Old school Madisonians might remember that the last time Superchunk stopped here, back in the mid-’90s playing at the mighty “CBGB’s of the Midwest,” O’Cayz Corral. The list of bands that played O’Cayz from 1985 through 2000 is basically a who’s who of indie rock legends including Hüsker Dü, The White Stripes, Elliott Smith, The Jesus Lizard, The Replacements, Big Black, The Feelies, and hundreds of others. After O’Cayz was destroyed by a fire New Year’s Day 2001, the folks behind it rebuilt nearby and kept the western theme, naming it the “High Noon Saloon.” If you’re relatively new to the Madison or were a stick in the mud a couple of decades ago, you’ll thankfully get to relive that magic when Superchunk returns on Sunday for FRZN Fest.
Superchunk released their eighth studio album, Here’s to Shutting Up, the same year that O’Cayz burned down, and then they took nine years before releasing their follow-up, Majesty Shredding, in 2010, which revealed that they hadn’t lost a shred of their power along the way, having been playing shows and intermittently touring in the years between. Last year’s incredibly well-received I Hate Music followed in the trend, showcasing a band that has been evolving yet tightening up on their sound, seemingly incapable of resting on their well-earned laurels.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster recently on the topic of humor in music videos and what we can expect to hear in their show. Jon, like almost every other member of the band, lives in North Carolina (Jason Narducy, who fills in for Laura Ballance while touring due to her hyperacusis, is the only exception living in Chicago). As a North Carolinian born and raised in Charlotte (you’ve probably been in our airport), it was a bummer to hear that they’ve only been to my birth-city probably seven or so times, despite being based two and a half hours away. I can only wonder what a high-school aged me would’ve though about, seeing Superchunk at the Tremont Lounge; probably something along the lines of “They don’t sound much like Weezer,” but you live and you learn.
Unlike Weezer, thankfully, Superchunk has yet to fall off (come at me, Rivers!). They’re still making amazing music and framing it with humorous music videos. Their latest, for “Void,” features Jon Benjamin, Jon Glaser, and Ted Travelstead, comedy greats both well- and lesser-known. You know Jon Benjamin from Bob’s Burgers and Archer, while Jon Glaser you know as “Jon” from Delocated on Adult Swim, and Ted Travelstead has possibly (hopefully) been blowing your mind on twitter as @trumpetcake. This is all to say that comedy is big part of Superchunk. Jon Wurster has been half of Scharpling & Wurster up until the end of Tom Scharpling’s “The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling.” To those worried about the comedic future of Jon Wurster, fear not. He and Tom are looking to work on something in the near future, and as early as last weekend Jon was in Atlanta to work on a show for Adult Swim.
Superchunk can afford to make albums and tour at their own pace (Laura Balance and Mac McCaughan are the founders of Merge, a little record label you might’ve heard of). They’re “taking it as it goes,” Wurster tells me in regards to a follow-up to their latest album, so there’s no telling how long it will be until the next time they tour or if they’ll even make it to Madison when they do. How many bands can you name that’ve been around for a quarter century and are still releasing relevant and revelatory new material much less still packing shows across the globe? The best thing to do is to make sure you don’t miss them this weekend. “We try to hit something from every record,” Jon tells me, so all your faves will be in play.