Supagroup formed as a high-energy quartet rooted in New Orleans, delivering thunderous rock anthems modeled directly on the style of AC/DC. Brothers Chris Lee, who handles bass and vocals, and Benji Lee, who plays guitar and sings, both hail from Alaska and first assembled the group in Anchorage as a bare-bones trio. Three years after the 1996 self-released album Planetrock, the lineup expanded to include Mark Brill on drums and Leif Swift on bass, at which point the band relocated to New Orleans. Their first live recording, the energetic We Came to Rock You, appeared in 1999, followed in 2001 by the 7" single When in Rome. Later that same year the band issued its first proper studio album in half a decade, Rock & Roll Tried to Ruin My Life, pressed in small numbers; Brill departed soon afterward. Michael Brueggen stepped in on drums, and Supagroup revisited many of its proven stage numbers for the 2003 self-titled album, its debut on the Los Angeles label Foodchain Records. The 2005 follow-up Rules carried cover imagery closely modeled on Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon, yet the supporting tour ended abruptly when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans that summer. With the city devastated and live music suddenly irrelevant, the band’s future appeared uncertain until an invitation from Alice Cooper—who had previously shared bills with Supagroup—to join another tour restored momentum. A European trek backing the Backyard Babies further revived the group’s drive, leading to the fall 2007 Foodchain Records release Fire for Hire, which continued the band’s signature tributes to women and rock & roll.
