Bio courtesy of Arena Rock Recording Co

Superdrag bolted from the lumbering shadows of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium in 1993 in a beat-to-shit tour van with some ballsy aspirations: they wanted to be the next Beatles. They already possessed the sugar sweet hooks and hummable melodies, and they even had the boots and suits and mop-top do's to complete the package.

But nine years and three albums of pop-rock pyrotechnics later, they've figured out it's a lot easier just throwing on a pair of ratty blue jeans, plugging in the guitar and just being Superdrag...one of the best goddamned rock bands on the planet.

That's Rock, folks. With a capital "R." An endangered species on an FM dial infected with silicone sirens and NAMBLA pinups.

Like the lovable louts in the Replacements or the countrified punks in Uncle Tupelo, Superdrag (singer/guitarist John Davis, drummer Don Coffey, bassist Sam Powers and newcomer Mike Harrison) seems destined for the hallowed musical boneyard of bands whose genre defining pinache and influence far outweigh their record-sells and TRL appearances. They've been to the mountaintop of major-label glad-handing thanks to their debut, Regretfully Yours, been slapped on the ass by the folks at MTV and rubbed frets on tour with the likes of Green Day and Weezer.

But they've also seen the darkside of the business, witnessed by their messy divorce from Elektra, which parted with the band after their overlooked and underhyped sonic tour de force, Headtrip In Every Key.

Now, three years after the unpleasantness, Superdrag are back doing what they do best - cutting through the bullshit with a wall of fuzz guitar, a pummeling 4/4 beat and a freakish pop sensibility.

All three factors collide in spectacular fashion on Superdrag's latest album, Last Call for Vitriol. Their second full-length release for the Arena Rock Recording Company, Vitriol finds Knoxville's finest mining the bipolar eccentricity of Revolver-era Beatles, packing the punk fury of The Stooges on one track, the barroom bluster of Big Star on the next, and the forlorn twang of prime Waylon in between.

As if that wasn't enough, Guided by Voices mastermind Bob Pollard lends his pristine snarl to the lead track, "Baby Goes to Eleven."

"It was really a thrill for us," Davis says with a potent Tennessee twang. "Naturally we're all big fans of Guided By Voices have been for years. The fact that he thought enough of the song to want to sing on it really meant a lot to us."

Lyrically, Vitriol is a study of love and life viewed through the bottom of a beer bottle. Davis-penned songs like "The Staggering Genius," "So Insincere," and "Feeling Like I Do" find our hero cross-eyed, painless and looking for a good woman to drag him away from the bar. Oddly enough, these songs convinced the now-sober frontman to clean up his own act.

"You can hear the frustration coming through on those songs," says the recently married Davis. "I knew it was time for a change. I guess I knew that for quite a while, but I refused to admit it, even to myself."

Adding a new wrinkle to Superdrag's power-pop formula is the emergence of Powers. After cutting his teeth on 2000's In The Valley of Dying Stars, Powers steps to the forefront on Vitriol, taking lead vocal duties on three tracks and writing or co-writing five songs.

"I really love the songs he brought to the record," Davis says. "We did a lot of co-writing, which is something I've never really had a chance to do before. It all works to make this album something we're right proud of."

So here it is, Last Call for Vitriol, a six-cylinder plowing through the night, wind blowing in your hair, beer buzzing, stereo cranked to oblivion, buddies in the back caterwauling.

That's the sound of Superdrag. Just like the old days. Rock n' Roll with a capital "R."

Interview by Mike Aylward

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Mike: How would you define the SuperDrag sound to a newcomer to your music?
John: For the most part, I'd describe our music as melodic, energetic, Southern Power-Pop/Rock'N'Roll. With the occasional 6-minute Psychedelic jazz odyssey or 60's-style Country tear-jerker thrown in there for good measure. We tend to swerve into a few different seemingly disparate musical territories on records, but I'd say our bread and butter is the three-and-a-half-minute Power Pop number. Our drummer Don has his very own patented Rock Formula: loud drums, loud bass, loud guitars, and doubled vocals. So there you have it.

Mike: What types of music and which musicians/groups influenced the band members growing up?
John: All kinds of stuff. Dinosaur Jr, Husker Du, Swervedriver, Sebadoh, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Posies, The Pixies, The Descendents, The Replacements, Tommy Keene, Teenage Fanclub, Big Star, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, AC/DC, The Archers Of Loaf, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Ramones, The Who, The Kinks, The Zombies, The Small Faces, and blah, blah, blah, blah. A really wide range of stuff.

Mike: How did growing up in Knoxville influence your music?
John: I'm not sure if growing up in Knoxville had much influence on us musically, if any. One thing about Knoxville is that it's the kind of place where you're less likely to be swayed by every trend that comes down the pike. You know, you won't find bands in Knoxville doing ska one minute and rap-metal the next in an attempt to become famous. I suppose that could've been "influential."

Mike: Which do you prefer, writing/recording or live performance?
John: I think they're both equally satisfying, for different reasons. Writing and recording the music is exciting because it's all about creating something new. The touring end of the spectrum is more about being consistent and delivering the goods onstage every time. We enjoy going out and playing every night of the week, and we enjoy getting to meet the people who buy the records and listen to them. The way I see it, these are all different facets of the same big process.

Mike: How did your experience with Elektra Records affect you?
John: There were pros and cons to it, like anything else. The video and single from the first record exposed us to a whole new audience, and afforded us the opportunity to spend alot of time in the studio making the second record. That was nice. We had to waste alot of our time screwing around with them on the third record, which was unfortunate, but at least we were able to take it elsewhere and get on with our lives. Alot of bands aren't so lucky.

Mike: Have you ever considered doing a strictly country/country-rock release?
John: It's something that appeals to me on a certain level, but I wouldn't want to alienate the portion of our fans who would rather hear straight-up Rock'N'Roll from us, and nothing else. We've always tried to delve into some kind of new sound on every record. It's nice to have the freedom to try new things, while at the same time being able to continue to do what we do best. But I can't say for sure what we will and won't do in the future; we always just do what comes naturally. I can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that we won't be making a Techno record, but that's about it.

Mike: Whose music are you listening to right now?
John: Dinosaur Jr, "Bug."

Mike: A hundred years from now, how would you like SuperDrag to be remembered?
John: I guess I'd just like us to be remembered as a nice bunch of guys from Tennessee who made some great records, played some great shows, and were fortunate enough to be able to make a living doing the one thing they enjoyed doing the most. How's that?

Answers from Don Coffey Jr
Mike: How would you define the Superdrag sound to a newcomer to your music?
Superdrag:(don coffey jr.) it used to be easier, in that we were a power pop band with a heavy British influence. Over the course of time, we’ve covered more ground, and now I think one could say we’ve become more the American Rock and Roll bar band, not afraid to try anything. Nothing is really out of bounds or off limits. We still feel an affinity with power pop and with the British influences, but that can be kind of limiting after nine years. The new record definitely reflects this.

Mike: What types of music and which musicians/groups influenced the band members growing up?
Superdrag:(dc) the dbs, lets active, the ‘mats, dinosaur jr., Husker Du, ACDC, Cheap Trick, The Smithereens, The Beatles, the Who, Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones. My dad was into country, like Willie, Waylon, Merle, Conway and my mom was into Roberta Flack, Little Richard, Gladys Knight and Jerry Lee Lewis. He played at her public swimming pool when she was a teenager (how many times have I heard that story). So, I got a lot of what they liked up in me as well.

Mike: How did growing up in Knoxville influence your music?
Superdrag:(dc) I think because there weren’t many live bands comin’ to my town, there was a unique attachment to radio and ones own record collection. It made me analyze what made songs great at an early age. Why were there radio versions and album versions, for instance? (Thin Lizzy’s "the boys are back in town" or the Knack’s "my sharona") DOES RADIO NOT VALUE A BRILLIANT LEAD!!!! Growing up in Knoxville lead me to a musical rebellion of sorts. By high school, I was seeking out other kinds of music because what was happening locally was boring, mostly metal. This would have been my plimsouls period.

Mike: Which do you prefer, writing/recording or live performance?
Superdrag:(dc) it’s apples and oranges. I think my favorite part is still the band in the room comin’ up with an idea that becomes a song. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to, but when it does, it’s a cool feeling. However, we all get a kick out of playing the shows and I LOVE being on the road! Shitty food, shitty hotels, shitty club washrooms, Arizona in august, Minneapolis in December, free Budweiser…. I LOVE IT!

Mike: How did your experience with Elektra Records affect you?
Superdrag:(dc) it certainly was a learning experience. We did right by them and they eventually did right by us. We would never have gotten to work with Jerry or Tim and that would have made recording our new record much more difficult. It helped us get people in the clubs and that’s a positive thing too. I wish they would have liked "head trip…." And "in the valley…" more, but what can you do? It’s water under the bridge and we’re happy where we are, arena rock fits like a three button suit.

Mike: Have you ever considered doing a strictly country/country-rock release?
Superdrag:(dc) over the last year or so, I think there is some interest in doing it. I think it would be cool and it would certainly be fun. Maybe we could pull it off between records, not tour it, just put it out and let it be. I’d have to do some serious wood shedding, it’s quite a different swing.

Mike: How would you describe "Vitriol"?
Superdrag:(dc) I think it combines elements from previous records and pulls in some new elements as well. It has plenty of rock and plenty of new twists. It’s awkward to describe our own record, how would you describe it?

Mike: How does "Vitriol" compare to your earlier releases?
Superdrag:(dc) see above

Mike: How do you think new technology affects how youdeliver your message?
Superdrag:(dc) well, the internet certainly affects things. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. As for recording, we’ve never fully embraced the digital era. I certainly see how it can benefit some people and certain types of music. For my money, gimmie 2 inch tape…please!

Mike: Whose music are you listening to right now?
Superdrag:(dc) at this exact moment, I just finished listening to Starsailor, I’m fixin’ to listen to seafood and Gomez and I’m going to see the mayflies USA and waxwings tonight. I’ve been digging children’s audio and The Gentleman and international fire theory, and I’ll be seeing The Hives tomorrow.

Mike: What do you think are the embodiments of good and evil in the world and in the music business today?
Good?
Superdrag:(dc) this is a loaded question. I think it’s good that there are so many bands releasing music. Ithink it’s bad that there is really no radio format to accommodate them. I think it is evil that a few huge conglomerations spoon feed the people (with front end loaders for spoons) only allowing certain music to get pushed and played. I think it’s evil that commercial radio stations don’t allow the d.j.’s to spin records they like (if they have a d.j. at all) and that Alan Freed who may or may not have coined the term" Rock and Roll," lost his job in 1960 and then drank himself to death by 1965,for doing exactly the same thing that goes on today. Payola still exists. It’s good that college radio still thrives in many places. It’s good that there are rock clubs that give young bands a chance when no one else will. It’s evil that some clubs take 20% of a band’s t-shirt (gas, food and lodging) money even though they do nothing to deserveit. As for the world…I’ll let Bono answer that.

Mike: A hundred years from now, how would you like Superdrag to be remembered?
Superdrag:(dc) Ask us in a hundred years when we’re playing your great grandkid’s birthday bash.