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.
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SUPERCHUNK TICKETS
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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 received some junk mail with his name misspelled as "Chunk" Garrison, and the name stuck), and their first single was released under the Chunk moniker. After adding the "Super" prefix to their name, the first official Superchunk single, "Slack Motherfucker," followed in 1989 on
Merge Records, founded by
Mac McCaughan and
Laura Ballance. Both releases were well-received, and Superchunk would release its debut
self-titled album in 1990 on
Matador Records to more critical acclaim.
Jack 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. Chuck 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 major 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 its own records, through
Merge Records, which had been founded in 1989 by McCaughan and Ballance. 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
. The band then started the writing process for what would become
Indoor Living
. Recording commenced 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 7th 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,
their most recent full-length studio album.
In 2002, Superchunk released two of the three limited-edition Live albums known as The Clambakes series. Clambakes Volume 1 (limited to 1,500 copies) is an acoustic live set recorded in various record stores across the United States in support of
Here's to Shutting Up
and Clambakes Volume 2 (limited to 2,500 copies) is a film score that 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 Kinugasa's 1926 film
A Page of Madness
.
Cup of Sand
, released in 2003, is the third singles album compiling all singles and rare tracks from 1995 - 2002.
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 has recently 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're also known to still play occasional one-off shows in their home state of
North Carolina, usually at the
Cat's Cradle venue 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
, set to be released September 2007.
Superchunk appeared at
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in
Indio California on Saturday April 18 2009 along with other major acts as
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 7 years. It consisted of 3 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.
Discography
Superchunk's main studio albums (excluding compilations, live albums, EPs, singles, etc.) are:
- Superchunk
(Matador, 1990)
- No Pocky for Kitty
(Matador, 1991)
- On the Mouth
(Matador, 1993)
- Foolish
(Merge, 1994)
- Here's Where the Strings Come In
(Merge, 1995)
- Indoor Living
(Merge, 1997)
- Come Pick Me Up
(Merge, 1999)
- Here's to Shutting Up
(Merge, 2001)
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.