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Jon Wurster

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Jon Wurster
Jon Wurster performing with Superchunk in 2010
Jon Wurster performing with Superchunk in 2010
Background information
Born
Jonathan Patrick Wurster

(1966-10-31) October 31, 1966 (age 59)
Sellersville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
OccupationsMusician, writer
InstrumentDrums
Years active1981–present
Member ofThe Mountain Goats
Formerly ofSuperchunk
Websitewww.instagram.com/jonwurster/

Jonathan Patrick Wurster (born October 31, 1966) is an American drummer, percussionist, vocalist and comedy writer. As a musician, he is best known for his work with Superchunk, the Mountain Goats, and Bob Mould.[1] He is also known for appearing on The Best Show with Tom Scharpling.[2]

Wurster has recorded and performed live with Jay Farrar, Ben Gibbard,[3] Robert Pollard, Katy Perry, The New Pornographers, Rocket from the Crypt, Alejandro Escovedo, and R.E.M.[4]

Music career

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Early music career

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Wurster grew up in the southeastern Pennsylvania town of Harleysville and began playing drums at the age of ten, taking lessons for a few years before playing in local bands.[5] In 1984 Wurster joined the psychedelic punk band Psychotic Norman. The band shared bills with the Minutemen, Die Kreuzen, and Suicidal Tendencies and recorded a three-song 7" EP before Wurster left in January 1986 to play with[6] rock band the Right Profile.[7]

Months after Wurster's arrival, the Right Profile was signed by Clive Davis to Arista Records.[8] In April, 1987 the band recorded demos in Memphis, Tennessee with Jim Dickinson and Jerry Lee Lewis's guitarist Roland Janes at Sam Phillips's Recording Studio. Soon after this session, co-founding member Stephen J. Dubner[9] left the band to pursue a writing career. Dubner would go on to great success as co-author of the book Freakonomics.[10]

Dickinson and The Right Profile began sessions for their debut album at Ardent Studios[11] in the summer of 1987, but never completed the album. The band continued for four more years, eventually changing their name to the Carneys.[12] A five-day recording session in 1989 produced by drummer Steve Jordan at New York City's The Hit Factory has been cited by Wurster as crucial to his development as a drummer. A cross-country tour to Los Angeles to find a record deal proved unsuccessful, and the Carneys broke up in August 1991. Andy York, the guitarist on the final tour, would go on to play with John Mellencamp.[13] The Right Profile's 1986-87 lineup reformed for a benefit show in August 2018 at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina.

Wurster replaced drummer Doug Whelchel in the Raleigh-based roots rock band The Accelerators for the recording of their second album Dream Train.[14][15] However, the band's label, Profile Records, stalled the release of the album for several years, resulting in the band going on hiatus.[14] When Dream Train was finally released in 1991, front man Gerald Duncan and Wurster were the only returning members for a show at The Brewery in Raleigh on October 4, 1991.[14] Although Wurster had already joined Superchunk, he continued playing with the Accelerators for their limited tour in support of Dream Train, but eventually left the band to devote more time to his new band.

Wurster moved to Chapel Hill in March 1991 and joined the band Superchunk in October just before the release of its second album, No Pocky for Kitty. Wurster has drummed on every Superchunk from No Pocky through Wild Loneliness.[16]

After eleven years of recording and touring, Superchunk went on hiatus in 2002. During the hiatus Wurster worked with Caitlin Cary (2002); The Minus 5 (2002); Marah (2003); Chris Stamey (2004), and Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices (2006).[17][18] In November, 2006 Superchunk played with The Mountain Goats at The Daily Show's tenth anniversary party at Irving Plaza in New York City. In addition to performing a comedy sketch with Samantha Bee of Daily Show, Wurster played three songs with the Mountain Goats. As a result, he was invited to drum on the duo's west coast tour in 2007.[19]

Wurster played drums and percussion on the Mountain Goats' 2007 album Heretic Pride and joined the band after the release of the album. He has drummed on every subsequent Mountain Goats album and contributed guitar to Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan.[20][21] As the 2008 Heretic Pride tour was ending, he was contacted by bassist Jason Narducy about replacing Bob Mould's drummer on the west coast leg of Mould's District Line tour. Wurster flew from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles the day after the Mountain Goats' last show and played his first show with Mould the next night in Solana Beach, California. Wurster has drummed on every Bob Mould album since 2009's Life and Times and became a member of the Bob Mould Band.[22] He has recorded or performed live with Aimee Mann, R.E.M., Dave Grohl, The Pretenders, Nick Cave, Ben Gibbard, Charlie Daniels, Britt Daniel, The Bangles, Katy Perry, Guided By Voices, Ryan Adams, Rocket from the Crypt, Magnapop, The New Pornographers, Margaret Cho, Jay Farrar, Alejandro Escovedo, Split Single, Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple, and The Connells.

On Feb. 10, 2023, Wurster announced his exit from Superchunk.[23]

Discography

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Superchunk

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The Mountain Goats

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Bob Mould

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As session drummer

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