Superdrag

Though many have dubbed Superdrag a punk-pop or power pop band, their music has shown itself to be atop of the aforementioned genres. Taking as much influence from the British Invasion-style pop of the Beatles and the Zombies as My Bloody Valentine and Hüsker Dü, Superdrag's songs combined melodicism and noise in fully distinct fashion. While many have compared frontman John Davis -- no relation to the Jonathan Davis of Korn or John Davis of Folk Implosion -- to Big Star's Alex Chilton in terms of his throaty vocals, sometimes cynical lyrics, and major-minor chord progressions, the history of the two Tennessee-based groups have shared many parallels in terms of being a band's band that has often gone misunderstood. Superdrag's chief members -- Davis, guitarist Brandon Fisher, bassist Tom Pappas, and drummer Don Coffey, Jr. -- had played together in various outfits, including Punch Wagon and 30 Amp Fuse, before molding into the Used in the early '90s. The band's lineup featured Davis on drums, Pappas on vocals/guitar, Fisher on lead guitar, and Chris Hargrove on bass, although Coffey was eventually recruited to get behind the drum kit as Davis left to pursue "Superdrag" -- a vehicle for his own songs. Though Davis was fully competent toward playing all of the instruments on his original material (as shown on circulated home demos), he enlisted the talents of Fisher, Pappas, and Coffey so the group could play live. While playing frequent shows in their native Knoxville and beyond, Superdrag became a buzz band through the release of their 1995 debut, The Fabulous 8-Track Sounds of Superdrag, which was issued by Darla Records. The EP received rave reviews in publications like CMJ, fueling a major-label bidding war that eventually saw the band heading to Elektra Records. ...