Hard rock and nothing anyone has ever heard on the radio is the type of music the New Orleans based high-octane band Supagroup will bring to its audience at Voodoo Fest this year.
Brothers Chris Lee, vocals, and Benji Lee, lead guitar, first started Supagroup five years ago. Other members of the band are Leif Robinson Swift, bass, and Michael Brueggen, drums. According to Chris Lee, the band has been through two bass players, many drummers and hopefully has found the right combination of rockers.
“We have no hidden agenda for people to interpret from our music. Our songs are mostly about sex, drugs and rock and roll. We are inspired by all the big guns of old school rock and roll such as the Stones, Aerosmith and AC/DC,” Benji Lee said.
Supergroup was the original name for the band. However, a band that had already claimed the name forced the group to choose a new name. According to Benji Lee, his father, who is Chinese-American, could never pronounce the name right and would always say “supagroupa” instead. The band then took on the name Supagroup, and it has stuck with them.
Chris Lee said the group has been in almost every major city in the United States and Canada. He said his favorite places to play are cities that will draw a big crowd, especially Austin, New York and Toronto.
“The one place I would want to tour would be Europe. I would definitely want to play in places like England, Spain, Germany and Scandinavia. The whole thing would be great because it would be a free trip to Europe,” Chris Lee said.
The band has opened for many bands including the Super Suckers and Alice Cooper. In New Orleans, the biggest place they have played is the House of Blues. However, Voodoo Fest will be the biggest show for the group. They will perform at 12:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 along with The White Stripes and Cypress Hill.
“People who are in New Orleans and not at the Saints game should come check us out and have a good time,” Chris Lee said.
Supagroup will be giving a live performance at The House of Blues on Oct 4. The band is hoping to sell out for the performance with Diction, a punk rock band, and Honky from the Butthole Surfers.
Supagroup has signed a record deal with FoodChain Records. According to Chris Lee, signing with a record label took a long time because none of the deals ever seemed quite right. All the deals had some catch to them and wanted the band to change some aspects.
“We were on the road for five years before we ever had a record deal. If you sound like all the radio music bands such as Creed or Limp Bizkit, it is easy to get a record deal. However, we would not go along with the bull the other record labels wanted,” Benji Lee said. “We have finally found the right people who let us do our own thing and like us the way we are. Getting this record deal took a lot of invested time and money.”
The self-titled album is the first national release Supagroup has ever had and is currently available at Tower, Virgin and all other local record stores.
Supagroup also currently has a music video “What’s Your Problem” that has just been released. Foodchain records is currently trying to get the video played in MTV. According to Benji Lee, the video has been retailed and is played 3,000 times a week at places like Macy’s and in certain Burger Kings. The video was filmed in a studio in New Orleans and took only one day to make.
“Our main motivation is to continue doing what we are doing and not have to get a day job. It is the dream of every musician to make money by playing music and so far we are doing pretty good at it,” Chris Lee said.