After an eternity (or at least a couple years) away from their rock roots, Seattle's raucous rawk renegades the Supersuckers are back in the saddle with a new album and a tour with kindred spirits Motörhead and Nashville Pussy.

The group released "The Sacrilicious Sounds Of The Supersuckers" in 1995 and then found itself out of the rock game until late last year, courtesy of a lengthy and ultimately fruitless dance with Interscope Records.

[article id="1451041"]"We put out a country record ['Must've Been High'] in '97, thinking it would be a little diversion and that a rock record would follow in three or four months,"[/article] Supersuckers' bassist-vocalist Eddie Spaghetti explained to MTV News late last year. [article id="1451041"]"We signed to Interscope right after the country record, and then it wound up that things were going to take a little bit longer."[/article]

Three years to be exact, as the band's next straight-up

rock album, "The Evil Powers Of Rock 'N' Roll," didn't arrive until late last year. The band had recorded an album for Interscope, and then waited and waited while the label pondered its fate following the merger of the label's parent company, Universal Music Group, with Polygram Music Group.

[article id="1451041"]"We record the record, and they're dropping more bands,"[/article] Spaghetti recalled. [article id="1451041"]"They'd drop a new batch, and they'd say, 'Okay, that's the last batch of bands we're dropping.' Then we'd say, 'Well, where's our release date?' [They'd respond,] 'It's pending.' Then right at the last possible minute, they tell us they're not going to put the record out, and that they are going to let us go. They took a year and a half out of our plan, and it's really irritating. I never thought we'd be one of those bands that got caught up in that sort of thing." [RealAudio][/article]

A good summary would be that the only

time I've had to work a straight job while in the Supersuckers was when we were on Interscope Records," guitarist Rontrose Heathman added.

Spaghetti offered a more concise summary of the situation: "It sucked.

The Interscope interlude became even less pleasant when the label failed to relinquish ownership of the Supersuckers' new album back to the band, even though they had no plans to release it. Armed with songs written for that doomed album, a few freshly penned ones, and plenty of anger to work out, the band returned to the studio and recorded "The Evil Powers Of Rock 'N' Roll.

"This record is better than the record we recorded for Interscope," Spaghetti said. "It's got much more excitement, much more of that warts-and-all kind of Supersuckers thing that we do, but the process it

took to get there was

less than pleasant." [RealAudio]

After that lengthy and painful birthing process, the 'Suckers are now trotting their baby out on the road with Motörhead and Nashville Pussy on a tour that runs through late June. The band will then head to the Vans Warped tour for a week's worth of dates in early July.

If you want to catch the sonically daunting Motörhead/Nashville Pussy/Supersuckers triple bill before the 'Suckers head off for the Vans Warped Tour, here's where to look:

• 6/15 - Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo
• 6/16 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
• 6/17 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
• 6/18 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 6/20 - Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
• 6/22 - Norfolk, VA @ The Boathouse
• 6/23 - Old Bridge, NJ @ Birch Hill Nite Club
• 6/24 - Toronto, ON @ Warehouse
• 6/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
• 6/26 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 6/27 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 6/28 - Clifton Park, NY @

Northern Lights