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Like many people in their early 30s, I have a somewhat nostalgically wistful relationship with the alternative rock of the mid-to-late ’90s. I bought CMJ New Music Monthly. I made sad and regrettable purchases based on CD sampler bundled within. (Thanks for nothing, For Squirrels.) I worked shifts at college radio stations no one actually listened to. And now, enough time has passed to make hearing some of that era’s music bring about deluded memories of days gone by. Those of you who happen to live in Los Angeles can turn your evening out into an opening montage of 90210 this week at the Troubadour, when a Superdrag/Kay Hanley double bill hits the stage.
Superdrag are in full reunion mode, after lead singer John Davis’ dalliance with Christian rock, and recording new material. Meanwhile, Hanley has been singing backup for Miley Cyrus and trying to teach herself how to properly use a curling iron. Either way, both acts were better than the Refreshments.
Superdrag – Destination Ursa Major:
Superdrag – Sucked Out
Letters To Cleo – Awake
Letters To Cleo – I See
Superdrag [homepage]
Kay Hanley [homepage]
Frickin’ Superdrag. Never understood why the hell people were all goo-goo eyed over them.
Couldn’t have spanked it more to those Letters To Cleo videos ….in ‘97, I mean. Yeah.
Mike and Kay are basically some of the nicest folks I’ve ever met in rock.
The (late) bass player for For Squirrels was my freshman year roommate. I’m still always shocked when I see any sort of reference to them.
I worked the 1am – 3am shift on Friday nights my freshman year. Otherwise known as “the time when people with lives are out partying and not listening to college radio.”
I also subscribed to CMJ and occasionally when I listen to my iPod on shuffle, some gem from Knapsack will magically appear and I will get nostalgic for the days when I actually had heard of bands.
Thanks for the memories, Dan. And for making me feel insanely old.
i never never never get tired of “sucked out”. never. i didn’t really get into superdrag because i figured it couldn’t possible touch “sucked out”.
Someone alert Peter Gammons!
I used to impress myself by singing the tongue-twister chorus to “Here & Now” and was shocked to learn recently, upon hearing it for the first time in many years, that I still remembered it. Just imagine what I could have done with those brain cells had they not been devoted to the chorus of “Here & Now.”
despite being an alt-rock junkie in the boston area, i never heard awake until about five years later, and i think it’s waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than here and now.
also, i didn’t think she’d done anything since writing the songs for the josie and the pussycats movie. (which is AWESOME if you never saw it, btw.)
in a fit of procrastination, i went to the Kay Hanley site and clicked on “Bio,” which contains a placeholder reference to “Slack Motherfucker.” i feel a little queasy now…
that said, although i always found her voice/songs too chirpy for my taste, good on her for getting on the Hannah Montana gravy train and having some fun with it.
@silkyjumbo: i’m kind of in the same boat. probably a disservice to the band.
Whoa, I still have my copy of the Cherrydisc version of Letters To Cleo’s CD, signed by Kay. But what can I say, my daughter loves Miley Cyrus too. *shrug*
Kay Hanley is too awesome for words…
Kay backing up Miley:
+ Watch video
And, @bcapirigi: “Three Small Words” deserves a place on the “X00 Greatest Pop songs, evah!” list…Discuss…
+ Watch video
P.S. And that movie freakin’ rocks!
One of my high school english teachers was in an early version of Letters To Cleo and was forced by his wife to quit the band and get a real job. I had his class the year Here & Now came out and it was heartbreaking to see the man’s soul crumble as the album went from local hit to regional hit to monster soap opera soundtrack hit. He finally cracked during a discussion of ‘A Seperate Peace’. It was a sad, sad scene and it taught me quite bit about how shitty adulthood can be.
“Better than the Refreshments”?
That’s just mean.
You meant Rembrandts,right? Right?
(Goes back to humming “Banditos”)
@GWY: I lived in Tempe during the heyday of the Refreshments, and I stand behind that statement.
@Dan Gibson: C’mon, that was, like, 6 months?
(I’m with GWY. That album had its moments.)
@SAShepherd: Even six months was more than enough.
Mostly, I somehow blame The Refreshments for the major label failure of One (a far superior Tempe act of the era), which probably wasn’t their fault at all.
SUPERDRAG!!!! My 17-year-old self is beyond pumped. I saw ‘em a few times over the years, but only once with the original line-up, so I’m excited these dudes are back together.
I am going to be the dude in the middle of the floor pogoing nonstop and doing scissor kicks and just generally being completely out of control. It’s going to be so awesome.
I saw Superdrag when i was about 15 or 16, like a year or so after “Sucked Out” was a huge hit, and John was totally cool and just talked to me and my punk friend for a while. I think I had him sign a matchbook or something. I was kind of a dork.