Evil Dread

The Supervillains unleash positive reggae with Postcards from Paradise 

By Jasen T. Davis

The Supervillains plays reggae music with roots deep in the heart of Jamaican dancehalls, but the ability to branch out from those fundamentals to impress audiences with its bold rock hooks and ska-powered beats has earned the talented Florida band fame and respect.

Its latest album, Postcards from Paradise, demonstrates that 10 years into the scene The Supervillains are just getting started. Dominic Maresco, drummer and lead singer for the band, took a break from touring to give the magazine some honest words about music, marijuana and America.

While some genres have crashed and burned, reggae seems to have only gained a stronger following from a wider audience. Why is that?

I don’t know. It’s a feel-good kind of music. It all comes from partying and humble people just hanging out together. You don’t ever get tired of being positive. You get tired of people pissing and moaning about something, like a lot of radio rock. When I was younger, I went out to meet chicks and party, and reggae was always the best music for that. Reggae music gives you a chance to chill out and dance without feeling weird. Plus, there’re always a lot of beautiful women in the scene.

Let’s talk about the upcoming Pow Wow Festival in Florida. What are you looking forward to the most about it?

To tell you the truth, the whole thing is pretty badass. It’s right in our backyard, so getting there will be easy. Plus, we get to play with 311. We’re going on right before Ozomatli. I think it’s the caliber of bands that gather in one area that makes it so successful. Plus, I get to sleep in my own bed.

It’s going to be cool to do a big show near home. Little things like having mom and dad show up to watch us play. I love the fans, though. They really keep us going on the road.

After the successes of your previous albums, Grow Yer Own and Massive, what did the band want to do differently with Postcards from Paradise?

Postcards from Paradise had a lot of different things that went into it. We really wanted continuity with this album. We want all of our albums to keep going and never stop. With this album we just wanted to say, “Thank you” to our fans all over again by giving them an album they could play over and over again, like albums by Rancid or NOFX.

We really focused on our music, but we also wanted to write a lot of rock-infused stuff. We wrote the whole thing on the road. When we first started out our music was rough, although we had a lot of spirit. Now, we take more time to polish albums to perfection.

What do you think about cannabis?

I think that kids should wait until they are older to f*@k around with anything, whether it’s tobacco, weed or alcohol. But I think that marijuana is 10 times more helpful than harmful. I enjoy it recreationally, but I would encourage people to wait until they are older, and their brains have developed more.

What are your thoughts about the cannabis movement? 

Each of us in the band believes that marijuana should not be illegal. It’s stupid that it is. In Florida they have pain clinics so everyone out there is hooked on Oxycontin. It’s just a different type of addiction, but you don’t see people robbing and stealing to get weed. It just doesn’t happen.

www.thesupervillains.com.

Three Times the Fun

Supervillains are taking part in 311’s Pow Wow Festival, a multi-day, dual-stage event in northern Florida that encourages attendees to camp on-site. The festival, which takes place Aug. 4 to 6, will take place at the 500-acre Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and feature a number of green-friendly acts such as Sublime with Rome, Deftones, Ozomatli, DJ Trichrome and Murs. Check out www.311powwowfestival.com for details.