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The Story
(some of it might even be true)
Focusing on only the best danceable pop, rock and R&B songs, this quintet felt strongly that success was within their grasp but the group wondered how exactly they should proceed. Should they concentrate upon bars, pubs and nightclubs exclusively or perhaps pursue private events solely? What of their target audience for song selection? Male or female, young or older...?
One of their group drove home that night in January and quickly settled into a state of highway hypnosis, the glistening black asphalt and white lines lulling him into a deep reverie. Suddenly a patch of black ice loomed ahead on a slow curve of the roadway and the musician swerved, losing control in the process. After spinning several times, the car came to rest after clipping some small evergreens just off of the soft shoulder. With heart beating heavily, the musician got out of the car to survey any damage. There appeared to be only a few scrapes on the paint of his car and he breathed a sigh of relief - he was OK and remarkably, so was the car! As he walked back to the driver's side door, he noticed a rectangular object lying just on the edge of the road in front of the car- his headlights illuminating what appeared to be an old leather bound book. Not knowing why, the musician walked over to the book and picked it up, brushing off a fine dusting of snow. It was clearly very old and without thinking, he took it with him back to the idling car.
The next day,
the book played upon the musician's mind as he went about his daily
routine. When he arrived home that night, he picked up the book and
flipped through the pages carefully as some were very worn and faded.
It was written in Latin and he was not able to read it, but many hand
drawn illustrations hinted at the gist. It appeared to be a manual
geared towards entertainers and judging the look of the illustrations,
this book went back hundreds of years at least! Amazingly, the cover's
ochre-stained illustration had survived the years fairly well, spelling
out "SuperBall" in
archaic elongated text. Excited, the musician emailed his band mates the
very next day and not telling them why, presented the idea of "SuperBall" as
the name for the new musical outfit. After some cajoling, the rest of the
members agreed with some reservations..."it sounds like we're talking
about the SuperBowl or something" said one member. "What about
the toy from Wham-O"
said another, "do you think they'll sue us over it?". After these
unfounded fears subsided, everyone felt comfortable with the new name and
a week later when this same musician created a logo (stealing the design
from the cover illustration from the book), all were genuinely pleased.
The ancient tome of musical wisdom dates back to 103 BC, according to carbon dating analysis. Found at the side of the road in early 2005, it is in remarkably good shape for its age. Click on book to enlarge.
"...balance is the key to keeping your audience interested". A translated quote from the SuperBall book.
In those first heady months of steady rehearsal and honing of their live show and sound, the SuperBall band began to plan their gigging schedule and put together a business plan - little did they all know that the book was responsible for direction of most of these efforts! The musician who had found the "SuperBall" book had taken it and had it translated (using a contact at the University of Toronto) and while still holding to the secret began to introduce those pearls of wisdom to his bandmates.
Basic SuperBall tenets include:
choosing songs carefully from the 1960s thru to modern day
playing songs faithfully
ensure that the
dancers (generally women) are happy first
use only the finest
music and sound equipment
offer up back-to-back music for uninterrupted fun
never be too loud (or too quiet) in any environment
be respectful and courteous to your clients and their event planners
"...ensure that the females at the <party> are pleased with the music. Attending to their needs and happiness ensures that the males there will be happy too...". Yet more sage advice!
Today, SuperBall is a successful
musical outfit with many gigs and bookings coming their way and in
no small way, the sacred "SuperBall" tome has played its
part. Though the book's influence is now known in the story of the
SuperBall band, there is still some mystery attached: who was the band
member who found it and where is the book today...?
We may never find out.
Rupert Cuthbertson III
Devonshire UK
12-05
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