Superchunk Can Always Count On: Custom Earplugs

Don’t call it a comeback, Superchunk‘s been here for years. The band members just haven’t been doing anything since the release of 2001’s stellar Here’s To Shutting Up. Well, not much together, anyway, apart from a few one-off gigs and the occasional single. Singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance have their hands full running Merge Records and raising families (plus McCaughan has released a number of fine Portastatic records); drummer Jon Wurster has toured and/or hit the studio with the likes of Robert Pollard, the New Pornographers, Bob Mould and the Mountain Goats in between hilarious Facebook postings and Best Show On WFMU appearances; and while we’re not sure what guitarist Jim Wilbur has been up to, other than gigging with Portastatic, he probably has a lot on his plate, too. It’s a wonder the busy quartet was able to reconvene for the fine Majesty Shredding (Merge), a more-than-welcome return that’s accompanied by the band’s first full-on, albeit relatively brief, tour since 2001. Superchunk will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with McCaughan and Ballance.

Laura: What took me so long!? I have been in the “music business” for 20 years. For some reason, most everyone has to be amplified to the point where it is too loud and it hurts a person’s ears. Why is that? Most sound people are assuming that if you are a responsible individual coming to a rock show, you are going to be wearing earplugs. So, I have been wearing foam earplugs forever. And I really got used to losing most of the high end (also known as joy), as I thought that there was no choice in the matter. A few months ago, on John Darnielle’s advice, I had myself fitted for some custom earplugs and got some 25 dB filters put in there. It is the best thing ever. I can go to shows and hear the full spectrum, and my ears usually don’t ring the next morning. Unless it was a Superchunk show.

Video after the jump.