LOS
ANGELES (Foodchain Records) - Alcohol-drenched and swanky as all
hell, hard rock's party mongers SUPAGROUP are gearing up to release
their second album Rules on Foodchain Records on May 10, 2005.
Produced, recorded and mixed by
Kevin "Caveman" Shirley (The Darkness,
Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden) and mastered by
George Marino
(Cro-Mags, Metallica) at Avatar Studios in NYC, Rules takes over where
their self-titled debut left off, adding more sex, drugs and rock n'
roll than is legal in pretty much all fifty States.
"I
wanted to make it old school and record everything live," says Benji
Lee (lead guitars/backing vocals) of the album. "It sounds like the
four of us playing together live, which is what any good band should be
trying to capture on tape anyway. No studio trickery." The band
absorbed all the vibes and creative energy they could glean from
recording in Avatar, formerly Tony Bongoivi's Power Station where Bob
Dylan and
David Bowie have done their best work. In a solid show of
solidarity and respect,
Kevin Shirley let Benji use one of Malcolm
Young's Gibson Les Paul Juniors, as well as Joe Perry's Fender Strat on
the record. Adds his brother
Chris Lee (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), "I
wanted this record to tell the story of the life we've been living with
a few exaggerations of course."
Recalling AC/DC, Van Halen, the
Ramones, and
Aerosmith in their heyday while putting a thoroughly
modern spin on it, Rules is pure, unadulterated super-charged stadium
rock at its finest. From the head-banging "Bastard" to the
party-starter "Hot Times" to the anthemic drinking song "Let's Go (Get
Wasted)", Supagroup turn the amps up to eleven... and leave it there.
The leadoff single "It Takes Balls" hearkens all things back in black
while giving
Steven Tyler a run for his daughters.
Formed in
1996 in Anchorage, Alaska by its two figureheads, brothers Chris and
Benji, they moved to New Orleans and augmented the band in 1998 with
the additions of Leif Swift on Bass and Michael Brueggen on drums.
Touring with the likes of Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stoneage,
Supersuckers and Drive-By Truckers, Supagroup built a healthy fanbase
before releasing 2003's self-titled album for Foodchain. They will be
hitting the road far and wide in 2005, including a stop in at SXSW in
Austin, so stay tuned for tour dates!
"The main theme of the
record is the rejection of real life, its responsibilities, and
especially its rules," concludes Chris. "We write our own rules." Adds
Benji, "I have boner just thinking about it."
