Superchunk

Perhaps no band was more emblematic of the true spirit of American indie rock during the 1990s than Superchunk, the pride of Chapel Hill, NC. Following the D.I.Y. ethic to the letter, the group operated solely by their own rules, ignoring all passing trends by sticking to their trademark sound -- typified by the buzzing guitars and high, impassioned vocals of frontman Mac McCaughan -- and rejecting all major-label advances in favor of the unlimited freedom afforded by owning their own company, the highly successful Merge Records. Although Superchunk's resistance to the overtures of the music industry may have deprived them of the wider audience their work deserved, perhaps their greatest legacy remains their unwavering dedication to the indie tradition, a model which other up-and-coming bands often strive to emulate.

Superchunk was formed in the college town of Chapel Hill in 1989 by singer/guitarist McCaughan, bassist Laura Ballance, drummer Chuck Garrison, and guitarist Jack McCook. Initially dubbed merely Chunk -- the "Super" prefix was later added to avoid confusion with a similarly named New York City avant-jazz band -- the group issued its debut single, What Do I, on the Merge label, which was jointly run by McCaughan and Ballance. The follow-up was 1990s epochal Slack Motherfucker, MacCaughan's blistering tirade against a lazy Kinko's co-worker. The single was immediately hailed on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the definitive indie anthems of the era, and with the subsequent release of their self-titled debut LP, Superchunk was widely celebrated among the most promising young bands in America.

As the success of acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam made Seattle the early-'90s music scene du jour, label heads scrambled to locate the next alternative rock hotbed. Chapel Hill became the consensus choice, and Superchunk was tapped as the Next Big Thing. The quartet -- which had subsequently exchanged McCook for guitarist Jim Wilbur -- soon found themselves in the middle of a major-label bidding war, but they defiantly stuck to their guns, remaining on Merge for their brilliant 1991 sophomore effort No Pocky for Kitty, recorded by Steve Albini and distributed by Matador. A singles collection, Tossing Seeds, followed in 1992, and a year later Superchunk -- now with new drummer Jon Wurster -- returned with the superb On the Mouth, highlighted by the singles "Mower" and "The Question Is How Fast."

In addition to Superchunk's relentless tour itinerary and prolific recording schedule, McCaughan released the 1994 LP I Hope Your Heart Is Not Brittle, the first full-length release from his side project Portastatic. Even as media attention shifted elsewhere, Superchunk forged ahead, following the release of 1994's Foolish with Incidental Music, a second compilation of singles, B-sides, compilation tracks, and other assorted offerings. 1995's Here's Where the Strings Come In heralded a subtle refinement of their core sound, and was supported by a tour on the second stage at that summer's Lollapalooza festival; the first single and video, the surging "Hyper Enough," was even a minor hit. A brief hiatus preceded the release of the 1996 EP The Laughter Guns, the full-length Indoor Living appeared the next year, and Superchunk returned again in 1999 with Come Pick Me Up.

Ten years on, Superchunk remained as prolific as ever with their eighth full length release, Come Pick Me Up, which arrived in 2001. A third collection of singles, the double-disc Cup of Sand, followed in 2003, compiling the band's singles and assorted rare tracks from 1995 to 2002. Superchunk contributed songs to various compilations over the following years, including a humorous duet with Meatwad, the meatball-shaped character from Comedy Central's Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which ultimately appeared on the show's soundtrack. They also released material on their own, including the 2009 EP Leaves in the Gutter. The band's ninth album, Majesty Shredding, arrived the following September.

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Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s. Their energetic, high-velocity style and do-it-yourself ethics were influenced by punk rock.

History

Superchunk was formed in 1989 in the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by Mac McCaughan (guitar and vocals), Laura Ballance (bass), Chuck Garrison (drums), and Jack McCook (guitar). Initially, the band went by the name Chunk (original drummer Chuck Garrison's name was misspelled as "Chunk" Garrison in the phone book, and the moniker stuck), and they released their first single as Chunk. After adding the "Super" prefix to their name to avoid confusion with a similarly named jazz band from New York, the first official Superchunk single, "Slack Motherfucker," followed in 1989 on Merge Records, founded by McCaughan and Ballance. Both releases were well received, and Superchunk would release its debut self-titled album in 1990 on Matador Records to more critical acclaim.

McCook decided to leave the group after the release of the first album, Superchunk, and Connecticut-born James Wilbur was recruited to take over guitar duties. In spite of the ensuing bidding war that emerged between major record labels in the aftermath of the album's release, Superchunk decided to stay independent, sticking with Matador Records for their second, just as critically lauded LP, No Pocky for Kitty. No Pocky for Kitty was recorded in Chicago by Steve Albini in 1991. Garrison left the band a few weeks before the record’s release, and Jon Wurster was brought on board for drums.

The band put out one more record for Matador, On the Mouth in 1993. After Matador entered into a distribution agreement with big label Atlantic Records, Superchunk decided to leave the label, even though the Atlantic logo did not have to be displayed on their releases. Instead, the band opted to release their following records through Merge. The next album, Foolish, brought further critical acclaim for the band in 1994. A second singles compilation (the first was 1992’s Tossing Seeds) came out in the summer of 1995. It was titled Incidental Music 1991–95 and contained most of their hard-to-find tracks (imports, B-sides, comp. tracks) released between 1991 and 1995.

Boston was the setting for Superchunk’s next album session. 1995’s Here’s Where the Strings Come In was recorded at the city’s Fort Apache Studios and slated for a fall release. The band toured hard for Strings all over the world as well as appearing on the Lollapalooza tour, scoring a minor hit with the “Hyper Enough” single and video.

After a brief hiatus and another Australian tour, the band released a limited-edition EP called The Laughter Guns. They then started writing for what would become Indoor Living. Recording started in Bloomington, Indiana’s Echo Park Studios with Chapel Hillian John Plymale co-producing with the band. Superchunk stretched out a bit on Indoor Living, expanding their sound by adding some new instruments to the mix: piano, organ, vibes and more. The album was by far their most adventurous and at the same time their most accessible to date.

Superchunk delivered Come Pick Me Up, their seventh full-length studio release in 1999. Recording in Chicago at Electrical Audio with producer Jim O'Rourke. Superchunk continued the expansion and growth of their sound that started with Foolish, pushing themselves to new heights of creativity.

In 2001, the band released Here's to Shutting Up.

In 2002, Superchunk released two of the three limited-edition Live albums known as The Clambakes series. Clambakes Volume 1 (limited to 1500 copies) is an acoustic live set recorded in various record stores across the US in support of Here's to Shutting Up and Clambakes Volume 2 (limited to 2500 copies) is a film score Superchunk was commissioned to write. It was recorded live at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, April 23, 2002, during the San Francisco International Film Festival at a showing of the 1926 Teinosuke Kinugasa film A Page of Madness.

Cup of Sand, released in 2003, is the third singles album compiling all singles and rare 1995-2002 tracks.

The third and final Clambakes Series Volume 3 was released in 2004, documenting the live set Superchunk played at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina, on July 23, 1999, for the Merge Records 10-year anniversary celebration.

In 2006, Superchunk headlined a concert held in celebration of the 10th anniversary of The Daily Show, a Comedy Central program, at Irving Plaza in New York. The show also featured a performance from Clem Snide as well as short stand-up comedy sets from various Daily Show correspondents.

In 2007, Superchunk contributed a hidden track to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force soundtrack, "Misfits and Mistakes", with singing from Aqua Teen Hunger Force character Meatwad. On June 5, 2007, Superchunk released the Misfits and Mistakes 7", which has the Superchunk solo version on the A-side, and the Meatwad version on the B-side.

The band played two shows, the Eff Cancer Benefit in Chicago on June 20, 2007, and headlined the inaugural free Pool Parties show at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, New York. They are also known to still play occasional one-off shows at home in North Carolina, usually at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro.

Superchunk also recorded a cover version of "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child for Engine Room Recordings' compilation album Guilt by Association, which was set to be released in September 2007.

Superchunk appeared at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio California on Saturday April 18, 2009 along with other leading acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, M.I.A., TV On The Radio, Band Of Horses.

On April 7, 2009, Superchunk released the Leaves in the Gutter EP, their first CD release in seven years. It consisted of three unreleased tracks, in addition to "Misfits and Mistakes" and an acoustic version of the new song "Learned to Surf".

On May 28, 2009, the band announced a new 7" "Crossed Wires" b/w "Blinders (Fast Vers.)", which released on July 7, 2009. It was initially limited to a pressing of 1000 on clear vinyl.

On July 27, 2010, the band covered The Cure's In Between Days for AV Club Undercover.

The band's ninth studio album, Majesty Shredding, was released on September 14, 2010. The band have been chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival he will curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.

Side projects

Mac McCaughan has recorded several albums as Portastatic. Initially a solo project, Portastatic has evolved into a full band, which currently includes Superchunk's Jim Wilbur as a member.

Jim Wilbur has recorded a number of singles and an album as Humidifier. The album Nothing Changes was released on Link Records in 1996. Humidifier also includes John King from another Merge Records band, Spent.