Superdrag

Originally hailing from Knoxville, TN, Superdrag have been dealing their signature brand of tuneful, guitar-based Rock & Roll for the better part of the past 15 years. The band’s initial seven-inches and EPs showcased their strengths early-on: a propulsive rhythm section (comprised of drummer Don Coffey, Jr. and bassist Tom Pappas), a keen sense of melody (courtesy of songwriter/singer/guitarist John Davis), and a hail of fuzz guitars dispensed by Davis and second guitarist Brandon Fisher. The band issued their debut full-length REGRETFULLY YOURS in 1996, containing the hit single “Sucked Out.” Follow-up HEAD TRIP IN EVERY KEY largely fell through record company cracks upon its release in 1998, but fans were quick to praise its more-adventurous instrumentation and arrangements. 2000’s IN THE VALLEY OF DYING STARS marked the departure of original bass player Pappas and ushered in new bassist Sam Powers. A starkly personal rumination on dying, grieving, and loss, it is widely considered to be Superdrag’s high-water mark as a band. Just prior to the album’s release and subsequent tours, guitarist Brandon Fisher left to pursue other interests. His vacant spot would be ably filled by Mic Harrison (ex-V-Roys) for 2002’s would-be swan song LAST CALL FOR VITRIOL. The band took a self-imposed 4-year sabbatical in September of 2003, meanwhile issuing a slew of b-sides and rarities alongside 2 acclaimed solo efforts from frontman John Davis before unexpectedly reuniting with the original lineup intact late in 2007. In between short runs of highly-anticipated live appearances, including slots at Bonnaroo and Monolith Festival At Red Rocks, the original members convened in studios in Nashville and Knoxville to record tracks for their brand-new offering entitled INDUSTRY GIANTS, due March 17, 2009 on Superdrag Sound Laboratories/Thirty Tigers. Produced by John Davis, this is the first album of new material from the original members of Superdrag since 1998’s HEAD TRIP IN EVERY KEY. Fans of the band’s back catalog will almost certainly find it was well worth waiting for. The songs at times bristle with an SST-era punk energy (“5 Minutes Ahead Of The Chaos”, “Aspartame”, “Cheap Poltergeists”), at times they hearken back to the post-British Invasion influences of the band’s early work (“Ready To Go”, “Filthy & Afraid”), at other times they’re blissed-out and shimmering behind a wall of guitar fuzz (“Try”, “Live And Breathe”) ---and at all times they sound like Superdrag. “I can’t wait to get the record out,” Davis has said. “I can’t wait for people to hear it. I wish it could come out tomorrow.”