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Portastatic

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(Redirected from Spying On The Spys)
Portastatic
OriginChapel Hill, North Carolina, US
GenresRock and roll, indie rock, Brazilian, film scores
Years active1992–present
Labels18 Wheeler, Matador, Hello, Esther, Merge
MembersMac McCaughan
Websitemergerecords.com/portastatic Portastatic myspace

Portastatic is an American indie rock band founded in the early 1990s as a solo project of Mac McCaughan, singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Superchunk.[1] The project has since expanded into a full band, sometimes including Superchunk guitarist Jim Wilbur and McCaughan's brother Matthew.

Tom Scharpling of the 18 Wheeler fanzine released McCaughan's solo material under the fanzine's own imprint in 1993, the "Starter" 7". Since then, McCaughan has recorded several records as Portastatic, covering genres including indie rock, lo-fi, soundtrack and Brazilian music.

The name "Portastatic" is derived from the TASCAM Portastudio home recording device.[2]

Discography

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Official albums

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Compilation albums

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Demo albums

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  • 2005 - Ideas for Bright Ideas (CD) [The Portastatic Label]
  • 2006 - Some Small Things You Can't Defend (CD) [The Portastatic Label]

Soundtracks

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Singles and EPs

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  • 1993 - Starter (7") [18 Wheeler]
  • 1994 - Naked Pilseners (7"/CD EP) [Matador]
  • 1994 - Hello CD of the Month (CD EP) [Hello]
  • 1994 - San Andreas Couch (7") [Ester]
  • 1995 - Scrapbook X's (7") [18 Wheeler]
  • 1995 - Scrapbook EP (Double 7"/CD EP) [Merge]
  • 1996 - Spying On The Spys (7") [Merge]
  • 1997 - Trash Heap - Split 7" w/ Ida (Split 7") [Trash Heap]
  • 1997 - Portastatic/The Landing Split 7" (Split 7") [Sarang Bang]: "Secret Session"/"And Forward Again"
  • 1997 - Portastatic/The Ladybug Transistor/Land of the Loops Split 7" (Split 7") [After Hours]: "You Love To Fail"
  • 2000 - De Mel, De Melão (CD EP) [Merge]
  • 2001 - The Perfect Little Door (Featuring Ken Vandermark)(CD EP) [Merge]
  • 2003 - Autumn Was a Lark (CD EP) [Merge]
  • 2005 - Looking for a Power Supply (CD EP) [Houston Party]
  • 2005 - I Wanna Know Girls (Digital EP) [iTunes/Merge]
  • 2006 - Sour Shores (Digital EP) [Merge]
  • 2009 - Make It Sound In Tune (Digital EP) [Merge]

References

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  1. ^ Bush, John. "Portastatic | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  2. ^ Parker, Chris (2008-09-10). "Mac McCaughan: Through with Portastatic?". Indy Week.