My Description
“10 pounds of rock stuffed into a 5-pound sack that overflows with awesome.” – Gambit Weekly
Bio
SUPAGROUP’s gun-slingers have developed special skill-sets… Leif Robinson Swift (bass), is perhaps the only man in the world who can wear a t-shirt bearing his own likeness, without a trace of irony, and get away with it. Michael Brueggen (drums) is the band-leader in conspicuous alcohol consumption. The brothers Lee (Chris and Benjie) deftly hold down vocals and guitar, respectively, and are grand champions of the ready joke and the Rock & Roll high-kick (surely a gene passed on from great uncle and martial arts legend, Bruce Lee).
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as the people of New Orleans began their slow road to recovery, SUPAGROUP took time to re-examine where they were heading as a band. Their latest album cycle was done, their homes were in need of repair, they’d lost friends, and their city looked like a shell of its once-vibrant self. Things seemed quite bleak.
Then the phone rang...
“It was Alice Cooper, who we’d toured with the year before. He asked us if we were okay, and when he found out we were, he asked us if we wanted to go back on tour with him” recalls Chris. Problem was, the band had scattered to dry land, and their gear and equipment was still in New Orleans. While the rest of SUPAGROUP set their sights on meeting in Florida to start the tour, Benji made his way back to their hometown, circumventing military police, local authorities and flooded streets with a fake press pass to load the band’s van with the gear from their Lower Garden District studio. "While I was loading out the gear about 10 national guardsmen rolled up with hummers and M-16's. I had to convince them I wasn't looting!" says Benjie. Once the band hit the road, the new music began flowing from their pens just as the love was flowing from audiences all over the world.
Instruments Played
Chris Lee - Lead Vox, Rhythm Guitars
Benji Lee - Lead Guitars, Vocals
Leif Robinson Swift - Lead Bass
Michael Brueggen - Lead Drums
