Superdrag: The Secret Handshake Thus Returns Fully Intact
Oct 31, 2007
Words by A.J. Landman
Illustration by Brendan Kiefer
One can learn a lot of life’s little lessons when making a trip to Chicago to watch Superdrag’s reunion concert. For instance, Sean Moeller has an instinctive knowledge of when I am stuck I traffic, waitresses in Chicago can’t point out a convenient drug store, and I can park an SUV wherever I damn well please.
We were ready for just about anything. One of those grinder monkeys could have come out and hit some cymbals and I would have been thoroughly impressed. However, the Metro doesn’t book grinder monkeys, they book Superdrag, and Superdrag rules.
The great thing about Superdrag is I had seen them a total of three times before this occasion. This was the best I had ever seen them. They looked like they were in high spirits, having fun again, and genuinely happy to be there.
Right from the onset, Superdrag accomplished what made them a shining light in the class of 1996 alternative rock, they cranked the amps up to 11 and didn’t look back. The songs played were generally from three albums -- _The Fabulous 8-Track Sound_, _Regretfully Yours_, and _Headtrip in Every Key_. These albums were seminal in my development as a musician and as a music fan. To say that these songs are loud and full of controlled feedback is an understatement. Superdrag is genius because of their usage of these elements. No one wanted to have their earplugs in, but we also wanted to keep our hearing. Life is full of choices and sacrifice.
Describing Superdrag’s actual sound is tough. It lies somewhere between The Beatles and Husker Du, that is to say it is poppy, at times sugary, but also loud as hell and doesn’t let up.
The fact that all of the original members of the band decided to come out on tour made the concert all the more nostalgic and enjoyable. All of the elements were there, Senator Tom Pappas and his major afro, prominently featured in the music video for the band’s breakout hit "Sucked Out." Pappas was in his usual form constantly conjuring up images of Thin Lizzy. Brandon Fisher, the group’s guitarist provided a sonic landscape or drones and counter-melodic lines. Don Coffey Jr., hedgehog drummer extraordinaire worked amazingly hard to not stand out and instead focused on his job, setting a mood and drumming himself stupid. Then there was John Davis, a perfect punk rock front man. No bullshit, all balls. Even on softer tunes such as "Unprepared" and "True Believer," two stand-out tracks from the band’’s ode on death and dying "In the Valley of Dying Stars," written about Davis’ grandfather, his swagger and attitude carried the immense weight of the songs and translated into a medium that even the most dense frat boy in attendance could understand and identify with. He taught the audience a lesson about the pain of his past indiscretions without coming off as whiney "woe is me" leader.
It was no easy task for Superdrag to come out of a nearly six-year hibernation, eight years without their original line-up. Rust needed to be knocked off, bonds needed to be reformed. But the execution of their big night out at the Metro showed all in attendance that while the landscape of rock and roll has changed considerably since their original heyday, Superdrag is more than willing to be a niche band, a little secret musical handshake for fans of 60s pop. If they do make another album, I will not only buy it, I will hold my friends at gunpoint until they also get out there and support the band that made naked ass kicking a fun and wholeheartedly interesting thing to do.
"Superdrag Official Site":http://www.superdrag.com
