It’s below freezing in Austin, Texas on a mid-week night. Tomorrow morning, public schools, colleges, even the city’s official offices will be closed. But you don’t care, because you’re indie-rock giants Superchunk. A little cold weather isn’t going to derail the freight train force that is your legendary band.
Such was the attitude Mac McCaughan and his band brought to Mohawk’s outdoor stage on Thursday night. Those who allowed the cold to dissuade them missed out; those who didn’t saw Superchunk perform an enthralling set. Promising at the onset to eventually shed clothes in what was termed “a set long game of strip poker,” Mac McCaughan and his band began ripping through songs with ferocity as they bounded about the stage like garage-band teenagers. When a classic band starts issuing albums and touring again, there’s always the seedy speculation that money is the impetus. When you watch Superchunk perform, you know it can’t be true. Everyone in the band clearly loves what they’re doing.
Onstage, the four-piece is completely ecstatic, grinning between facial expression of outright intensity; Wurster goes ballistic on the drums and McCaughan screams into the mic. The band makes good on their promise, shredding and shedding, first their hats and eventually their coats. The cold doesn’t seem to bother them; Superchunk’s raw energy is creating enough heat to keep them plenty warm. The band plays for over an hour, plowing through a completely unabbreviated setlist, freezing temperature be damned.
Superchunk’s lineup should astound any fan of indie rock. Of course, at the center is McCaughan, who possessed the brilliance to start Merge Records. Jon Wurster is Superchunk’s drummer. Not the drummer that they’re using now that they could probably recruit any number of great drummers. Jon Wurster, has been their drummer since 1991. Jim Wilbur has been their guitarist since around the same time, and knows how to rock onstage. Now missing Laura Ballance (who co-founded Merge with McCaughan), the band has recruited Jason Narducy, who has also worked with a few acts you might know—Bob Mould and Guided by Voices, if you’ve ever heard of them.
There’s a reason Superchunk was a beloved band in the 90s and that Merge Records is the giant of an indie label it is today. If you were at the Mohawk on Thursday night, you know what that reason is.
Waxahatchee opened the night, showcasing their crunchy, earnest indie pop as well as McCaughan’s ability to choose a great opening act. Primarily the project of songwriter Katie Crutchfield, Waxahatchee is a full band touring act. Although Crutchfield seemed far more affected by the frigid temperatures, the band sounded great during their relatively short set. Several fans who sang along to most of the songs were clearly there to see these young openers. Waxahatchee received enormous praise with the release of their latest effort Cerulean Salt, and they continue to be a band on the rise.
Check out photos of the evening below. All images © Bryan Parker and Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
