Supersuckers
Live in Anaheim (MVD)
by Brian Varney
Even if you don’t like Supersuckers‘ music, you’ve got to respect them. Despite their image as hard-drinking, hard-partying layabouts, they might just be the hardest-working band in rock and roll. Their touring schedule is so relentless that I get winded just reading it on their website, and when you add in all of the attendant shitwork associated with running their own label, you’ve got a bunch of guys who work much longer hours than damn near anyone with a shitty day job, and they do it for less money than your average worker bee.
Still, respect will only get you so far in the rock and roll game. Although I know such people exist, I can’t imagine someone who claims to love rock and roll music that doesn’t like Supersuckers. Even ignoring the fact that they’re a tight and formidable band, probably the result of that incessant touring, you can’t deny the power of their songs. Funny and self-aggrandizing in all the right ways, and neatly straddling the line between arena-rock bombast and no-bullshit punk rock fury, Supersuckers would be the ideal third band on an AC/DC/Ramones double bill.
Naturally, any band that tours this incessantly is expected to shine in the live setting, so a live DVD seems an obvious idea. The presentation here is fairly no-frills, just simple shots of the band with a few crazy effects thrown in for good measure, but I suppose anything else would distract from the music’s beautiful simplicity. The setlist is a nice balance of the band’s more familiar rock persona and the country side that has recently begun to blossom. As far as extras, there are band interviews, some solo Eddie Spaghetti country cuts, and, if you’re super-clever and can find it, the band’s version of the Outkast hit “Hey Ya!” There’s also a live country CD included as a bonus, which is nice if you enjoy the band’s country material. The total package is basic but not cheap and packed with quality, which I suppose also serves as an apt description of Supersuckers as a band.
(www.musicvideodistributors.com)
