Supagroup

A raucous four-piece based in New Orleans, Supagroup specializes in anthemic rock & roll in the time-honored tradition of AC/DC. Led by Alaskan brothers Chris Lee (bass, vocals) and Benji Lee (guitar, vocals), the band first appeared in Anchorage, AK, as a stripped-down trio. Three years after issuing the self-released Planetrock in 1996, the band reemerged with a new lineup — now consisting of the Lee brothers, Mark Brill (drums), and Leif Swift (bass) — and a new hometown of New Orleans. The vigorous live album We Came to Rock You was released in 1999, and a 7" single, When in Rome, followed in 2001. Rock & Roll Tried to Ruin My Life, the band's first full-length studio effort in five years, was issued in limited quantities later that year; it would also mark the end of Brill's tenure with the band. Drummer Michael Brueggen was enlisted to replace the departing musician, and Supagroup reprised many of their road-tested hits on 2003's self-titled release (their first for the L.A.-based Foodchain Records). Rules followed in 2005, featuring cover art that was highly reminiscent of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon, but the resulting tour was cut short when Hurricane Katrina besieged the band's hometown that same summer. Supagroup's prospects looked bleak in the aftermath of Katrina, which had left New Orleans in shambles and temporarily rendered party music obsolete. A personal invitation to tour alongside Alice Cooper (with whom the band had toured the previous year) convinced Supagroup to hit the road once more, and a subsequent European tour supporting the Backyard Babies restored Supagroup's former energy. Fire for Hire was released in fall 2007 on Foodchain Records, featuring the band's now-familiar odes to women and rock & roll.