Band pimping

Superdrag is a band I never gave a moment's thought to until seeing them live some years ago. Their few songs I was familiar with due to modest MTV rotation were just listenable, dime-a-dozen power pop and when they were scheduled to open for Guided By Voices at the Stone Pony (of Springsteen fame) they were clearly an afterthought for the assembled patchouli stink betas. But when GBV was forced to cancel at the last second due to a family tragedy, Superdrag took up the slack, played for hours and blew the doors off the place. Not only was their own material kickass live but they played assorted covers that opened my eyes to their various influences and earned a fan in me. "Aspartame" is a recent release after a long hiatus for the band, and the moronic politics aside it captures the energy of their live shows better than their past videos have.