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You've surely heard of the Sophomore Slump, that dreaded music-industry phenomenon that sees promising young bands follow successful first efforts with second albums that promptly tank—or at least fall far short of expectations. It's been an especially common happenstance in recent years—just ask the Presidents of the United States of America, Silverchair, Weezer, and any number of other would-be modern rock superstars.

So it's with understandable trepidation that Knoxville's Superdrag stands on the cusp of its own sophomore outing; on March 24, the band's second major-label album Head Trip in Every Key, will be coming to a store near you, preceded by a March 21 kick-off show at B&H Performance Hall on Cumberland Avenue. The album is the follow-up to the group's 1996 Elektra records debut Regretfully Yours, which sold more than 100,000 copies and produced a hit modern rock single and MTV buzz clip with the ubiquitous "Sucked Out."

We caught up with Superdrag skinsman Don Coffey and mop-topped bassist Tom Pappas at their well-camouflaged Fourth and Gill fortress and canvassed the pair on a variety of topics, from the merits of their new platter to their feelings about the record industry. As always, their comments were thoughtful, funny, and often very frank.

The first thing that will strike listeners about Head Trip, says Pappas, is that it marks a drastic departure from the bouncy, digestible power pop of Regretfully Yours. With more diverse instrumentation (strings, pianos, acoustic guitars, even an electric sitar on one tune) and longer songs, some of which clock in at more than six minutes, the disc at times recalls the trippy, experimental pop of latter-day Beatles.

"We lost the bubblegum thing on this album," Pappas explains. "There's not as much of the 'Oh yeah, oh yeah' stuff. Lots of people who have heard it have speculated that the kids may not like this one as much. My feeling is that there are still enough rockers for the kids to get into. But I think the people over 18 will like this one even more."

"We're real happy with the way this one turned out," adds Coffey. "We were going for a different vibe from song to song. We wanted to expand the playing and add more instruments, and we accomplished all those things. The production [overseen by Green Day producer Jerry Finn] was also great; we really like how this one turned out sonically."

The first single off Head Trip, a classic Superdrag rocker titled "Do the Vampire," has already been released to modern rock radio, having been added to 17 playlists as of March 13. The band will begin supporting the album with a series of weekend dates around the Southeast and Ohio before kicking off a month-long headlining tour at the 930 Club in Washington, D.C. "The last time we were there, Don got a guitar thrown into his head," Pappas snickers. "It's a good venue for us."

The band will dock briefly in Knoxville in May before heading back on the road for six weeks in support of piano-rock trio Ben Folds Five, a slot the band deliberated on carefully given what they see as the vacuous, ephemeral nature of so many modern rockers. "We respect what they [Ben Folds] do, so that's cool," says Pappas. "It's not like we're going out with Third Eye Blind [a tour the band refused]."

Any potential pitfalls the band may face have more to do with the often fickle nature of the music industry and the buying public than with the music itself, says Pappas. Elektra has told the band their first video won't be produced until one of their singles has made waves on radio, and the album, though far better financed overall than Regretfully Yours, has received less in the way of advance promotion.

"It's all so much politics, such a big political game in the industry," says Pappas. "We had that big feeling that the last one would sell millions, and that didn't happen, so we're a lot more reserved in our expectations this time."

"We wish this one was coming out with more of a bang, more media and an immediate video, but we're used to building slowly," says Coffey. "It'll happen, it's just going to take a while. That's what we're used to, so that's all right with us."

Never Say Never

Nashville scenesters would do well to give Knoxville its props, especially considering that yet another music-city major label signee originally hails from the Home of the Sunsphere. Last month, Nashville's Nevers inked a deal with Warner Brothers' Sire records, boasting a line-up that consists entirely of Knoxville expatriates.

The band is comprised of the rhythm section from former Knox-based Sire recording artists the Judybats (Paul Noe on bass, David Jenkins on drums) backing singer-guitarist John Paul Keith (a founding member of the V-roys) and second axeman Rick Tiller (late of local popsters Leaf). All four musicians left Knoxville to seek their fortunes on the Third Coast within the last couple of years.

According to manager Dennis Oppenheimer, the Nevers' old music biz contacts helped create a quick buzz around town, as the band's first show was a high-profile gig at the annual Nashville Entertainment Association Extravaganza. When Sire representative Andy Paley got an earful of the quartet's striking, rootsy power-pop, he was impressed enough to call in label head Seymour Stein, who would eventually sign the band to a six-album deal.

Oppenheimer says the band is currently negotiating with a big-name producer and will hit the studio within two months to produce an album for late summer/early fall release. "When people ask where they're from, we never quite know what to say," Oppenheimer jokes. "They're a Nashville band, but they're sort of a Knoxville band, too."

Roots Music on the Way

Look for a series of cooler-than-they-oughta-be local shows in April and May, brought to us courtesy of the folks at A.C. Entertainment. Upcoming dates include the Squirrel Nut Zippers w/Royal Finger Bowl (April 20, 8 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre), Son Volt (April 25, 8 p.m. at the Bijou, guests TBA) and Agents of Good Roots (April 30, 9 p.m. at B&H Performance Hall, guests TBA). Tickets for the Son Volt and Squirrel Nut shows are available at all Tickets Unlimited Outlets or by phone at 656-4444.

A.C. also has announced several noteworthy shows in neighboring burgs, including a pair of Steve Earle/Son Volt bills (April 29 at Asheville's Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and April 30 at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga), a Loudon Wainwright III/Peter Case pairing on May 13 at Be Here Now in Asheville, and an April 30 Robert Earl Keen show, also at Asheville's Be Here Now.

—Zippy "I've Been in a Sophomore Slump For Years" McDuff