Hollister native Kirk Ward and New York native Michael Rivkin
are Supafloss, and they’re ready to take South Valley by storm with
a high-energy act
One of the questions Hollister native Kirk Ward hears most often is, “what is Supafloss?” It’s a good question. The name is quirky and playful, vague and curious. But if you see Supafloss perform, Ward – and Michael Rivkin, the other half of Supafloss – is confident you won’t need to ask that question again. But you won’t necessarily have the answer nailed down, either, Ward said, because seeing Supafloss is simply “an experience.”
“For Michael and I, it’s like an energy force. It’s a way for us to completely express ourselves with rhythm, with rhyme, with music, with comedy, with hip-hop,” Ward said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. “It’s very theatrical.”
Supafloss is a Los Angeles-based comedic hip-hop duo that Ward and Rivkin – aka Mister Twister and Grotzy Redoodyhouse, respectively – formed in 2000. The two recently completed their first studio album, and they’ll be performing Nov. 11 at The Vault Restaurant in Hollister. An early version of the record will be available at the show, and the finished product will later be for sale on iTunes.
Ward, 36, and Rivkin, 39, met at Tim Robbins’ The Actors’ Gang Ensemble Theater in Hollywood in 1994, and their first gig was opening for Tenacious D, a rock band comprised of musician-comedians Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Through the years, Supafloss has performed at The House of Blues, The Troubadour, the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival and other venues. But now the duo will be coming to Hollister – something Ward is eagerly awaiting.
“(Supafloss) has been together for six years, and I’ve been waiting to bring it to my hometown,” Ward said. “It’s a high-energy, polished act that I’m really looking forward to people seeing.”
After growing up in Hollister, Ward said, he never thought he’d leave because he loved the town so much. He figured he’d go somewhere else for college but eventually make his way back. Ward started acting while in high school and then moved to San Francisco, which he said he fell in love with because it was a big city and a new experience. After moving back and forth between Hollister and San Francisco a couple of times, Ward realized he wanted to earnestly pursue his dream of writing and acting – but he knew he’d have to make some life changes to make that happen. So, he moved to Los Angeles.
“Everyone I had met who was making it acting and writing was in New York and Los Angeles,” he said. “I had some experience living in a big city, but it’s completely different in L.A. It was a culture shock. … But I found community in the smaller theater companies here.”
While Ward brings a more of a down-home, folksy angle to Supafloss – perhaps thanks to his roots – Rivkin, who grew up in Manhattan’s West Village, said he imparts an edgier influence. He made his way to California to attend UCLA, where he majored in theater and met Jack Black.
Both Ward and Rivkin said their “city mouse, country mouse” styles complement each other and have helped mold Supafloss into what it is. The two also agreed that their act is original, and neither have seen anything like it.
“It’s inevitable if we’re getting more and more popular, and getting more recognition, there will be imitators,” Rivkin said. “But I imagine it will stay pretty original for a long time, because I don’t think anyone else could do what we do. It’s a weird combination that only occurs once in a lifetime.”
So, what should one expect when headed to a Supafloss gig?
“Expect to see a lot of physicality, a lot of music you want to get up and dance to,” Ward said. “You’ll find yourself laughing a lot. You’ll want to buy a CD, and you’ll want to log onto myspace.com and listen there.”
The attraction of performing for both Ward and Rivkin, they said, is simply making people laugh and entertaining the audience. When asked if he wanted to say anything else about what he does, Rivkin said, “Good Lord, I just can’t wait to rock.”
