Ellie Everywhere: Lori Friday (aka Mom) of Super 400

Editor’s Note: Ellie is a talented young artist, musician, and writer. Her love of music and outgoing personality, with a hint of healthy curiosity, makes her perfect for a new series on Nippertown where she interviews musicians (approved by mom and dad, of course). We hope you enjoy it!

Hi, my name is Ellie, but you probably guessed that already because the title of my column is Ellie  Everywhere, right? 

I’m new at this, but I’ll do my best, okay? And, they’re not asking me to do an interview while riding a  unicycle and playing hopscotch. 

I am going to do an interview with Lori Friday, my mom and bass player in Super 400. Super 400 is a  great band if you need a little excitement, are cooped up, or just want to get out of the house! 

Ellie: How did you start playing music? 

Lori: My dad (your grandfather) was a huge music fan. To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who loves music as much as he did. His main era was the 50s and 60s rock and roll. When I was around 7 years old, I asked for a piano. Being a fan of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, he was just fine with the idea. I learned to play my favorite songs on the piano and then started writing and recording music with it when I was 9. Around that time, I became obsessed with the group Duran Duran and decided to shift my focus to the bass guitar because their bassist was so cool.  

Ellie: What were and are your favorite bands throughout your life? 

Lori: The Rolling Stones were my favorite group through elementary school. I had a copy of Hot  Rocks on cassette and listened to it over and over on my Sony Walkman. When the Undercover of the  Night album came out, my dad bought it for me on cassette but my mom made him cut the cover art off of the package because it was a little bit racy for a 9-year-old to see! Junior high was all about U2, and every contemporary British band I could find, along with soundtrack music from the popular movies of the time – Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Lost Boys, etc. By the time I entered high school, I was getting pretty decent at playing the bass guitar, and started to get heavily into Led Zeppelin, Pink  Floyd, the Who – the classic rock bands with heroic musicians and very exciting live shows! I still love all of those bands and so many more. Louis Jordan, Radiohead, David Bowie, Psychedelic Porn  Crumpets, Hiatus Kaiyote, Jimmy Cliff, Rose Hill Drive, Big Star, on and on. 

Ellie: What places did you go while on tour? 

The first year we were together as Super 400, we were mostly playing between Albany, New York City, and Boston. Then we were signed to Island Records and went to London, England. It was the first time your daddy and I ever traveled by airplane, in a huge, double-decker jumbo jet! After that, we started longer drives in the United States, and have been to nearly every state. It was quite thrilling to see the topography of the land change from snow-capped mountains to dry deserts, lots of farmland, and plains. The social norms and cultures throughout the US are varied and it sometimes seems like there are many different countries within North America! We’ve played all over England, Scotland, and  Wales, and also performed in Germany, Belgium, France, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain. We hope to bring you to some of these places. 

Ellie: Have you ever ridden a unicycle while playing hopscotch as mentioned earlier?

Lori: No, but I can recite the alphabet backward while rubbing my tummy and patting my head. 

That sure was a funny interview! Now, I want you to know some things about me: I am 8 years old,  turning 9 in 8 days, I have a cute dog, I like to draw, I love to draw, and, I can’t stay quiet for very long.