Guest Contributor
Blairsville’s own Supercluster celebrated its fifth anniversary on Feb. 14 with the release of their second studio EP, “Trash City.” The teenage punk rock band has quickly become a local sensation, booking shows across the Southeast and announcing their first-ever mini tour scheduled for this spring.
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In the past five years, the band has cycled through three names, two singers and one unforgettable high school experience. It was founded back in 2020 by drummer Landon Roberts, guitarist Elias “Eli” Chapman, bassist Conley Beard and their former singer Gavyn Thorsell, who has since parted from the band to focus on his solo music.
Today, recent high-school graduate Grayden Cobb sings for the group. He joined Supercluster two years ago – just in time to salvage the release of their debut EP, “Modern Day Sasquatch.”
The EP was set to drop around the same time Thorsell departed, so instead of releasing the record with a voice that no longer represented them, the band made a bold decision to re-record the vocals with Cobb – a voice that audiences would recognize at live shows.
“They asked me to sing, so I came to practice,” recalled Cobb, who was initially reluctant to become a permanent member of the band. “I (was) going to leave without telling anybody – just be like, ‘Well, guys, that was fun,’ then dip. But then it really was fun. I enjoyed it so much I stuck around.”
Cobb wasn’t the only one hesitant to attach his name to Supercluster. Beard admitted that he also had doubts in the early days, fearing the band may never move beyond cover songs.
“I’m glad we didn’t do very many covers at all, because I wouldn’t have stayed. It was the first riff that Eli wrote (himself) that convinced me to stay,” Beard shared.
Since then, that riff has been lost to time, much like their original name. The band first gained popularity among the local youth under their second name, B-29, by playing small-time gigs like the Union County High School (UCHS) talent show.
“We played the talent show two times,” said Roberts. “The first time was as B-29. The second time, we announced our name as Supercluster, and some guy in the audience was like, ‘Why’d you change the name?’”
While their fans did not get an answer right away, Chapman later explained that they found the name “embarrassing,” as it too closely resembled the famous 1970’s band, The B-52s.
Their current name, Supercluster, was derived from a running joke among some of their friends at UCHS. Roberts explained the myth of a Meeks Park sewer monster and several other creatures, which he described as a “Blairsville supercluster of cryptids and monsters.” From there, the band began brainstorming name ideas until they settled on their current and seemingly permanent name.
Supercluster’s latest EP, Trash City, was recorded at Jason Kingsland’s private studio in Athens, Georgia. The project features songs that explore nuanced social issues like gun violence and mental health by blending raw, punk-inspired instrumentals with catchy, thought-provoking lyrics.
Chapman plays a major role in the songwriting process, commenting that he usually kicks things off on a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). After laying a basic computerized drum track – which Roberts alters and replaces later in the process – Chapman and the others start experimenting with instrumentals and lyrics.
Chapman’s older sister, Olivia Chapman, is also integral to the band’s success. As their manager, she is responsible for editing lyrics, organizing performances, and crafting Supercluster’s public image.
While Eli Chapman and Cobb primarily write the lyrics, Beard contributed heavily to this process on Trash City, writing every word to the opening track “Taxi Driver.”
Even in the studio, Supercluster continues to make adjustments to their music, sometimes writing entire songs mid-session. That is exactly what happened with “Piranha,” Trash City’s fourth track.
Moving forward, Supercluster is gearing up for a busy spring with their next show at Atlanta’s Lost Dog Tavern on March 7.
Following Roberts, Beard and Chapman’s high school graduation in May, the band will embark on a mini Florida tour. It will begin in Tallahassee on the 24th, move across the state to Gainesville on the 26th, to St. Augustine on the 27th, then wrap up in Melbourne on the 28th.
“It’s pretty crazy,” said Roberts. “We graduate that night (May 23rd) and it ends at 11:00 p.m., then we wake up the next day and have to (rush) down to Tallahassee to go on tour.”
The band will travel with Chapman’s father, who will drive their tour van and look out for the young musicians until May 30th, when they will return to Georgia for the three recent graduates’ orientation at Kennesaw State University (KSU).
While his bandmates are enrolled at KSU, Cobb plans to move to the Atlanta area as well. Supercluster intends to join a musicians’ union and start booking even bigger shows, stepping into what Roberts describes as a future full of “uncertainty and potential.”
Supercluster’s music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Amazon Music. For tour dates, band updates, and behind-the-scenes content, follow them on Facebook and Instagram at linktr.ee/Supercluster_the_band. To book Supercluster for a gig, email them at Superclustertheband2021@gmail.com.
