Interview with Oasis Tribute Band: Supersonic

Recently I stumbled upon an Oasis tribute band, what peaked my interest is that they are not British, Irish or even Japanese, they are Canadian!  Five  guys from Toronto, who play several times a month in their home city with a large following, plus they are great! 

Who are the members of your band and what are there roles?

Dylan - Lead Singer aka Liam
Steve - Lead Guitar aka Noel
Frank - Bass aka Andy
Dean - Rhythm Guitar aka Gem
Rob  - Drums aka Zak 

How long have you been a band?
We formed originally in 2008, doing covers tune. It was about 10 years since Rob and I (Steve) had played in a band. We hooked up with Dean and a couple of his friends to jam. Shortly after we realized that the current singer had issues with "structured" songs we decided it was time to move on. From that point it was Rob, Dean and myself (Steve). We called Dylan out of the blue and asked if he was interested in singing. So we had a new singer! We went through a couple of bass players including a guy that "just wanted to rock out dude!"  Frank was the final guy to join, by that point we had already decided to do Oasis. It came about after finding that our singer Dylan sounded a lot like Liam doing Wonderwall.

Is the band old Oasis(Guigs & Bonehead) or new Oasis (Andy & Gem)?

Rob - We base our sound and performance on the newer Oasis lineup.

What inspired the band other than Oasis, to start a tribute band?
It came about when after doing cover tunes Dylan was frustrated and drunk and jokingly mentioned to the band "we should just fuckin do Oasis!" After a couple of weeks we gave it some thought and decided it was a good way to go. There are no Oasis tribute bands around in North America. Doing top 40 was not something anyone was interested in!

How many gigs do you play a month?
Rob - We try to do at least one a month sometimes 2. In between our day jobs and lost drunken weekends!

Do you ever play outside of Toronto?
Band - Yes, is that an invitation to New York????? We're mad for it!!

Oh I wish!! I there are load of fans here!

What is fan response at your gigs?

Band - Electric!! We've seen some really funky shit at our shows! There's been grinding, yelling and just general debauchery! Although Dylan can't see shit with his glasses on. We have to tell him what he's missed...ha ha!!

What is the band's favorite songs to play?

Dylan - Cigarettes & Alcohol & Columbia
Steve - Shock of the Lightening & Slide Away
Frank - Turn up the Sun & I'm Outta Time
Dean - Morning Glory & Hindu Times
Rob - Live Forever & Falling Down 

How many songs do you typically  play at a gig?
Usually it's about 20 songs although we have more in our song list. We try to cover at least a couple of songs from each album. 

What type of people/fans do you get at your gigs? 

Since Oasis has been around for almost 20 years there is a pretty wide variety. We get past and present University students as well as just fans! 

"Liam" how do you get into the Liam mode before gigs?
Dylan - Alcohol, Sunglasses and a cool jacket!  

"Noel" what is the best part of being Noel?
Steve - My big fucking red Gibson ES-355!!

What is "it" about Oasis that made you fans?
Rob - I am the biggest Oasis fan here. Being a fan of British rock (The Who, The Stones & The Beatles) I found that Oasis has that Rock N Roll attitude combined with the songwriting. I think Noel is the Bob Dylan of today. His lyrics are epic!

Dylan - "They are the coolest thing since the Beatles!" They are the new epitome of Rock n Roll! 

How did everyone feel when Oasis broke up? 
As fans, we are all disappointed but as a Tribute Band we feel we can fill the void that is left there. It's our opportunity to bring their music to the fans that has never seen the real band! Collectively we would love to see them reconcile.

Dylan - Good things always come to an end don't they? I think they have a lot of good songs left in them!

What do you think about Oasis' future?
Rob - Because Liam and Noel are brothers, there is always a chance that family members can reconcile!

Frank - Like other great bands, their music will live on....and I believe Oasis' music is timeless. Great songwriting always stands the test of time.

Dean - I feel eventually the brothers will reconcile. There is a bond there!! I think they need time apart to truly appreciate what they had. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"

Steve - Seeing the age differences at our gigs..Oasis will not disappear anytime soon!!

Do you have any upcoming gigs you would like to promote?We are playing on November 27 at The Hardball Cafe in Milton, Ontario.  

Supersonic performing Wonderwall:

Morning Glory (My personally fave!! They are spot on!)

Check out the Website www.tributetoOasis.com 

Thank you so much Supersonic for the interview, if I am ever in Toronto (or the band in New York) I'll be sure to be right up front! As should everyone else!