Simple & Supreem, a local funk rock band, shot the video for their single “Rock to This” Tuesday night, Nov. 9, in the Owl Cove of Mitten Hall. The band members invited Temple students to participate in their video shoot and stay for a free concert afterwards.
Simple & Supreem play a mix of funk, rock, and hip hop music. Two of the members, drummer Chase Bowman and bass guitarist Mike Oxman met at Temple University as freshmen living in White Hall in 2001. Since then, they joined with guitarist Bob Tomarelli and rapper Jamel Carter aka Supreem to begin work on their debut album.
Bowman and Oxman said they chose the Owl Cove to shoot their video because they knew they could “get students involved and throw a free concert at the same time.”
The band said that the university’s Spring Fling and Fall Fest have become regular gigs for them, so Temple was an obvious choice for the music video shoot.
The recording had a late start, but to the students and fans that came to the shoot, it was worth the wait. They were rewarded with a four-song concert, including an original song that the band composed on the spot.
“Simple & Supreem’s music is different, that’s what makes it attractive,” said fan Matt Diamond. “For a rapper to have a blues/funk/rock band backing him up is a lost art. Most rap nowadays is programmed with virtually no musical thought whatsoever. Simple is comprised of three amazing musicians who accent Supreem’s style and flow perfectly.”
The artists of Simple & Supreem back up their unique style with years of experience. Bass guitarist Mike Oxman has been playing for seven years, drummer Chase Bowman started training at age 5, guitarist Bob Tomarelli has been playing for 12 years and rapper Supreem released his first album in 1996.
“Ten years from now we still want to be making great records. We want to be like the Stones,” Supreem said of the band’s plans for the future.
This goal seems near according to Diamond, who explained that “the band compliments each other incredibly well….The rest is up to the fans.”
Simple & Supreem’s next show is Thursday at the Pontiac Grille, located at 304 South St. More information is available online at www.shakeyourbooty.org.
Megan Davies can be reached at mjdavies@temple.edu.
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