Florida punk ska band The Supervillains bring hard-partying lounge act to Cleveland

The Supervillains

June 17, 2025

Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Cleveland

Opener: Jwadi

Headline:

By Rob McCune

Hanging out with The Supervillains on their tour RV ahead of a show at Cleveland’s Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, you get the sense that these guys are always “on” and their authentic selves. They play video games, indulge in an “organic” lifestyle, and pound Jaeger shots before, during, and likely after shows. They bring a party that never seems to stop.

The band’s original founding members, guitarist and singer Scott “Skart” Suldo and drummer, singer and frontman Dom Maresco have kept the Supervillains party going since 1996, having picked up more recent band additions Tom “T-Rex” Moulton on keyboards, B.J. Hall on bass and Joshua Senften saxophone. The band has put out seven full LPs and three LPs, including their latest, “Drones,” in 2021. But the fun in a Supervillains show extends beyond their original music. The real thrill comes in how they interpret an often surprising mix of pop songs and others in their own hard-rock punk ska style.

At this show in Cleveland, those mix-ins included a little Willy Wonka (the haunting “Boat Song” from the original “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory”), some George Michael (“Careless Whisper”), the Pixies (“Where Is My Mind?”) and even some Billy Joel (“Movin’ Out”).

The band has steadily been releasing these eclectic cover singles since COVID, the latest being a song by Jimmy Buffett, “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don’t Love Jesus.”

Throughout a set that sometimes blended insult comedy in off-the-cuff interaction with an audience that was definitely in on the jokes, the Supervillains also played their hits, with originals like the peppy, sax-driven “Uno Momento” and the bass-slapping “Crippy Weed,” off their debut album, “Horseshoes and Handgrenades.”

The Supervillains were joined on this two-week tour by Jwadi, the stage name and solo project of Jordan David Miller, who brought a big and unique sound mixing hard rock, reggae and rap and hip hop to his opening set. With a guitar, keyboard, laptop and loop pedal, Jwadi enthralled the intimate venue with the hardened rasp and soulful melody of his best instrument, his voice. Performing songs from an album released this year, “The Year of Subtraction,” he delved into deeply personal and authentic territories of addiction and recovery and redemption. Each song felt forged from a fire equally all-consuming and tender and vulnerable.

Robert McCune is Every_Thing_After_Photo on Instagram, where he posts photos and reviews of concerts as well as the latest clips from the Every.Thing.After podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

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June 17, 2025

Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Cleveland

Opener: Jwadi

Headline: Florida punk ska band The Supervillains bring hard-partying lounge act to Cleveland

By Rob McCune

Hanging out with The Supervillains on their tour RV ahead of a show at Cleveland’s Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, you get the sense that these guys are always “on” and their authentic selves. They play video games, indulge in an “organic” lifestyle, and pound Jaeger shots before, during, and likely after shows. They bring a party that never seems to stop.

The band’s original founding members, guitarist and singer Scott “Skart” Suldo and drummer, singer and frontman Dom Maresco have kept the Supervillains party going since 1996, having picked up more recent band additions Tom “T-Rex” Moulton on keyboards, B.J. Hall on bass and Joshua Senften saxophone. The band has put out seven full LPs and three LPs, including their latest, “Drones,” in 2021. But the fun in a Supervillains show extends beyond their original music. The real thrill comes in how they interpret an often surprising mix of pop songs and others in their own hard-rock punk ska style.

At this show in Cleveland, those mix-ins included a little Willy Wonka (the haunting “Boat Song” from the original “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory”), some George Michael (“Careless Whisper”), the Pixies (“Where Is My Mind?”) and even some Billy Joel (“Movin’ Out”).

The band has steadily been releasing these eclectic cover singles since COVID, the latest being a song by Jimmy Buffett, “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don’t Love Jesus.”

Throughout a set that sometimes blended insult comedy in off-the-cuff interaction with an audience that was definitely in on the jokes, the Supervillains also played their hits, with originals like the peppy, sax-driven “Uno Momento” and the bass-slapping “Crippy Weed,” off their debut album, “Horseshoes and Handgrenades.”

The Supervillains were joined on this two-week tour by Jwadi, the stage name and solo project of Jordan David Miller, who brought a big and unique sound mixing hard rock, reggae and rap and hip hop to his opening set. With a guitar, keyboard, laptop and loop pedal, Jwadi enthralled the intimate venue with the hardened rasp and soulful melody of his best instrument, his voice. Performing songs from an album released this year, “The Year of Subtraction,” he delved into deeply personal and authentic territories of addiction and recovery and redemption. Each song felt forged from a fire equally all-consuming and tender and vulnerable.

Teamed up with The Supervillains, this ticket seems poised to take over the world.

Robert McCune is Every_Thing_After_Photo on Instagram, where he posts photos and reviews of concerts as well as the latest clips from the Every.Thing.After podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.