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Thankfully Theirs

Michael Wong What a Superdrag: The British invasion lives on. Superdrag keeps Anglo-pop alive on new album By Nicky Baxter THE BRITISH INVASION of the mid-'60s did wonders for a portion of North American pop. It was a weird phenomenon: young Englishmen mimicking the blues and R&B of Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Motown and crossing the Atlantic to sell these repackaged goods to American white kids, who were evidently unaware of the source of these newly translated sounds. Setting aside issues of cultural appropriation, the resultant music--white rock--eventually assumed a legitimate life of its own, owing little to its black roots. As performed by bands like the Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, and the Mamas and the Papas, that music produced some of the era's most sublime moments. The emergence of Superdrag is evidence that stateside Anglo-pop endures. Brandishing its influences like shiny epaulets, Superdrag combines the lilting melodicism of bands like the Dave Clark Five with the insouciance of Brian Jones­era Rolling Stones, topping it off with the Jam's taut Mod revivalism. Formed three years ago, Superdrag (vocalist/guitarist John Davis; guitarist Brandon Fisher; bassist Tom Pappas; drummer Don Coffey Jr.) has traveled quite a distance from the basement unit it once was. Regretfully Yours (Elektra) is one of the year's strongest debuts. If you haven't seen the video for "Sucked Out," you must be into rap or something. Superdrag, Refreshments and Ocean Blue perform Sunday (Oct. 6) at 9pm at the Edge, 260 California Ave., Palo Alto. Tickets are $7 adv. (415/324-EDGE) [ Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]