After months of rumors and conjecture, Superdrag has officially

signed to Elektra Records, making them the latest Knoxville band to go for

national status. The band performs at 10 p.m. this Saturday, April 15, at

the Mercury Theatre.

With the Judybats recent demise, Superdrag takes the lead in being

Knoxville’s Next Big Thing. Do they feel any pressure?

“It’s nice to feel like ‘the next thing,'” says bass player Tom Pappas.

“But I don’t feel like it’s any big pressure. We’re still going to do what

we’ve been doing.”

The Superdrag sound, if you haven’t heard, is a full-bodied stew of flying

melody and fuzzy rhythm.

“We like to cover all the bases of audio,” says Pappas.

“Audio apocalypse,” adds guitarist Brandon Fisher.

The record deal follows a busy period of exposure for the band, playing

several shows in New York (one with Velocity Girl) and participating in a

panel discussion on touring at a seminar sponsored by New York University.

“A lot of times when you play in New York, word about you gets out,” says

Fisher. “The show can turn into an industry thing.”

Also earning them notice recently is their 7-inch single, released on

Darla Records, featuring the songs “HHT” and “Nothing Good Is Real.” They

credit this record with helping them land the major label deal.

“We started getting calls from Los Angeles and New York,” says Fisher. “The

7-inch worked like a demo tape, except that it was a nationally released

demo tape.”

After being “courted” by several big name labels, they decided to sign with

Elektra, who offered them the best deal. Entertainment lawyer Bill Berrol,

who has also represented the Afghan Whigs and the Flaming Lips, helped

Superdrag get the best deal possible. He closely examined the contract from

Elektra before the bandmembers signed it.

The next move is to record songs for a full album. The first record, while

financed by Elektra, will probably be released on a smaller label, possibly

Darla, Fingerpaint or SubPop.

“We have plans to record in early June,” says Fisher, “probably using Tim

O’Heir (who produced the latest Sebadoh album) or Bob Weston (of Shellac)

to produce.” They plan to record at Easley’s Studios in Memphis, where

bands like Come, the Grifters and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion have

recorded.

After recording, Superdrag will hit the road, touring nationally with spots

opening for big-name bands. The band hopes to build a core audience based

on “great live shows” instead of just filming a video and letting it do the

work for them. They see this as a better way to make a lasting impression

with potential fans.

“I think if MTV breaks a band, there’s not really any longevity to it,”

says Fisher.

Saturday’s show also features Atom Bomb Pocket Knife and Dinky

Doo (featuring ex-Pegclimber guitarist Stuart Pack).