Supermarket Parking Lot

Hump Day News sits down with Boston’s Supermarket Parking Lot. Stream the band’s latest single “Normal Person”. Catch them live 9/21 at Rockwood Music Hall (with Kayla Silverman) and 10/10 at the Breaking Sound Showcase.

Marco Tewlow Leads With Grace

Marco Tewlow, the bandleader of Supermarket Parking Lot, sings, plays keys, and functions as the band’s principal songwriter. With a smile, he adds that he also does “occasional hand percussion.”

Though he leads the band, the structure remains relatively open and collaborative. Marco says that Supermarket Parking Lot is “functionally [his] solo project in a lot of ways, but also not.” The band’s rehearsals tend to stay collaborative, allowing band members to alter and add to their parts. Marco also has an open call for other members to bring in their own songs.

“One of them suggested the name Supermarket Parking Lot, to which Marco replied, “No, that’s awful, that’s one of the worst names possible.””

The origins of Supermarket Parking Lot begin during Marco’s high school years. “When I was 16, I had been playing keys for another band… I was basically on hire,” he explains. When that band began to dissipate, his friends helped him form a cover band with him as the lead singer.

One of them suggested the name Supermarket Parking Lot, to which Marco replied, “No, that’s awful, that’s one of the worst names possible.” After some consideration, he realized the beauty of the name, and adopted it for his high school cover band, and now, his current original music project.

Charles Greenberg Adds Synthy Spice

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Supermarket Parking Lot at Midway Cafe (4/9/23).

Charles Greenberg, synthesizer player for Supermarket Parking Lot, explains, “Marco provides harmonic content, I provide noise.”

He’s well versed in sound design, giving the band an exciting timbral flavor that makes each track stand out. Beyond his Korg Poly 61, he plays with a full guitar-style pedalboard, including fuzz and delay.

“Marco just kind of lets me… ‘you do your thing, go, go, go,” he emphasizes, explaining the freedom that he enjoys within the performances. Marco says that the most specific instruction he’s ever given Charles is “I don’t want you on this song, here’s a tambourine, go at it.”

Andy Mac Keeps the Groove

Andy Mac plays guitar for the band, emphasizing groove and keeping the band together. “It’s a lot of just traditional alternative rock guitar stuff,” he explains, which differs from his usual expertise: electronic music. “I like to think it’s fun,” he says, referencing the back-and-forth of alternating between diverse music styles.

Marco says that Andy’s guitar playing functions similar to a great bass part in terms of his locked-in rhythm and repetition. “Andy does like kind of sticking to the pocket, do you ever get bored by it?,” asks Marco. “I’m vibing,” replies Andy with a slight smile.

““Andy does like kind of sticking to the pocket, do you ever get bored by it?,” asks Marco. “I’m vibing,” replies Andy with a slight smile.”

In terms of performance, Andy remains highly regarded. “He’s the ideal session musician,” says Marco, explaining Andy’s high drive for consistency and practice. Andy has been playing gigs with Marco through multiple different bands. Because of that, he has a crucial role in interpreting Marco’s songwriting into a guitar part. “Andy’s role… he does a lot of translating for me,” adds Marco, “I’m a pianist first.”

June Provides Creative Foundation

Supermarket Parking Lot’s bassist, June, who couldn’t make the interview, remains just as integral to the band’s quality. “Not only is she always reliable, always there… [she] goes above and beyond as a bassist,” emphasizes Marco. “June does so much for the music… fuckin’ genius-ass musician,” adds Charles.

June clearly leaves an irreplaceable impact on the high-energy and creative nature of Supermarket Parking Lot. While Andy plays guitar like a bass, June plays bass like a guitar. This surprising role reversal helps the band stand out among the crowd of alternative rock acts in Boston.

Live Performances

“Anything could go wrong at any moment… it’s a balancing act,” explains Marco. Playing improvisatory, outside-the-box, technical music can seem daunting, but Supermarket Parking Lot approaches the challenge head-on. For them, the hard work remains rewarding.

“I feed off the crowd… I live off the crowd,” emphasizes Marco, “I love performing more than anything else.” Charles explains that the improvisatory nature of his parts make live shows particularly compelling for him. He’ll often listen back to old recordings, thinking, “the environment or the crowd brought this idea to me.”

Of course, live shows bring their own set of challenges. “I have a persona where I’m very awkward… confidently awkward,” explains Marco, “If I have an audience that is just not wanting to be there, ‘confidently awkward’ just becomes ‘awkward,’” he explains. Some tracks like “Blue Light” vary greatly in length depending on the crowd’s reaction, due to their on-the-spot improvisations that are influenced by the audience’s energy.

During their performance at State Park, almost everything that could’ve gone wrong, went wrong. “That State Park show was a nightmare at the time,” explains Charles. His pedalboard’s power supply broke, and he had to use a synthesizer he didn’t have as much experience with as a result. Nonetheless, limitations breed creativity. Listening back to the recordings, Charles loves what he improvised, and the show remains one of the band’s favorites to this day.

The Future of Supermarket Parking Lot

Supermarket Parking Lot brings a refreshing, friendly feeling to Boston’s underground rock scene. With catchy songwriting, creative live performance, and stunning improvisations, their music is the full package. Their friendly, fiery, “confidently awkward” performances keep audiences coming back from more.

Fans can follow @supermarcoparkinglot on Instagram for continued updates on upcoming shows, singles, and more. Bandcamp remains the best place to stream their music, including live show recordings along with their latest single, “Normal Person.”

Upcoming Shows

9/21 Rockwood Music Hall with Kayla Silverman

10/10 Breaking Sound Showcase

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