Category Archives: 90’s

Interview: Superchunk’s Jon Wurster on Here’s To Shutting Up’s 20th Anniversary Reissue

20th Anniversary Reissue of Here’s to Shutting Up now available at mergerecords.com/store

Growing up in Canton, Ohio in the pre-internet 1990’s wasn’t exactly a bustling hub of counter-culture for a young kid.  Sure, I had cool parents and an older brother who passed down the foundations of my musical interests- The Ramones, The Replacements, Dead Milkmen, and so on- but I had yet to find “my thing”.  

Then, I found Beavis and Butthead.  Suddenly the world opened up in front of me. Archers of Loaf, Seaweed, and Sonic Youth all hit me like a ton of bricks.  All of these bands were rooted in the world that I knew, but they were decidedly original and a bit more unpredictable.  I was hooked.  Superchunk’s song and video for Package Thief was what rattled me, though.  It was my lightbulb moment for what I wanted out of music- frantic energy, bright fuzzy chords, catchy melodies, and weird lyrics.  I knew instantly that they were my band.  

They became a frequent presence on my annual Christmas lists, but I don’t think their records were the easiest to find where I lived.  I wouldn’t really find “my band” until 2004 or so, when I walked into what was then known as The Record Exchange in Canton and bought almost their entire discography in one go- minus Here’s Where the Strings Come In and Indoor Living.  

It wasn’t an entirely joyous outing, though- even though I loved every album I picked up.  On The Mouth was everything I hoped for after being hooked by Package Thief.  Foolish was a classic that laid a blueprint that younger bands had followed for the last decade.  Come Pick Me Up was off-the-wall and intoxicating.  And then there was Here’s to Shutting Up– slower, somber, and ominously titled.  Based on its name, I assumed the worst about the band’s fate- and their lack of internet presence in that era all but confirmed it for me.  Scattershot shows would pop up in major markets once or twice a year, and front man Mac McCaughan would pop in on the now-defunct Superchunk/Merge message boards from time to time but it seemed like the title of their 2001 full-length said it all.  I missed the window of my favorite band’s full-time existence.  

Fast-forward just a few years after that and the band would thankfully reemerge, comfortably settled into their classic sound, more frequently releasing music and heading back out for brief clusters of shows.  But the interim time would also reveal that even though the title of the record was unintentional, or subconscious at worst, the writing was on the wall for Superchunk as they were in 2001.  It was a tough time for the band in 2001- the indie rock scene favored up-and-coming bands rather than those who had been at it for a decade-plus.  Superchunk was caught in the middle of a fanbase that didn’t particularly want them to change their formula and critics who would drag them for staying the same.  On top of that- thanks to inner turmoil and exhaustive tours with a steep decline in attendance post-9/11, the band did ultimately shut up for nine years or so.  (To hear it from the band in their own words, check out the book Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, and the Peyton Reed-directed documentary DVD Crowding Up Your Visual Field)

Twenty years later, Here’s to Shutting Up has been rereleased along with a CD of acoustic demos from the writing sessions.  It’s a record that went largely unheard at the time of it’s release due to unavoidable bad timing- the album came out on September 18th, 2001- along with a refrain in the pedal-steel guitar-led acoustic ballad Phone Sex that includes the lyrics “Plane crash footage on TV- I know that could be me.”  Unfortunate timing and coincidences aside, it’s a beautiful, haunting record that finds Superchunk engaging in some of their most ambitous songwriting- from the eerie, meandering What Do You Look Forward To, to the more-upbeat entries such as Art Class (Song for Yayoi Kusama) and Rainy Streets– the album is more than worth a look back or an introduction if you missed it the first time around.  

Last week, I caught up with drummer Jon Wurster via email to see how he feels looking back at the album:

JU: Here’s to Shutting Up caps off a trio of Superchunk’s most experimental records.  Do you recall any discussions the band was having leading up to the writing of this record?  Any interesting stories worth sharing from the writing/demo sessions at your house?

JW: This whole conversation is tough because this is the Superchunk album I have the most difficult relationship with. I honestly can’t recall the names of most of the songs on the album and we only play one of them live at this point (“Art Class”). We worked very diligently for months on “HTSU” in Jim’s garage. I still have the snare drum head I used for the rehearsals/writing and it’s got about 30 funny working titles for the songs, like, “There’s Something About Marvin” and “New Asics” (I’d just bought a pair) scrawled on it.  Just speaking for myself, I didn’t really love the direction we were going for this record. 

We were really good at the punky, catchy, slightly weird music we’d been doing for over ten years and it was only natural that we branch out and try new things. I just didn’t feel like we were particularly suited for the Yo La Tengo-inspired music we were coming up with for HTSU. I WILL say that it’s one of our best-sounding records. I’d finally gotten a snare drum I liked (a Ludwig Black Beauty) and used it on that and just about everything I’ve played on since. So, sonically, I think it’s really good. 

JU: Was there ever any talk or possibility of working with Jim O’Rourke again after Come Pick Me Up?  I’ve always been a big fan of the string and horn arrangements he brought to that record.  I could be wrong, but I feel like the production on that record isn’t given its due.  

JW: CPMU is difficult too. I thought the songs were really good but we lost it in the mix. The drums are too buried for my tastes on “Indoor Living” and CPMU in particular. Jim was so much fun to work with, but I don’t think he was really a drum guy. We had to overdub cymbals on a few songs because they weren’t really mic’d for some of the basic tracks.  He wrote the horn arrangements and did a fantastic job all around. The problem was he was running on fumes and going home each night to finish work on another record he was producing. He was really burning the candle at both ends, not with substances, just work and lack of sleep. But Jim was really great to work with. 

JU: It’s pretty well documented that 2000-2002 was a stressful time for the band- and many touring bands in the wake of 9/11.  Did any of those circumstances alter your opinion of the album at the time? 

JW: That was such a difficult time.  I’m really painting an uplifting picture of the band in the late-’90s and early 2000s, aren’t I? The record was released on September 18th and we immediately hit the road, going to Japan, Europe and then doing a full US tour. Attendances were down, I didn’t feel like the new songs were connecting with people, I didn’t really enjoy playing them, and it felt like other bands were passing us by. Like, we’d hit the glass ceiling. I just wasn’t excited about Superchunk anymore. The final show of the HTSU tour was at the Black Cat in D.C. and I remember thinking that was the end of the line for me. 

JU: How do you feel looking back on it now?  

JW: I honestly never think about HTSU. That said, I was in a coffee shop in NYC about four years after it came out and one of the songs from it came on the in-house playlist. I knew it was us but I didn’t recognize the song. I thought, “wow, this sounds really good, surprisingly tight for us.” Then I realized it was the last song we recorded for the album and the only one where we played to a click track: “Out On The Wing.”  

JU: Brian Paulson co-produced Here’s to Shutting Up with the band.  This is the first (maybe only, as far as I can tell?) time you used the same producer for a full-length record since 1994’s Foolish.  What went into that decision?  

JW: I honestly don’t recall. We were still very friendly with Brian and we’d see him all the time because he also lived in Chapel Hill. I think it just felt right. 

JU: Art Class has remained a steady presence in live sets ever since the album’s release.  Revisiting it now, and barring any logistical/additional personnel challenges, are there any songs from HTSU you think would be fun to bring back into live rotation?  

JW: One song we recorded for HTSU that I really liked, but didn’t make it on the album is “Becoming a Speck.” I think that song would have given the album a little more of what we were really good at, but someone must’ve decided it didn’t fit. It’s on the “Cup of Sand” comp. That would be a fun one to play, as would “Rainy Streets.” I’m now looking at the track listing and remembering that we ended the shows with “What Do You Look Forward To” and “Drool Collection.” Let’s just say I didn’t look forward to playing those songs every night. 

JU: Here’s to Shutting Up holds the distinction of having some of Superchunk’s longest songs- namely with What Do You Look Forward To? coming in at 7:42.  Was it strange to play outside of (generally speaking) standard pop-rock parameters Superchunk had typically held to or did it feel like a natural progression for everyone? 

JW: To me it felt a little false. Maybe not false, because we WANTED to play this new music well, but to my ears it sounds like us trying to be another band, specifically Yo La Tengo. I don’t want to hear a seven-minute song by anyone, so, as I said above, that particular tune was not a favorite to play. 

JU: Since the band got back into semi-regular output in the 2010’s, the sound has returned to what some would say is Superchunk’s more traditional hyper-energetic output (What a Time to Be Alive is arguably the band’s hardest-hitting record at times), give or take a few slower numbers.  Are there ever any band discussions about revisiting any of the more experimental, long-form ideas from this era, or do you think those concepts are mostly content to live on in the bands’ various other projects?  

JW: I think we got the “writing as a band” thing out of our system. Sometimes that yields some great results, but often you end up with music that’s a little unfocused. The first four or five albums were pretty much written by Mac. We’d all throw our two cents in but he pretty much wrote the songs. He was incredibly generous to make the publishing a four-way split. “Indoor Living,” “Come Pick Me Up” and “HTSU” were all written, musically, by committee and Mac would go off and write the lyrics. There’s a lot of good stuff on those records, for sure, but since we regrouped, it’s gone back to Mac writing and doing rough demos of the songs and then presenting them to us. I really like it this way because the songs just sound more focused and concise. He’s written so many great songs for these last few albums. 

JU I recently saw an interview with Mac where he discussed the band working on an album during quarantine, written and recorded remotely.  Are you able to give any details on the process behind that or any upcoming plans?

JW: Not yet 😉  

JU: Finally- followers of your Instagram account are treated to regular doses of Rock ‘n Roll Weirdness.  Outside of the band supposedly surviving largely off of Long John Silver’s, do you have any tales of Rock ‘n Roll Weirdness to share as relates to the writing/recording/release of Here’s to Shutting Up?

JW: The only thing that comes to mind is that there was nowhere to sit in the studio! I don’t know why that was. There WAS a row of very uncomfortable wooden seats from a classroom or something, but nobody wanted to sit on them. Maybe we should’ve called it “Here’s to Standing Up.” 

Superchunk, from left to right: Jon Wurster, Mac McCaughan, Jim Wilbur, and Laura Ballance

Here’s to Shutting Up is now available in multiple formats and bundles at www.mergerecords.com/store

EP Review: Charger – Charger

Not trying to prove my age here folks, but I have been a fan of Operation Ivy and Rancid for a good 25 years now.

Needless to say when I heard that Matt Freeman had a new project on Pirates Press Records, I had to stop what I was doing to check it out.

Freeman has been in so many punk rock bands since the late 80s aside from Rancid including MDC, Dancehall Crashers, Auntie Christ, and of course Devil’s Brigade.  He even filled in for Social D for a bit. His bass playing is undeniably amazing and his deep, raspy singing style is unforgettable.

Having known his history, I figured Charger would follow suit, but I was so wrong and beyond blown away at what I heard.  Sure, there was a Hellcat feel, but smashed up against pure hard rock a la Mötorhead and Black Sabbath.

I shouldn’t just speak of Freeman as two other talented-ass musicians put their heart and sound into the self-titled Charger EP.  Andrew McGee plays guitar and then there’s Jason Willer on drums and vocals.  He’s from Jello Biafra’s Guantanamo School of Medicine and some other band called U.K. Subs.

“Crackdown” started with the bass playing I have grown so fond of along side some serious guitar playing.  The moment Freeman took the mic, I knew this album was gold.

The breakdown in “Victim” is tough and ever so authoritative.  The band clearly tossed massive nods to metal bands of the 80s/90s without losing grip of their punk roots.  You know the band had all the fun playing this one.

“Damage” ripped.  Riffs, slapping bass, insane drumming, and Freeman bellowing into the microphone.  There was a huge Hawkwind and Iron Maiden nod on this one.  This track right here is proof that this band has a ton to offer.

“All Kings Must Die” pretty much was what would happen if Rancid and Mötorhead had a baby.  There’s really no other way to put it, and it works just so well.  Beyond entertaining to listen to as it covers metal, thrash, and punk rock without skipping a beat.

“Dragged Down” again pushed back to 70s/80s metal giants like Maiden and Metallica.  The chorus on this one was perfect and evoked serious headbanging opportunities.

The EP might have flown by, but it was flawless and left me wanting far more.  Here’s hoping for a full-length soon.  Freeman, McGee, and Willer easily have proved their talent in this release will surpass the expectations of many.  I foresee a lot of music lovers getting into this one.  It’s topped my best of 2019 list easily and I have listened to the EP daily for a few weeks now and not grown tired at all of it.

Side note, if Charger was the music that Fraser, Buscemi, and Sander would have played in Airheads, it would have been the greatest movie of all time.  I am not sure why I kept thinking of that movie while listening, but I couldn’t help but share.  Plus if you recall, Lemmy was in that movie…

 

Check It Out: Sweet Apple’s Music Video For “A Girl and a Gun”

As someone who grew up in the 90s, I have a strong appreciation for bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Guided By Voices.  It really should come to no surprise that I am a huge fan of Sweet Apple.

Sweet Apple features local heroes John Petkovic (Death of Samantha, Cobra Verde) and Tim Parnin (Sons of Elvis, Cobra Verde) along with J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr., Witch) and  Dave Sweetapple (Witch).

Sweet Apple’s 2017 release Sing the Night in Sorrow was one of my favorite albums of the year.  If you have not listened to it yet, you really should change that.

Today, the band dropped a crazy video for “A Girl and a Gun”.  You know the video is pure gold when you hear that Petkovic was actually arrested while making it.  I’d like to hear the details on that…

Check it out:

While you are at it, check out the video they released a few weeks back for “Everybody’s Leaving” starring Mark Boone Junior:

Check out Sweet Apple via the following links:
Facebook: facebook.com/sweetapplesongs
Twitter: twitter.com/sweetapplesongs
Website: sweetapplesongs.com

Album Review: PowerFlo – PowerFlo

My best friend in high school was one year younger than I was.  I want to say I met him in my German class where I was more about messing with the teacher, Herr Van Halen or whatever his name was, rather than learning a second language.

I have tons of memories of us hanging out and just encompassing a true friendship as teens.

One of the things that we both had in common was our love of music.  We could talk about bands for hours and if there was one thing I was always jealous of, it was his musical talents that I seemingly lacked.

He and I once went on a ride with a homeless man who wore a Sea World hat the projects of Cleveland so he could “pick something up for a friend.”  In exchange he bought us a bunch of 40 oz. beers with our money and wound up keeping the change.

It’s a memory I’ll never forget, especially the part were my friend and I were laying down in the back of the pick-up truck’s bed through the crazy adventure because there was no room for us up front.  Ahh youth…

A couple of years after that memorable evening, my friend told me at a random afternoon driveway party that he was going to move to California to live with his father and look into the music world.  As shocked as I was, I understood he needed to do this and wished him all the luck in the world.

You know how things go.  You grow up.  You become distant, not on purpose of course, but because life gets in the way.  We did our best to keep in touch, but truth be told, I have not seen him in over 20 years now.  Thanks to the Internet and smart phones, we touched base here and there and i knew he was doing well and following his passion.

Where am I going with this?  There’s a point, I promise…

Just a few weeks ago, my pal reached out to me to tell me about something he has been working on for a while now and wanted me to check it out and let me know my thoughts on it.   He told me he has been heavily involved with PowerFlo, a band full of musicians from the 90s that we obsessed over as teenagers.

One could say I freaked out when I heard this.  Still, I needed to hear it for myself.  To say I was proud of his accomplishment is an understatement.  Of course I told him I would check it out and offer up a review of sorts.

So I guess here we go…

PowerFlo is a supergroup metal/rap outfit from LA.  Consisting of Cypress Hill’s Sen Dog, Biohazard’s Billy Graziadei, former Fear Factory bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers, Downset’s Rogelio Lozano, and Fernando Schaefer, one could say this band is full of talent.

This group of seasoned musicians perfectly took their areas of expertise and infused metal and rock with hip-hop for an album that any fan of the “Judgement Night” soundtrack would approve of.

The album was produced by my pal Josh Lynch and also Graziadei.  It was mixed by Jay Baumgardner, and was mastered by Maor Applebaum at Maor Applebaum Mastering and released on New Damage Records.

Opening the album with a cocked gun (literally), “My M.O.” did not disappoint  More of a hardcore track over rap/metal, I loved the brutal drumming and heavy guitar riffs.  Sen Dog fits in perfectly with the rest of the gang and just goes berserk in the middle of the track with his unforgettable rap flow style.

“Resistance” followed with a slow start reminiscent of a funeral thanks to  a slow bell being rung, but just exploded out of no where.  Sen Dog shined on this track and pretty much proved he’s beyond a rap artist.

“Where I Stay” had this Fear Factory Remanufacture likeness with the electronics incorporated into the track.  Sen Dog has no problem taking his style and mixing it into the song.  This hard homage to LA threw me off with the “na na na” back vocals, but after a few listens it just worked.  I loved the thrash breakdown half way through.

The punk rock me absolutely adored “Crushing That.”  Yeah, it is mostly rap/rock, but think of what would happen if Public Enemy and Rise Against did a collaboration.

I found myself getting into “The Grind”, a full-on rager of a track.  Reminding me of Biohazard in a good way with plenty of group screaming, Sen Dog just flowed perfectly throughout.

“Victim of Circumstance” was just insane.  The band really killed it together on this one.

“Made It This Way” had Sen Dog singing / screaming more than rapping showing how diverse his talent is.  This track was just bad ass.

“Finish The Game” was a positive, forcefully charged song about getting things done without giving up.  I almost wondered if there was a hidden nod to Hatebreed on this track. Not complaining here at all.

Ending the album was the powerful “Start A War”.  This track was all about swinging fists and not asking questions at all.  I could not help of think of Chuck D and Anthrax on this one.

There really is no sleeper of a track on this album.  It started strong and ended full-force.  My only vice is that it clocked in at just over 30 minutes and I really wanted more.

I’ll say it – PowerFlo is what I expected Prophets of Rage to sound like.  Where the former Rage guys still have yet to impress me completely, PowerFlo has straight up delivered a solid album to my ears that has been worthy of multiple listens.

Perhaps not nearly as brutal as the new Body Count was, this album is still heavy, poignant, and should not be sat on.  I am really hoping these guys hit the road soon as I would love to see what they sound like live.

When you hear metal musicians from the 90s came together with a 90s hip-hop artist, it is easy to dismiss the whole idea but PowerFlo delivered an excellent release.  I look forward to seeing this band succeed.

Book Review: Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost – Erin Osmon

For those who know the name Jason Molina, there is a certain unspoken agreement that his talents were plucked from his adoring fans far too soon.

As many know, he was a musical genius who succumbed to an addiction he could never overcome and in turn put down his guitar and great talent in order to hold on to a bottle.

I call myself a fan, but a Molina novice at best.  I openly admit that I am one of those late fans who never got to see him play live and grew to appreciate his entire catalog after his passing.  I can not say I have ever quite heard music like what Molina created.

I didn’t know the whole story of a man who got his start less than an hour from where I live.  I knew he was with Secretly Canadian and knew how he passed, but I knew nothing in between.

It only seems fitting to have someone collect all the memories, both good and bad, and put them into a book for all inquiring minds like mine.  This biography, to be released by Rowman & Littlefield on May 15th, was full of memories and folklore about a mysterious individual who took his music far past any boundaries ever set prior and in doing so did it his way.

Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost, written by Erin Osmon, pretty much answered questions about Molnia’s life that some of me never wanted to know.  From tales of his youth in a trailer park Lorain, OH to memories in recording studios and overseas, this family-authorized book really covered it all.

Family, friends, bandmates, and even tourmates all provided insight to the life of Molina.  Where most of the book spoke on Molina’s journeys from Songs: Ohia to Magnolia Electric Company and even his solo work and impromptu sessions, the book also brought to light family tensions, failed relationships, depression, and of course the demise of greatness.

Molina’s college days and the years shortly after were probably my favorite recollections to read.  Obviously, the toughest parts to read were about his separation from his wife and an attempt at recovery through bandmates and the very label he helped get their start.

It was interesting to learn how Molina formulated his albums in homes and studios alone and with others.  I was also fascinated learning about his life outside of the music including living conditions and places of employment.

Reading how Molina got material released by Secretly Canadian seemed like something that would have happened in a comedy movie, but it was all true.  He was the stepping stone of a label that may not have gotten their start had they never connected.

Molina’s humor style as told by others made me laugh more than once.  His approach with his bands though seemed rather repressed at times, especially when he would up and leave without communicating properly to those involved.

The book obviously was not all fun and games.  Reading about uncomfortable obsessions and how they were put to song made me realize the inventiveness Molina’s mysterious mind carried.  The self-sabotaging of a musical career as told in detail, really opened my eyes and held my interest to the point I couldn’t put down the book.  The marriage that never ended in divorce was painful to absorb but the love that remained was inspiring.

The last few chapters were very difficult for me to read as I lost an uncle to alcoholism earlier this year.  The stories of the support Molina received by loved ones and all of the chances given to him that were eventually passed upon just reminded me of what addiction can do to someone.  Reading about the deterioration of a proud man who kept too many secrets just hit too close to home for me.

Overall, the book carried a life-spanning account of a musician from his young days on Lake Erie to his final days secluded in a room slowly drowning his life away.  The emotions were really felt through this book from those who were stunned at his approach to making music to finding out their friend was no more.

My only small distress with this book is at times it seemed the author had a synonym book handy that was used frequently.  Perhaps it was I, the reader, who needs to dip deeper in to a more prolific writing style, but in the first chapter alone, Molina’s father was referenced as a “patriarch” and the term “spinning platters” was used over playing records.

Eventually I was able to get in tune with Osmon’s style, but there were times I just felt some of the vocabulary used was just too much and interfered with the story-telling.  One thing Osmon did well was put all of the memories and stories together in a chronological order making it easy to set down the book and pick it up again without losing your spot.

The copy that I read was not the final copy but one provided to me early on my the publisher, so there is a chance things will be changed.  I will tell you this, the chapters at times were long, but they were read through quickly as the memories were so well put together.

Fans of Molina will appreciate this book due to all of the content Osmon was able to hunt down over the span of three years.  There were so many angles of Molina’s life put down in this book and I am sure it was not easy for Osmon to capture it all, yet she did it well.

As an added bonus to die-hard Molina fans, Secretly Canadian is releasing a limited-edition bundle of the book with a LP pressing of a 1994 Jason Molina WOBC radio session at Oberlin College.  Where I failed to pre-order my copy in time before it sold out, I did get to listen to the performance and I can tell you it is beautiful and will haunt you, but not in a scary way.  Molina even back in 1994 was so laid back and happy to be sharing his songs with others.  Personally speaking, I think had I heard that session live back then on the radio, I would have been a changed man.

Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost is available for pre-order through Rowman & Littlefield, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and other fine retailers.