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04/09/09 Bowery Ballroom New York
Discography
04/10/09 Music Hall Of Williamsburg, NY 04/11/09 Paradise Boston, MA 04/24/09 Rock Island Brewing Rock Island, IL 04/25/09 Metro Chicago, Illinois
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It's hard to talk about Superdrag without mentioning that one song, you know, "Sucked Out"*. So let's get that over and done with: the song was a smash hit from their 1996 album, Regretfully Yours, thanks to MTV's heavy rotation of the video as part of their "Buzz Bin" series.
With the huge mainstream success of the song, their major record label Elektra demanded that Superdrag try and duplicate their hitmaker song - but the band never really achieved the same success in their later releases. Perhaps it's bitterness with their ex-label (obviously Elektra dropped the band after their second album), but primary singer/guitarist John Davis refused to play their hit song live.
When I saw them at the 400 Bar in 2000 for their In the Valley of Dying Stars promotional tour, it was evident that they weren't going to do that song as the set list started winding to the end... despite some jerk in the audience shouting out the song title over and over.
So I was happy to see Superdrag again from the recent SXSW Festival. The band looks and sound in top-tip shape. The recent band line-up is actually their original line-up, so it sort of made the release and touring for Industry Giants to be somewhat special.
I remember when I got a preview of "Filthy & Afraid" (Stealth Mix D) from the forthcoming album and I was really excited for the new material. I still think that song is their best song off of Industry Giants.
Other songs I dig are more stuff like "Cheap Poltergeist" and "Aspartame", which features some strong guitars and feels muscular - but, again, with some great guitar melodies. In fact, most of the album feels very rock n roll aggressive, with the exception of the acoustic-guitar intro of "Live and Breathe" (the song does pick up).
The one thing that I thought was odd was that the vocals are not Davis on certain songs. You can certainly tell with "You're Alive" with bassist Tom Pappas taking the lead vocals and made it sound like... I don't know, like a biker bar song or something. Not that I'm complaining, it was just unexpected on my part. I had to look at my playlist to make sure it was a Superdrag song!
It should also be noted that "Ready to Go" features guitarist Brandon Fisher on vocals, but this song sounds like it has the feel of a 'drag song (lots of guitar and bass on this one).
Industry Giants is out now, available at the usual locations - the best prices I've seen is at amazon for $12.98. I checked the official website and the merch section currently said the new CD is out of stock, however there's always MP3s. If you see them on tour, the album is sold for $10.
For hardcore fans, there are extra bonus tracks depending on where you purchase your album online. ITunes offers "Filter Out the Air", while amazon.com offers "4 On The Floor". If you already own the album, download each song individually should only set you back $2.
Fans should also want to check out the double-disc set of 4-Track Rock!!! 1992-1995 + Complete "Bender" Sessions, featuring very early demos of some of their most well-loved songs such as "Slot Machine" (the demo version features a medley of "Slot Machine" and "Phaser"), "N.A. Kicker", and "Sucked Out". This one is a tad more pricier at $20, but well worth it for any fan.
* We had promo copies of the single at KFRS 90.7 FM, and I don't think the song was added to our mandatory playlist (I ended up taking the promo single for myself, of course).
When I saw them at the 400 Bar in 2000 for their In the Valley of Dying Stars promotional tour, it was evident that they weren't going to do that song as the set list started winding to the end... despite some jerk in the audience shouting out the song title over and over.
So I was happy to see Superdrag again from the recent SXSW Festival. The band looks and sound in top-tip shape. The recent band line-up is actually their original line-up, so it sort of made the release and touring for Industry Giants to be somewhat special.
Other songs I dig are more stuff like "Cheap Poltergeist" and "Aspartame", which features some strong guitars and feels muscular - but, again, with some great guitar melodies. In fact, most of the album feels very rock n roll aggressive, with the exception of the acoustic-guitar intro of "Live and Breathe" (the song does pick up).
The one thing that I thought was odd was that the vocals are not Davis on certain songs. You can certainly tell with "You're Alive" with bassist Tom Pappas taking the lead vocals and made it sound like... I don't know, like a biker bar song or something. Not that I'm complaining, it was just unexpected on my part. I had to look at my playlist to make sure it was a Superdrag song!
It should also be noted that "Ready to Go" features guitarist Brandon Fisher on vocals, but this song sounds like it has the feel of a 'drag song (lots of guitar and bass on this one).
Industry Giants is out now, available at the usual locations - the best prices I've seen is at amazon for $12.98. I checked the official website and the merch section currently said the new CD is out of stock, however there's always MP3s. If you see them on tour, the album is sold for $10.
For hardcore fans, there are extra bonus tracks depending on where you purchase your album online. ITunes offers "Filter Out the Air", while amazon.com offers "4 On The Floor". If you already own the album, download each song individually should only set you back $2.
Fans should also want to check out the double-disc set of 4-Track Rock!!! 1992-1995 + Complete "Bender" Sessions, featuring very early demos of some of their most well-loved songs such as "Slot Machine" (the demo version features a medley of "Slot Machine" and "Phaser"), "N.A. Kicker", and "Sucked Out". This one is a tad more pricier at $20, but well worth it for any fan.
* We had promo copies of the single at KFRS 90.7 FM, and I don't think the song was added to our mandatory playlist (I ended up taking the promo single for myself, of course).
04/06/2009 02:49:06 ♥ vu (
) ♥ superdrag.com ♥ myspace.com/superdragofficial
