Supagroup
Hail! Hail!
Foodchain Records

With its mock Heavy Metal cover and crotch-tingling, Southern-dipped riffs, Supagroup’s Hail! Hail! is supa-fine testament to rock n’ roll’s ballsy, shirtless glory; not that we haven’t come to expect anything less from the Brothers Lee (Chris on vocals/guitar, Benji on guitar), who have consistently bitten off exactly what they knew they could chew when it comes to delivering AC/DC-inspired party anthems that’ll carry you from blackout Fridays through to NASCAR Sundays. If you’re looking for any kind of deviations from the norm for the New Orleans band here, there’s a bit of an Asian flare (in title and lyrics only) thanks to the bittersweet instrumental “Along the Yangtze” and the bluesy “Dear Hong Kong,” Danko Jones makes a guest appearance on “That’s Enough Boys,” and “The Bold are Doomed to Die” contains hints of Black Sabbath’s evil ways, but when all is said and done, Hail! Hail! sticks to its naked ambition and sleazy, formulaic guns like David Lee Roth sticks to crazy. Perfectly preachy, supa-catchy, and a good fucking time — just like always. And just the way we like it.

Listen to “Hail! Hail! (Rock and Roll)” from Hail! Hail!

Suplecs
Mad Oak Redoux
Small Stone

After having spent the better part of the last fourteen years putting albums out on Man’s Ruin and Nocturnal Records, New Orleans’ Suplecs have been picked up by Small Stone for the release of Mad Oak Redoux, a grumbling, boozy stoner rock record with its most notable highlights including post-Katrina aggression (a loose lyrical theme throughout, but most evident on “Fema Man”) and a casually heavy sound that runs the gamut from Southern swamp n’ roll (“In Your Shadow”) to grungy alt-rock (“Once Again” and “Worlds on Fire”) to down-home doom (“Switchblade”). Listen, the riffs on Mad Oak Redoux aren’t gonna overwhelm you, but their fighting spirit, when combined with a shot of something hard, ought to at least comfort you at the end of a long, hot working day.

Listen to “In Your Shadow” from Mad Oak Redoux!

Dege Legg is a ghost.

His bones rattle like tin cans tied to the tail of an alley cat and he haunts all the darkest parts of your mind, the parts that moan and wail in the middle of the night when the moon bleeds. As a ghost, he’s one of America’s best kept songwriting (and writing) secrets. He’s lived a few lifetimes in the spooky, isolated backwoods of Louisiana where he cultivates his genius on words and music under endless starry skies as the distant static of radio transmitters buzz like mosquitoes skimming the surface of the swamp.

He’s also an inspiration for endless rock n’ roll rhetoric, and the gonzo nonsense I spin here takes on a dignified, romantic air when I’m talking about Dege (pronounced “Deej” in case you’re having trouble). I’ve always admired Dege’s accomplishments as a writer (he’s a prolific blogger, author of the novel, Battle Hymn of the Good Ole Hillbilly Zatan Boys, and writer/music and calendar editor for The Independent Weekly) and as the main man behind psyouthern rock bands Santeria and Black Bayou Construktion, he’s created some incredible, moving, and magical rock n’ blues records. In fact, Santeria’s 2003 record, House of the Dying Sun, is a masterpiece and shines like a beautiful, rare gem in America’s rock n’ roll history. I truly believe that.

And now the tradition continues as Dege Legg, as Brother Dege, sheds his skin to let his soul shine on his latest solo album, Folk Songs of the American Longhair. This album has been burning a hole in my blog as I’ve been waiting to write about it, but the only way I was going to do it was if it was accompanied by a conversation with the man himself. But first, the album. Folk Songs is an iconic, bare bones Delta blues record, just Dege and a Dobro, and the steel on every song echoes like falling tears in a mausoleum. It’s a chilling portrait of death and redemption, an ode to the long road, and each and every slide draws you down into the earth’s waiting dirt.

Now it’s time to get to know the ghost, to run with the journeyman. Dege and I riff about his new record, hurricane Katrina, Art Bell, bathroom reading, how he almost got shot in the head, and, of course, beards. It’s good, deep stuff.

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