When one of your personal favorite bands – broken up for five years in its last incarnation and broken up for eight years in its original and most exhilaratingly bad ass form – decides randomly and without warning that it’s reforming for a short string of reunion dates with all four original members, you are prone to excitement. Lots of excitement. You hope that the band in which you borderline worshipped for the entire time they existed and of which you never saw perform live as the original foursome, chooses to play within a drivable distance from your home. When you discover that they indeed are, you start getting phone calls from friends you introduced the band to about “scoring” tickets and making a reunion of the reunion show. But when you’ve got this halfway respectable web site as collateral sometimes you can do better than that. It’s a little like what happened here with Superdrag, the very best band to ever come out of Knoxville, Tennessee. I like Tennessee. There have been a lot of great people to have graduated from the state college of the Volunteer State – Peyton Manning just for one reference – but no one, as far as I’m concerned, matters as much. Not to me that is. This night, a Friday at the end of the second week of October, was extra special and the night before a show at Chicago’s Metro. The band started its trip north a day early to come in for a session and we couldn’t have been more honored if it was Robert Pollard or Neil Young. Lead singer John Davis had been targeted for the past two years to bring his solo project’s band in for a session both times he traveled to Bushnell, Ill., for the Cornerstone Festival (a multi-day gathering in the middle of a dusty field featuring Christian and straight-edge bands such as Further Seems Forever, MXPX and everyone from Tooth & Nail), but both times the timing wasn’t favorable. He had to take a pass, but he remembered the name and when the reunion was announced, we all jumped at the chance. They arrived on time, completely blew the roof off our studio (you can hear it distinctly in the recordings) and made quick work of the 4-song set that is a terrific sampler plate of the band over the years. There was talk of new recordings and even lighthearted (or more?) talk of recording them here with us in a wham-bam sort of way. Then they ate pizza. – Sean Moeller

First song
Tell Me I'm Not Free (Superdrag) [4.24MB] [2212 downloads]
– unreleased
“Tell Me I’m Not Free” is one the tracks from my brand-new album, ARIGATO! The rest of the guys have done me the honor of helping me work it up and we’ve been performing it at all of our recent shows. You can buy the record at the merch booth! It’s also available at www.superdrag.com, www.myspace.com/johndavis, and on iTunes.

Second song
Sold You An Alibi (Superdrag) [2.79MB] [2018 downloads]
– original version appears on Head Trip In Every Key
“Sold You An Alibi” came out on our second album, “Head Trip In Every Key.” It’s always been one of our favorites to perform live.

Third song
Senorita (Superdrag) [3.11MB] [1943 downloads]
– original version appears on Stereo 360 Sound
“Senorita” was the “A-Side” of our first-ever 7” on Darla Records. The record came out in September (?) 1994. I like this version better!

Fourth song
Cynicality (Superdrag) [2.98MB] [2031 downloads]
– original version appears on Regretfully Yours
“Cynicality” was one of the songs we recorded for our first album, “Regretfully Yours.” It’s pretty much been in the setlist ever since.