If you haven't heard already, there have been numerous rumors about
the future of Superdrag circulating all over the internet the past
week or so. To set the record straight, John has issued a statement.

May 5, 2003

Nashville, TN

Rock Soldiers Nationwide: It's been quite some time since I've had an
opportunity to sit down and put together a mailer for you--needless
to say, things have been a little hectic around Superdrag World HQ as
of late, and I apologize for the hold-up. There's an awful lot going
on with Superdrag at the moment, and an awful lot of speculation
about what the future may hold for us (on our message board and, from
what I understand, at several other locations online where people may
or may not be completely misinformed about what's taken place.) For
this reason, I want to set the record straight because I care so much
about every single Superdrag fan in the world and I feel you have the
right to know exactly what's going on; the truth and nothing but the
truth.

First things first: after four years of dedicated service, Sam Powers
is leaving Superdrag. It's official. I thought it best to let Sam
explain the situation, in his own words. Here's what he had to say:

Dear Friends and Fans of Superdrag,

I've had the pleasure of being in Superdrag for the last four years.
It's been a lot of fun and I've been a lot of places, met a lot of
wonderful people and made a lot of great friends. Thank you! It's
time for me to stay at home. I want to spend more time with my wife
and family. I'm still gonna make music, but for now I'm concentrating
on how nice it is being at home. I wish continued success to
Superdrag and to John, Don and Mike individually. I care for them all
dearly and will miss playing in Superdrag. Thanks to you all for your
support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Sam Powers

Those of you who know Sam know that in addition to being a musical
force to be reckoned with, he's one hell of a nice guy, one hell of a
hard-working guy, and is absolutely a pleasure to be around. Those of
you who know the rest of us know that he will be sorely missed. Right
here and now, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Sam
Powers and to wish him nothing but success and happiness in anything
he cares to pursue. I know that Rock Soldiers everywhere are with me
in doing so. I have been and will continue to be Sam's #1 fan (well,
besides Laura that is!) That being said, there are two (as yet
tentative) dates currently in the works for late June down here in
Tennessee, Nashville and Knoxville to be exact, which we plan to
record and film for release on DVD sometime this year. Sam has agreed
to do them. So, if you're willing and able to make a road trip
(Tennessee's really beautiful this time of year) these gigs are not
to be missed. Naturally, we'll furnish you with up-to-the-minute
information about them as it becomes available.

In light of the current situation, and all the extenuating
circumstances surrounding it, Superdrag will be taking a much-needed
break from touring, the length of which is indeterminate at this
time. Fans of Superdrag are already well aware of our commitment to
the road, and what it amounts to is the four of us spending an
average of 8-9 months out of the year away from home. That's been
more or less an ongoing thing for the past eight years. We need time
to get our personal lives in order. We need time to spend with our
wives and families. I can't speak for the other guys, but personally,
I need some time to live a life that's not completely consumed with
Rock'N'Roll for a change. I can't really find any better words to
explain the way I feel. I think we're all pretty burned out right
now, physically and emotionally, and for our health's sake we're
going to have to take a step back and regroup. There's no law that
says Superdrag can't make a new record, but I'm telling you it's not
gonna happen next month, or the month after that, or the month after
that.

I want to make absolutely clear how much we appreciate our fans;
casual fans, diehard fans, each and every person who ever bought a
CD, a concert ticket, or a T-shirt. You make Superdrag what it is,
you always have, and without you Superdrag would be meaningless. I
never dreamt that people across the country, much less people around
the world, would be listening to our music when we started screwing
around in our basement ten years ago. I never dreamt that people
would claim these songs as their own, take them to heart, and relate
to them on as many levels as so many of you have. On behalf of myself
and the group, I want to thank you for that.

As a means of expressing our heartfelt appreciation, and
commemorating our 10th Anniversary as Superdrag, we have a couple of
projects in the works, for fans only, that you might find
interesting. Over the years, we seem to have encountered a
significant demand for some kind of retrospective, all-inclusive, CD-
quality release that compiles all of our demos, unreleased songs, 4-
track and 8-track rarities, alternate versions, the whole kitchen
sink basically, into one package. So, by popular demand, we're in the
process of doing just that. I can't get specific about track listing,
etc., but let's just say that all those things you might've found on
MP3 but were only able to get 45 seconds of, all those things you
might've gotten off of some worn-out cassette that's been dubbed five
times, all those things that you found listed under the "Head Trip"
CD tray and wondered if they even existed, plus a whole lot more, are
gonna be presented in the best quality possible, taken from their
original sources, digitally mastered and blah blah blah, in the
most "Pro" fashion we know how. We hope to be able to make this
available through superdrag.com before the end of the year.

As a sort of companion piece to this compilation (or vice versa),
there is an official Superdrag book in the works! Can you believe it?
We actually convinced a publishing company that this would be a good
thing to do. (ha) The book will include tons of quotes from all kinds
of different Superdrag-related people (think "Please Kill Me", but
with more pictures and a less ironic sense of humor), all kinds of
never-before-published photos (hmm--that could be a good thing or a
bad thing), fliers, handwritten lyrics, string charts, journal
entries, grocery lists, you name it. First and foremost, it will lay
out the entire Superdrag story, told by the people who lived it,
lived next to it, or were otherwise within earshot. I'm looking
forward to reading that myself.

Work continues on Mike Harrison's astounding new solo
record, "Pallbearer's Shoes." I've heard the roughs, and let me tell
you, this record's gonna "knock your hat in a creek" as the saying
goes. You could consider it a follow-up to "Don't Bail" or the
natural successor to The Faults' "The Faults", but in truth it's
neither. In alot of ways, it's unlike anything Mike's done before.
Featuring performances by Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices), Scott
Miller (V-Roys, Scott Miller & The Commonwealth), Todd Steed (Smokin'
Dave & The Premo Dopes, Opposable Thumbs, Apelife), Paxton Sellers (V-
Roys, Faults), Stewart Pack (1-900$, Pegclimber, Paperbacks), and his
homeboys from Superdrag, Mike's new thing is produced by none other
than Mr. Don Coffey Jr. Keep your eyes peeled for more information
about the impending release of this stupendous album.

Looks like I might end up doing a solo record of my own before too
long. It's all hypothetical at this point, but I'm in the process of
trying to write some material that reflects where I'm at spiritually
and philosophically these days. It's quite a different place to be
than what it used to be, and I want to make a record that puts that
across in no uncertain terms. I've got a notion to try some things
that are radically different than what Superdrag's been doing, and
I'm prepared to take full responsibility for it, for better or worse,
so I'm only gonna put my name on it! Over all, it'll probably be a
little bit mellower than what you're used to hearing from me, and I
think that's allright. I'll let you know more as soon as I get it
figured out.

"Shameless Self-Destruction", the long-awaited full-length "debut"
record from The Used (or should I say The Used-To-Be, in accordance
with U.S. Copyright Laws) will be available sometime this summer from
your friends over at Wrecked 'Em Records. There seems to be some
confusion about this issue (the Knoxville 1991-1993 Used vs. the Utah-
based, Kelli Osbourne-dating Used), but The Used was a pre-Superdrag,
full-tilt Punk Rock band that featured Tom Pappas on guitar and
vocals, Brandon Fisher on guitar, Chris Hargrove on bass, and some
clown named Johnny Flame behind the drums. They got together back in
January of 2002 to re-record some of their "classic" tunes at Stealth
Studio in Knoxville with Don Coffey Jr behind the desk. Believe me,
the results speak for themselves, and the proof's in the pudding.
Ever been hit in the face repeatedly with a blunt object? This record
is more or less the audio equivalent of a severe beating. Mixing's
almost complete, and you can order your copy direct from wrecked-
em.com as soon as it becomes available. And while you're over there,
click on Flesh Vehicle's "Double EP" if you haven't already. Check
out the latest from "Senator" Tom Pappas!!

Well folks, that's all the news that's fit to print. My eyes are
starting to cross, so I'm gonna have to step away from the computer.
(ha) I hope this brings us up to date on all things Superdrag,
answers any questions you might've had, and generally puts any undue
speculation to rest. Hats off to Sam Powers for kicking so much ass,
onstage and off, for the past four years--it's been a pleasure
working with you, Sammy. And hats off to Rock Soldiers everywhere for
supporting Superdrag, for your undying loyalty, and for fighting the
good fight.

Much Respect,

John Davis & Superdrag


All of this will be on the website sometime later today. Feel free to
stop by the Superdrag.com message board to talk.

Sean
www.Superdrag.com