Artist: Superdrag Genre(s):
Rock
ROck: Alternative
Discography:
Last Call For Vitriol Year: 2002
Tracks: 12
Greetings From Tennessee Year: 2001
Tracks: 10
In the Valley of Dying Stars Year: 2000
Tracks: 12
Stereo 360 Sound Year: 1998
Tracks: 10
Regretfully Yours Year: 1996
Tracks: 13
Though many have dubbed Superdrag a punk-pop or office pop ring, their music has shown itself to be atop of the aforesaid genres. Taking as much influence from the British Invasion-style pop of the Beatles and the Zombies as My Bloody Valentine and Hüsker Dü, their songs have always combined melodicism and noise in fully distinct mode. While many have compared frontman John Davis -- no relation back to the Jonathan Davis of Korn or John Davis of Folk Implosion -- to Big Star's Alex Chilton in footing of his throaty vocals, often misanthropic lyrics, and major-minor chord progressions, the history of the iI Tennessee-based groups have shared many parallels in terms of existence a band's band that has often asleep misunderstood.
With members Davis, guitarist Brandon Fisher, bassist Tom Pappas, and drummer Don Coffey, Jr., having played unitedly in diverse outfits, including Punch Wagon and 30 Amp Fuse, the guys finally shaped into the Used in the early '90s. Featuring Davis on drums, Pappas on vocals and guitar, Fisher on lead, and Chris Hargrove on freshwater bass, Coffey was finally recruited to get behind the outfit as Davis left to prosecute "Superdrag" -- a vehicle for his songs. Though Davis was amply competent toward acting all of the instruments on his originals (as proven on circulated home demos), he enlisted the talents of Fisher, Pappas, and Coffey so the chemical group could bet live. Constantly gigging beyond their hometown of Knoxville, Superdrag quick became a buzz band through and through their sacking of 1995's
The Fabulous 8-Track Sounds of Superdrag on Darla Records. As the EP standard spout reviews in publications like CMJ, a major-label bidding warfare finally followed with the band aim to Elektra Records.
Cathartic
Regretfully Yours in the summer of 1996, Superdrag constitute a highly positive response despite many looking to write them off as a "one-hit wonder." With first single "Sucked Out" comme il faut a major radio hit on both alternative and crossing over stations in addition to becoming an MTV "Bombilate Clip," sales of
Regretfully Yours finally pushed to a moderately successful 300,000 despite the failure of follow-up single and video "Destination Ursa Major." Playing hundreds of shows in accompaniment of the record, the group plant itself a highly celebrated touring entity, though many of Davis' modern songs were screening themselves piano-based and darker: the antithesis of the jangly john Rock that Superdrag was known for among the mainstream.
Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jerry Finn -- of Green Day, Rancid, and blink-182 renown --
Head Trip in Every Key was more of a conceptual album as it featured well-thought orchestrations. While the other members served their usual roles, Davis played the piano, electric organ, theremin, and sitar in add-on to his usual organism as a guitar player. Although solid pop/rockers like "Hellbent" and "Do the Vampire" were radio-friendly and did receive minor play, powerful and emotional cuts like "She Is a Holy Grail" and "The Art of Dying" (an ode to The Tibetan Book of the Dead) more so delineated the vibration of the record album as each clocked in above phoebe minutes. In fact, "Shuck & Jive" featured a Beach Boys-esque bridge with Davis himself doing five-part harmonies. Though reviews in many cases were the strongest always seen by the group, Elektra Records was all simply enthusiastic over
Head Trip in Every Key. Little if whatsoever living was given upon its March 1998 liberation, as financial support for a "Do the Vampire" video was revoked and granted to a "more commercial" techno pretend. Minimal touring accompaniment was provided and the group establish itself off the route rapidly.
Fed up with the failure of
Head Trip in Every Key, Superdrag independently released
Stereophony 360 Sound -- a compilation featuring original demos, interchange versions, and unreleased tracks -- on their possess label, Superdrag Sound Laboratories. Feeling up on their success on a littler plate, the quartette jubilantly returned to the studio as they recorded at Nashville's Woodland Studios for a yet-to-be-titled third LP (on a freshly sign-language two-album filename extension). However, endless pressures from their judge to write "attain songs" lED them to grow stock of working with Elektra and in the end demanded to be dropped, which happened months later on. Grown foiled with the group's situation, Pappas left hand in 1999 to full follow Flesh Vehicle -- a Rolling Stones-meets-Johnny Thunders power trio featuring him as songster -- though Davis, Fisher, and Coffey did run on Flesh Vehicle's uncut saucer
Elastic Prose (released later in the year on Green Point Music Works). Wasting no time, Superdrag added Sam Powers, bassist and ballad maker from the Nashville-based Who Hit John, to their full-time lineup.
Opening up their possess Stealth Studios, Superdrag recorded
In the Valley of Dying Stars with the attention of producer and longtime champion Nick Raskulinecz, wHO had worked with the grouping on all recordings since their 1993 inception. Released in the come of 2000 on the New York-based Arena Rock Recording Company -- a companionship that began with only putting out Superdrag's N.A. Kicker 7" single --
In the Valley of Dying Stars combines elements of both Elektra releases, having its fair share of succulent arrangements motley in with the feedback-enhanced pop that first achieved Superdrag their fame. Two years later on, Superdrag's bully rock shipway were constitute on the
Lowest Call for Vitriol album. The following circuit base them promoting the album heavily piece it climbed the college wireless charts. In May 2003, Superdrag proclaimed the leaving of Powers. He precious to pass more time with his home, and the rest of the band did too, fueling rumors of a split.
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