Supersuckers

At a moment when numerous alt-rock outfits either cloaked hard-rock conventions in ironic detachment, as Urge Overkill, Big Chief, and Redd Kross did, or reshaped them into grunge à la Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots, the Supersuckers distinguished themselves by balancing an obvious affection for large-scale, fist-pumping hard rock with a consistently arched eyebrow. Whether performing in 200-capacity clubs or projecting the energy of a 20,000-seat venue, the group channeled the swagger of Foghat, AC/DC, and ZZ Top through a punk lens, reveling in oversized riffs and personas while cheerfully declaring allegiance to sex, cannabis, and Satan. After gaining national attention on Sub Pop, they began with the relatively straightforward punk of 1992’s The Smoke of Hell before shifting into high-velocity hard rock on 1994’s La Mano Cornuda and 1995’s The Sacrilicious Sounds of the Supersuckers, then veered into stoner-country territory with 1997’s Must've Been High. Although their most celebrated recordings appeared during the Sub Pop years, later efforts such as the boisterous Motherfuckers Be Trippin’ in 2003 and the comparatively reflective Get It Together in 2008 proved they could still translate their style effectively in the studio.

The band coalesced in Tucson, Arizona, in 1988 when high-school acquaintances Eddie Spaghetti (born Edward Carlyle Daly III, bass and vocals), Ron Heathman (guitar), Dan “Thunder” Bolton (guitar), Dancing Eagle (born Dan Seigal, drums), and Eric Martin (lead vocals) began performing locally as the Black Supersuckers, a moniker borrowed from a pornographic novel. Roughly a year later they relocated to Seattle, partly in pursuit of weather friendlier to leather jackets; Martin departed shortly afterward, prompting Eddie Spaghetti to assume lead vocals. Now simply the Supersuckers, they issued 7-inches on eMpTy, Sympathy for the Record Industry, and Lucky before those tracks were gathered on the 1992 eMpTy compilation The Songs All Sound the Same, their first CD. That same year Sub Pop released their official debut, The Smoke of Hell, produced by Jack Endino and adorned with artwork by comic illustrator Daniel Clowes; the set included the well-known “Coattail Rider” and the single “Hell City, Hell,” whose B-side offered a cover of Ice Cube’s “Dead Homiez” that became a fan staple.

The group found its signature voice on the 1994 album La Mano Cornuda (“the horned hand,” a satanic gesture), which contained such calling-card tracks as “Creepy Jackalope Eye” and “She’s My Bitch” and remains many listeners’ favorite Supersuckers record. Heathman stepped away temporarily for drug-related reasons and was replaced by former Didjits guitarist Rick Sims for 1995’s The Sacrilicious Sounds of the Supersuckers, produced by the Butthole Surfers’ Paul Leary; the absence of Heathman’s usual guitar assault lent the sessions a different texture, yet the album still added worthy numbers such as “Born with a Tail.” Heathman recovered and returned for 1997’s Must've Been High, a committed country excursion that featured Willie Nelson as a guest; a concurrent five-song EP showcased country renegade Steve Earle fronting the band.

Following that country detour, the Supersuckers secured a major-label contract with Interscope, only to be dropped amid corporate mergers before the straight-ahead rock album they had recorded could be issued. Disillusioned, they moved to the independent Twenty14.com imprint and finally delivered the proper follow-up to Sacrilicious by repurposing material from the shelved Interscope sessions. The Evil Powers of Rock ’n’ Roll appeared in late 1999 and included the nostalgic “Santa Rita High,” a fond recollection of their Tucson high-school years. Sub Pop simultaneously issued the 27-track overview How the Supersuckers Became the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World. After contributing two tracks (one a collaboration with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder) to the 2000 benefit album Free the West Memphis 3, the band released a split LP with Electric Frankenstein in 2001.

Determined to control their destiny after the Interscope experience, the Supersuckers launched their own Mid Fi label in 2002, beginning with the live chronicle Must've Been Live drawn from their country period. A fresh hard-rock studio album, Motherfuckers Be Trippin’, arrived in 2003. Longtime drummer Dan Siegel then exited and was succeeded by Mike Musburger. While preparing another studio set, the group kept Mid Fi active with two archival live discs and the rarities collection Devil’s Food; The Paid EP and Live at Bart’s CD Cellar & Record Shop appeared in 2006. Get It Together, issued in 2008, ranks among their most cohesive and introspective works and marked Siegel’s return. The band paused while Eddie Spaghetti issued two solo albums on Bloodshot Records, resurfacing in 2014 with the hard-rocking Get the Hell on Steamhammer Records. That release featured Spaghetti and Bolton alongside new recruits Metal Marty Chandler on guitar and Captain Von Streicher on drums.

In June 2015 Spaghetti was diagnosed with Stage 3 oropharynx cancer. Following surgery and radiation, the group returned with the country-tinged Holdin’ the Bag that October, now configured as a trio after Bolton’s departure, with Spaghetti, Chandler, and von Streicher remaining. They reaffirmed their hard-rock identity on 2018’s Suck It and sounded even more potent on 2020’s Play That Rock N’ Roll, which appended a high-octane cover of Ernie K-Doe’s “A Certain Girl.” On August 18, 2020, the band announced via social media that founding guitarist Ron Heathman had passed away.