Mac McCaughan is unquestionably one of the most influential gentlemen in music, and his impact has been two-fold as co-founder of Merge Records and as the leader of Superchunk, the band he helped form in Chapel Hill back in the late ’80s.

As most longtime fans know, the record label was launched as a channel for the music of Superchunk, but in an incredible story of determination and perseverance, the business gradually grew to include music from all over the globe and eventual Grammy-winning artists.

While it’s been through numerous personnel changes over the years, Superchunk’s got a dozen studio albums to its name and impressively continues to grow its fan base more than 30 years after starting out.

Listen to Superchunk’s 2022 studio album, Wild Loneliness, via Spotify:

Out on a late-summer run, Superchunk made at stop at Ottobar in Baltimore on Sept. 9 for an energetic showcase of songs both old and new, blasting through a vigorous and fearless set to a packed house on Saturday night.

In addition to longtime guitarist Jim Wilbur and bassist Jason Narducy (Verboten, Bob Mould), McCaughan cheered Baltimore’s own Laura King (Bat Fangs), who joined the group on drums in the wake of Jon Wurster’s announced departure early this year.

Along with Superchunk, Cable Ties from Australia — a band McCaughan has championed on social media and one who just released another record this summer on Merge — delivered its own mind-blowing performance, adding up to a terrific night at the historic Charm City venue.

Listen to Cable Ties newest album, All Her Plans, via Spotify:

Superchunk Setlist

Untied
From the Curve
Package Thief
For Tension
Crossed Wires
This Summer
Hello Hawk
Kicked In
Iron On
This Night
Lost My Brain
The Question Is How Fast
Break the Glass
Me & You & Jackie Mittoo
Slack Motherfucker
Throwing Things

Encore
100,000 Fireflies (The Magnetic Fields)
Hyper Enough
Driveway to Driveway
Precision Auto
The Only Piece That You Get

Here are images of Superchunk as well as the night’s opening act, Cable Ties, performing at Ottobar the night of Sept. 9, 2023. All photos copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.

Superchunk

Cable Ties