Mike Bell (Mike Bell & the Movies)
SPB: What was the best show you’ve seen in the past year?
Bell: May 15th, 2015, Mac McCaughan and the Non Believers, Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA
I had kept myself away from the album ‘cause my plan was to purchase directly from Mac. Now to say Superchunk was a major influence in my songwriting within the last decade would be a gross understatement. The chance to see Mac perform his new songs and stripped down Superchunk songs...I WAS STOKED. The show was great! There weren't many people there, it was raining, but a ton of friends ended up in attendance. Eric from Lame-O, Jake and Ian from Modern Baseball, Peter from Dogs on Acid/The Movies...I am forgetting a few...
The show was super intimate. Mac even threw in a couple of tunes "Billy Bragg-style" in the middle (just him and an electric guitar). After the set I went to purchase the record and the guitar player from The Non-Believers informed me I would have to wait for Mac, since he was the only one with a Square reader. I road home in the rain on my bike as fast as I could and listened to that record four times. Interesting postscript to the story: this was also how I learned Mac's real name was Ralph. [The online receipt for payment was to a Ralph MacCaughn]
