Drummer Danny Goffey is surprised how fast his band Super- grass caught on.
"I never thought it would hit this hugely and quickly," said Goffey in his Oxford, England, accent during a call from San Francisco. "We did work hard to get the album out and all, but things have gotten real mad."Supergrass, featuring Goffey, bassist Mickey Quinn and vocal/ guitarist Gaz Coombes, will take the Cinema Bar stage, Monday, Oct. 16. Fellow Oxfordians the Daisies will open the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.
"We just got back from a European tour doing a lot of festivals," said Goffey, who cited Curtis Mayfield as a major musical influence. "We also toured around Japan and did two nights in Tokyo. The fan base there was so mad. We'd get presents and have kids scream out your name and all that. The most interesting part of playing in Japan was during our songs, the halls were completely silent. But when the music stopped, they screamed and went mad. There was a devotion there that isn't found anywhere. It was great, but sometimes during the silences, I felt like telling the crowd jokes. But if I had done that, I would have become a cabaret actor and not a musician."
Supergrass formed about two years ago. All three band members were living in cottages that had electricity but no central heating.
"We had to cook on chopped wood fires to eat," Goffey chuckled. "We really didn't consider ourselves a band at the time. We just had about six songs and decided to do a gig."
At the time, the band played on acoustic guitars.
"The songs were just our feelings of being holed up in these cottages without heat," Goffey remembered. "All we had were these acoustic guitars and decided to pound some tunes out. I think we were venting out our frustrations and all that."
Goffey said the switch from acoustic to electric guitars was not a problem.
"Electric guitars just give the songs more frizzles," he said. "I think the fact we originally did the songs acoustically helps with their catchiness."
Amid the success, Goffey said the band does have to catch the reality bus and remember who they are. Since this interview was conducted during the band's week off, the members decided to relax.
"Mickey just went back to England for the week," said Goffey. "He has a little baby he hasn't seen in a few months and it was driving him crazy. I don't have a family, but am looking forward to having one. I do, however, have a beautiful girlfriend. She keeps me sane."
When asked what Coombes was doing, Goffery paused and said, "I don't know."