Superchunk and Middleman

Superchunk was founded in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States in 1989 by guitarist/vocalist Mac McCaughan, bassist Laura Ballance, lead guitarist Jack McCook, and drummer Chuck Garrison. The band initially called themselves Chunk, a derivation of drummer Chuck Garrison’s name, but eventually added the prefix “super”. Their debut single “Slack Motherfucker” came out later that year and was met with critical acclaim. It has since been included on Pitchfork’s list “Best Singles of the 90s” and was featured on their self-titled debut album. This release as well as their follow up “No Pocky for Kitty” both came out through Matador Records. “No Pocky for Kitty” also received overwhelmingly positive feedback and was produced by venerated musician/sound engineer Steve Albini. It was also their 1st album to feature lead guitarist Jim Wilbur.

The group experienced yet another line up change as Garrison was replaced by Jon Wurster; however, the band has since retained this line up. In 1993 Superchunk released their 3rd studio album “On the Mouth”. This album also generated favorable reviews and housed their widely respected track “Precision Auto”, which has been covered by Jimmy Eat World, Fucked Up, and Tom Scharpling.

Superchunk decided to independently release their following albums through Merge once Matador entered in a partnership with the major label Atlantic Records. Their 1st album through Merge was their 4th and perhaps most critically acclaimed release “Foolish”. This release was proceeded by “Incidental Music 1991-95”, their b-side compilation album, which boasted covers ranging from the Magnetic Fields’ “100,000 Fireflies” to Motorhead’s “I’ll Be Your Sister”.

Their next studio album “Here’s Where the Strings Come In” was issued in 1995 and contained 2 songs, which made appearances in major feature films such as the Keanu Reeves sci-fi movie “Johnny Mnemonic” and Jim Carey’s comedy “Yes Man”. “Indoor Living” was the next album Superchunk released and it was produced by John Plymale (Mya, Meat Puppets, etc..). The track “Watery Hands” was featured on the album and was supplemented by a music video starring comedians David Cross and Jeneane Garofalo.

For their follow up album “Come Pick Me Up” the band recruited the production assistance of experimental musician, Jim O’Rourke . O’Rourke strongly helped Superchunk hone in on a richer/vibrant sound that featured lush orchestration and horn sections. This album was a bold move for the band and was fairly uncharacteristic of their previous guitar oriented works. However in 2001 Superchunk returned to their fuzzed out pop punk constructs with the album “Here’s to Shutting Up” and proceeded this record with several compilations and live albums.

Their next cd release of new material “Leaves In the Gutter EP” did not arrive until 2009; however, they remained busy in the 2000s touring and recording oddity tracks such as “Misfits and Mistakes”, which was written specifically for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force soundtrack and covers artists such as Destiny’ Child and the Cure.

Nine years after the release of “Here’s to Shutting Up” Superchunk issued their 9th studio album “Majesty Shredding”. The album was both a critical and commercial success for the band. It entered the US Billboard 200 at no. 85 and the Independent Albums chart at no.17. “I Hate Music” hit the market on 20 August 2013 and likewise received glowing reviews.