while…maybe it was the lyrics that gave them away. For the Super Villains, “life is a big fat spliff” after having toured with undoubtedly some of their mentors, The Toasters. They were obviously overjoyed to actually perform with such ska legends on their last tour, and I think this band is only going up and up!
To find out more information about this super ska crew, visit: www.thesupervillains.com, or http://www.myspace.com/therealsupervillains. Be sure to note where they are playing, so you can check the Super Villains out!