Supersuckers

By Shari Burnett

WHO:

SuperSuckers

WHERE:

Maxx Fish

WHEN:

Monday, February 19

e’vil

n. An evil force, power or personification.

A tall title to live up to, but Seattle’s hard-hitting rock ’n’ roll rebels, SuperSuckers, do it every time they step on stage or into the studio.

"It’s the best things about rock ’n’ roll, all the things that are just wrong and quote ‘evil’," says Suckers front man Eddie Spaghetti. "That’s why people sell their souls at the cross roads… blues based music, rock and roll and good country are things that your proper citizens don’t want people listening to… but I’ve always enjoyed that spirit."

"Spirited" would be a mild description for songs titled I Want the Drugs, Gone Gambling and My Kickass Life. "Spirited" also did not make the list of adjectives used on the band’s bio: "They’re shoplifters, drug addicts, gamblers, burglars and whore mongers…"

"We are the greatest rock and roll band in the world in every sense of it," laughs Spaghetti, "and I cannot confirm or deny those (adjectives)."

Spaghetti drops into a more serious mode, however, to talk about a rather selfless project for a band that preaches the religion of self-indulgence. Free The West Memphis 3 is a compilation CD dedicated to raising awareness about the highly controversial murder convictions of teenagers Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley. Echols sits on death row.

"We’re not raging against any machine (with this project). It’s something that I identify with because of the way they were vilified through their pursuit of teen rebellion. They listened to the wrong kind of music; they wore the wrong kind of clothes; they read the wrong kind of books. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and boom, all of a sudden they’re murderers? No. I don’t think so. But that’s the perception in the community and it’s really unfortunate. I think as an escapist rock and roll band it’s a good thing to stand up for."

Spaghetti is listed as an executive producer on the 15-song CD, which also features music by Rocket from the Crypt, Tom Waits, L7 and Steve Earl. Earl was a natural for the project, as a very vocal opponent of the death penalty.

"This case has definitely opened up my eyes to that," says Spaghetti. "I think before this case I was neither here nor there on the death penalty. Now my opinion is do I need to be doing the killing through my tax dollars? And ‘no’ is my answer. I’m now vehemently opposed to the death penalty, especially now, having a friend on death row it makes it very clear.

"Even people who are guilty, we put people in prison under the guise of rehabilitation, when really what the place is is a school to learn how to do your crime a little bit better if you get out. Maybe some people should never be let out, but we don’t need to kill people."

Got evil blood and a twisted mind/ everywhere I go you know that trouble won’t be far behind.

Those are the lead off lyrics to the title song on the Suckers latest album The Evil Powers of Rock ’n’ Roll . Some critics might say the Suckers’ music actually encourages less-than-legal behaviour.

"I would say they are 100 per cent correct. That’s exactly what our music does do."

Do we all need to be a little naughty to be happy?

"No, but those of us who do should be encouraged to enjoy themselves. A lot of our songs are downright wrong. I think if there was a J. Edgar Hoover after the SuperSuckers we’d be in a lot of trouble. We have one song called How to Maximize Your Kill Count which is nothing more than an instructional on how to maximize your kill count. But it’s done in jest. It’s humour. As John Lennon said, ‘we’re humorists’. I’m not up here purporting to change the world, I’m making light of a serious situation through music."

Indeed, while SuperSuckers music is hard and fuelled, there’s no young-man-angry-at-the-whole-world syndrome. The energy is raw and explosive, but always done tongue-in-cheek.

"It’s set us apart from a lot of our peer bands who use frustration and teen-angst to propel their music… it’s kept us in a positive light even though we speak of the evil powers," Spaghetti says. "It’s not an indictment, it’s a celebration of the liquor, the women, the drugs and all those fun things. But at the same time maybe we would’ve sold a couple more records if we were a little more pissed off."

And what makes this hedonistic monster happy? What qualifies as a good day in the life of a SuperSucker?

"Well, shit, I can’t tell you that! Not with my rock ’n’ roll persona, you know," laughs Eddie.

"Drinking blood, satanic ritual killings, that’s what I do in my spare time. I would never just enjoy my new baby and my wife at home or anything like that."

Spaghetti says the fans are another "pleasant side effect of the job." The official Web site – www.supersuckers.com – and about a dozen spin-off sites are loaded with testimonials from fans. They write not only about "having no ass because it got rocked off," but also about meeting, drinking and partying with the boys before and after the shows.

"You don’t get to do that if you’re a computer programmer… I might be making a lot more money, but there’s some definite perks to this job," says Spaghetti.

SuperSuckers make their return to Whistler Monday, February 19 ^th at Maxx Fish. If you’re looking for a mild show with songs you’ve heard on the radio, Eddie suggests you stay home.

"It’s entertaining, it’s a little bit wrong, it’s rock ’n’ roll."