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The White Stripes

The White Stripes were an American rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of the 2000s indie rock and garage rock revival.

Beginning in the late 1990s, the White Stripes sought success within the Detroit music scene, releasing six singles and two studio albums, their self-titled debut album (1999) and De Stijl (2000). They rose to prominence with their critically acclaimed albums White Blood Cells (2001) and Elephant (2003), which propelled them to the forefront of the garage rock revival scene. The single "Seven Nation Army", which used a guitar and an octave pedal to create the opening riff, became one of their most recognizable songs. The band released two more albums, Get Behind Me Satan (2005) and Icky Thump (2007), and the documentary Under Great White Northern Lights (2009), before dissolving in 2011 after a lengthy hiatus from performing and recording.

The White Stripes used a low-fidelity approach to writing and recording. Their music featured a melding of garage rock and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo were also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which featured a simple color scheme of red, white, and black—which was used on every album and single cover they released—as well as the duo's fascination with the number three. Their discography includes six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album and one extended play (EP).

Over the course of their career, the White Stripes earned numerous accolades, which include winning a Brit Award from six nominations, six Grammy Awards from eleven nominations, and six MTV Video Music Awards from eighteen nominations. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has included White Blood Cells on their "200 Definitive Albums" list. Rolling Stone ranked White Blood Cells and Elephant on various editions of their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and in 2015, the same publication named them the sixth greatest duo of all time. In 2023, in their first year of eligibility, the White Stripes were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but were not inducted.

1996–1999: Early years, formation and The White Stripes
In high school, Jack Gillis (as he was then known) met Meg White at the Memphis Smoke—the restaurant where she worked and where he would read his poetry at open mic nights. The two became friends, and began to frequent the coffee shops, local music venues, and record stores of the area. By this time, Gillis was already playing drums with musician friends, including his upholstery apprenticeship mentor, Brian Muldoon. In 1994, he got his first professional job as the drummer for the Detroit cowpunk band Goober & the Peas. After dating for several years, Gillis and White married on September 21, 1996. Contrary to convention, he took his wife's surname. Shortly after, Goober and the Peas broke up, but Jack continued to play in other bands, such as the garage punk band the Go (he played lead guitar on their 1999 album Whatcha Doin'), the Hentchmen, and Two-Star Tabernacle.

On Bastille Day 1997, Meg started learning to play the drums. In Jack's words, "When she started to play drums with me, just on a lark, it felt liberating and refreshing. There was something in it that opened me up." The couple then became a band and, while they considered calling themselves Bazooka and Soda Powder, they settled on the White Stripes. Jack explained the name's origin: "Meg loves peppermints, and we were going to call ourselves the Peppermints. But since our last name was White, we decided to call it the White Stripes. It revolved around this childish idea, the ideas kids have—because they are so much better than adult ideas, right?" From the beginning, they established certain motifs: publicly pretending to be brother and sister, outfitting their production in only black, red, and white, and heavily using the number "three". White has explained that they used these colors to distract from the fact that they were young, white musicians playing "black music". They were also noted for their lack of a bass player, and their general refusal to be interviewed separately.

The White Stripes had their first live performance on August 14, 1997, at the Gold Dollar bar in Detroit. They began their career as part of the Michigan underground garage rock scene, playing with local bands such as the Hentchmen, the Dirtbombs, the Gories, and Rocket 455. In 1998, Dave Buick—owner of an independent, Detroit-based, garage-punk label called Italy Records—approached the band at a bar and asked if they would like to record a single. Jack initially declined, believing it would be too expensive, but he eventually reconsidered when he realized that Buick was offering to pay for it. Their debut single, "Let's Shake Hands", was released on vinyl in February 1998 with an initial pressing of 1,000 copies. This was followed in October 1998 by the single "Lafayette Blues" which, again, was only released on vinyl with 1,000 copies.

In 1999, the White Stripes signed with the California-based label Sympathy for the Record Industry. In March 1999, they released the single "The Big Three Killed My Baby", followed by their debut album, The White Stripes, on June 15, 1999. The self-titled debut was produced by Jack and engineered by American music producer Jim Diamond at his Ghetto Recorders studio in Detroit. The album was dedicated to the seminal Mississippi Delta blues musician Son House, an artist who influenced Jack. The track "Cannon" from The White Stripes contains part of an a cappella version, as performed by House, of the traditional American gospel blues song "John the Revelator". The White Stripes also covered House's song "Death Letter" on their follow-up album De Stijl. Looking back on their debut during a 2003 interview with Guitar Player, Jack said, "I still feel we've never topped our first album. It's the most raw, the most powerful, and the most Detroit-sounding record we've made." AllMusic said of the album: "Jack White's voice is a singular, evocative combination of punk, metal, blues, and backwoods while his guitar work is grand and banging with just enough lyrical touches of slide and subtle solo work... Meg White balances out the fretwork and the fretting with methodical, spare, and booming cymbal, bass drum, and snare... All D.I.Y. punk-country-blues-metal singer-songwriting duos should sound this good."

At the end of 1999, the White Stripes released "Hand Springs" as a 7" split single with fellow Detroit band the Dirtbombs on the B-side. 2,000 copies came free with the pinball fanzine Multiball. The record is currently—like the majority of vinyl records by the White Stripes—out of print and difficult to find.

2000–2002: De Stijl and White Blood Cells
Jack and Meg divorced in March 2000. The White Stripes were scheduled to perform at a local music lounge soon after they separated. Jack assumed the band was over and asked Buick and nephew Ben Blackwell to perform with him in the slot that had been booked for the White Stripes. However, the day they were supposed to perform, Meg convinced Jack that the White Stripes should continue and the band reunited. The White Stripes' second album, De Stijl (Dutch for "The Style"), was released on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label on June 20, 2000. Considered a cult classic and self-recorded on an 8-track analog tape in Jack's living room, De Stijl displays the simplicity of the band's blues and "scuzzy garage rock" fusion prior to their breakthrough success.

The album title derives from the Dutch art movement of the same name; common elements of the De Stijl aesthetic are demonstrated on the album cover, which sets the band members against an abstract background of rectangles and lines in red, black and white. The album was dedicated to furniture designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld of the De Stijl movement, as well as to the influential Georgia bluesman Blind Willie McTell. De Stijl eventually reached number 38 on Billboard Magazine's Independent Albums chart in 2002, around the time the White Stripes' popularity began establishing itself. One New York Times critic at the time said that the Stripes typified "what many hip rock fans consider real music."

Party of Special Things to Do was released as a 7" on Sub Pop in December 2000. It comprised three songs originally performed by Captain Beefheart, an experimental blues rock musician.

The White Stripes' third album, White Blood Cells, was released on July 3, 2001, on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The band enjoyed its first significant success the following year with the major label re-release of the album on V2 Records. Its stripped-down garage rock sound drew critical acclaim in the UK, and in the US soon afterward, making the White Stripes one of the most acclaimed bands of 2002. Several outlets praised their "back to basics" approach, with Daily Mirror calling them "the greatest band since The Sex Pistols." In 2002, Q magazine listed the White Stripes as one of "50 Bands to See Before You Die". After their first appearance on network TV (a live set on The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn), Joe Hagan of The New York Times declared, "They have made rock rock again by returning to its origins as a simple, primitive sound full of unfettered zeal."

White Blood Cells peaked at number 61 on the Billboard 200, reaching Gold record status by selling over 500,000 albums. It reached number 55 in the United Kingdom, being bolstered in both countries by the single "Fell in Love with a Girl" and its accompanying Lego-animation music video directed by Michel Gondry. The video won three awards at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards: Breakthrough Video, Best Special Effects, and Best Editing, and the band played the song live at the event. It was also nominated for Video of the Year, but fell short of winning. Stylus Magazine rated White Blood Cells as the fourteenth greatest album of 2000–2005, while Pitchfork Media ranked it eighth on their list of the top 100 albums from 2000 to 2004.

In 2002, George Roca produced and directed a concert film about the band titled Nobody Knows How to Talk to Children. It chronicles the White Stripes' four-night stand at New York City's Bowery Ballroom in 2002, and contains live performances and behind-the-scenes footage. Its 2004 release was suppressed by the band's management, however, after they discovered that Roca had been showing it at the Seattle Film Festival without permission. According to the band, the film was "not up to the standards our fans have come to expect"; even so, it remains a highly prized bootleg. Also in 2002, they appeared as musical guests on Saturday Night Live.

2003–2006: Elephant and Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes' fourth album, Elephant, was recorded in 2002 over the span of two weeks with British recording engineer Liam Watson at his Toe Rag Studios in London. Jack self-produced the album with antiquated equipment, including a duct-taped 8-track tape machine and pre-1960s recording gear. In a 2017 interview with The New Yorker, Jack said "We had no business being in the mainstream. We assumed the music we were making was private, in a way. We were from the scenario where there are fifty people in every town. Something about us was beyond our control, though. Now it's five hundred people, now it's a second night, what is going on? Is everybody out of their minds?" Elephant was released in 2003 on V2 in the US, and on XL Recordings in England. It marked the band's major label debut and was their first UK chart-topping album, as well as their first US Top 10 album (at number six). The album eventually reached double platinum certification in Britain, and platinum certification in the United States. To promote the album, they made several appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2003, and they collaborated with Conan O'Brien frequently afterwards.

Elephant garnered critical acclaim upon its release. It received a perfect five-out-of-five-star rating from Rolling Stone magazine, and enjoys a 92-percent positive rating on Metacritic. AllMusic said the album "sounds even more pissed-off, paranoid, and stunning than its predecessor... Darker and more difficult than White Blood Cells." Elephant was notable for Jack's first guitar solos, and critics also praised Meg's drumming. Rolling Stone placed Jack at number 17 on its list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and included Meg on its list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". Elephant was ranked number 390 on the magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2009, the album came in at number 18 in NME's "Top 100 Greatest Albums of the decade". NME referred to the album as the pinnacle of the White Stripes' time as a band and one of Jack White's best works of his career.

The album's first single, "Seven Nation Army", was the band's most successful and topped the Billboard rock charts. Its success was followed with a cover of Burt Bacharach's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself". The album's third single was the successful "The Hardest Button to Button". "There's No Home for You Here" was the fourth single. In 2004, the album won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, while "Seven Nation Army" won a Grammy for Best Rock Song. Also in 2004, the band released its first music film Under Blackpool Lights, which was shot entirely on super 8 film and was directed by Dick Carruthers. In 2005, Jack began working on songs for the band's next album at his home. He played with different techniques than in past albums, trading in his electric guitar for an acoustic on all but a few of the tracks, as his trademark riff-based lead guitar style is overtaken by a predominantly rhythmic approach. The White Stripes' fifth album, Get Behind Me Satan, was released in 2005 on the V2 label. The title is an allusion to a Biblical quotation Jesus made to the Apostle Simon Peter from the Gospel of Matthew 16:23 of the New Testament (in the King James Version, the quotation is slightly different: "Get thee behind me, Satan" ). Another theory about this title is that Jack and Meg White read James Joyce's story collection "Dubliners" (published 1914) and used a line from the final story "The Dead" to title this album. The title is also a direct quotation from Who bassist John Entwistle's solo song "You're Mine".

With its reliance on piano-driven melodies and experimentation with marimba on "The Nurse" and "Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)", Get Behind Me Satan did not feature the explicit blues and punk styles that dominated earlier White Stripes albums. However, despite this, the band was critically lauded for their "fresh, arty reinterpretations of their classic inspirations." It has garnered positive reactions from fans, as well as critical acclaim, receiving more Grammy nominations as well as making them one of the must-see acts of the decade. Rolling Stone ranked it the third best album of the year and it received the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2006.

Three singles were released from the album, the first being "Blue Orchid", a popular song on satellite radio and some FM stations. The second and third singles were "My Doorbell" and "The Denial Twist", respectively, and music videos were made for the three singles. "My Doorbell" was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

The White Stripes postponed the Japanese leg of their world tour after Jack strained his vocal cords, with doctors recommending that Jack not sing or talk for two weeks. After a full recovery, he returned to the stage in Auckland, New Zealand to headline the Big Day Out tour. While on the British leg of the tour, Jack changed his name from Jack White to "Three quid".

On October 2, 2005, Jim Diamond—the owner and operator of Ghetto Recorders recording studio—filed a lawsuit against the band and Third Man Records for "breach of contract". In the suit, he claimed that as the co-producer, mixer, and editor on the band's debut album, and mixer and engineer on De Stijl, he was due royalties for "mechanical rights". The band filed a counterclaim on May 16 of that year, requesting damages against Diamond and an official court declaration denying him rights to the material. Diamond lost the suit, with the jury determining that he was not instrumental in crafting the band's sound. The White Stripes released a cover version of Tegan and Sara's song "Walking with a Ghost" on iTunes in November 2005. The song was later released in December as the Walking with a Ghost EP featuring four other live tracks.

In October 2006, it was announced on the official White Stripes website that there would be an album of avant-garde orchestral recordings consisting of past music written by Jack called Aluminium. The album was made available for pre-order on November 6, 2006, to great demand from the band's fans; the LP version of the project sold out in a little under a day. The project was conceived by Richard Russell, founder of XL Recordings, who co-produced the album with Joby Talbot. It was recorded between August 2005 and February 2006 at Intimate Studios in Wapping, London using an orchestra. Before the album went out of print, it was available exclusively through the Aluminium website in a numbered limited edition of 3,333 CDs with 999 LPs.

2007–2008: Icky Thump and hiatus
On January 12, 2007, V2 Records announced that, due to being under the process of reconstruction, it would no longer release new White Stripes material, leaving the band without a label. However, as the band's contract with V2 had already expired, on February 12, 2007, it was confirmed that the band had signed a single album deal with Warner Bros. Records. Their sixth album, Icky Thump, was released on June 19, 2007. Following the well-received Get Behind Me Satan, Icky Thump marked a return to the punk, garage rock and blues influences for which the band is known. It was recorded at Nashville's Blackbird Studio and took almost three weeks to record—the longest of any White Stripes album. It would also be their first album with a title track. The album's release came on the heels of a series of concerts in Europe and one in North America at Bonnaroo. Prior to the album's release, three tracks were previewed to NME: "Icky Thump", "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" and "Conquest". NME described the tracks as "an experimental, heavy sounding 70s riff", "a strong, melodic love song" and "an unexpected mix of big guitars and a bold horn section", respectively.

On the US Billboard Charts dated May 12, 2007, "Icky Thump"—the first single—became the band's first Top 40 single, charting at number 26, and later charted at number 2 in the UK. Icky Thump entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 223,000 copies sold. By late July, Icky Thump was certified gold in the United States. As of March 8, 2008, the album has sold 725,125 copies in the US. On February 10, 2008, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

On April 25, 2007, the duo announced that they would embark on a tour of Canada, performing in all 10 provinces, plus Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories. In the words of Jack: "Having never done a tour of Canada, Meg and I thought it was high time to go whole hog. We want to take this tour to the far reaches of the Canadian landscape. From the ocean to the permafrost. The best way for us to do that is ensure that we perform in every province and territory in the country, from the Yukon to Prince Edward Island. Another special moment of this tour is the show which will occur in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia on July 14, the White Stripes' Tenth Anniversary." Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac opened for the band at the at the Savoy Theatre, Glace Bay show; earlier in 2007, MacIsaac and Jack had discovered that they were distantly related. It was also at this time that White learned he was related to Canadian fiddle player Natalie MacMaster.

On June 24, 2007, just a few hours before their concert at Deer Lake Park, the White Stripes began their cross-Canada tour by playing a 40-minute set for a group of 30 kids at the Creekside Youth Centre in Burnaby. The Canadian tour was also marked by concerts in small markets, such as Glace Bay, Whitehorse and Iqaluit, as well as by frequent "secret shows" publicized mainly by posts on The Little Room, a White Stripes fan messageboard. Gigs included performances at a bowling alley in Saskatoon, a youth center in Edmonton, a Winnipeg Transit bus and The Forks park in Winnipeg, a park in Whitehorse, the YMCA in downtown Toronto, the Arva Flour Mill in Arva, Ontario, Locas on Salter (a pool hall) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a famous one-note show on George Street in St. John's, Newfoundland. They played a full show later that night at the Mile One Centre in downtown St. John's. Video clips from several of the secret shows have been posted to YouTube. As well, the band filmed its video for "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" in Iqaluit.

After the conclusion of the Canadian dates, they embarked on a brief U.S. leg of their tour, which was to be followed by a break before more shows in the fall. But before their last show—in Southaven, Mississippi—Ben Blackwell (Jack's nephew and the group's archivist) says that Meg approached him and said, "This is the last White Stripes show". He asked if she meant of the tour, but she responded, "No. I think this is the last show, period." On September 11, 2007, the band announced the cancellation of 18 tour dates due to Meg's struggle with acute anxiety. A few days later, the duo canceled the remainder of their 2007 UK tour dates as well. In his review of Under Great White Northern Lights for Vanity Fair, Bill Bradley commented on the tour cancellations, saying that it was "impossible" not to see Meg as "road-weary and worn-out" at the end of the film.

The band was on hiatus from late 2007 to early 2011. While on hiatus, Jack formed a group called The Dead Weather, although he insisted that the White Stripes remained his top priority. Dominique Payette, a Quebecois radio host, sued the band for $70,000 in 2008 for sampling 10 seconds of her radio show in the song "Jumble Jumble" without permission. The matter was ultimately settled out of court.

2009–2011: Final years and breakup
The White Stripes performed live for the first time since September 2007 on the final episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien on February 20, 2009, where they performed an alternate version of "We're Going to Be Friends". In an article dated May 6, 2009, with MusicRadar.com, Jack mentioned recording songs with Meg before the Conan gig had taken place, saying, "We had recorded a couple of songs at the new studio." About a new White Stripes album, Jack said, "It won't be too far off. Maybe next year." Jack also explained Meg's acute anxiety during the Stripes' last tour, saying, "I just came from a Raconteurs tour and went right into that, so I was already full-speed. Meg had come from a dead-halt for a year and went right back into that madness. Meg is a very shy girl, a very quiet and shy person. To go full-speed from a dead-halt is overwhelming, and we had to take a break." The Conan gig proved to be their final live performance as a band.

In 2009 Jack reported that the White Stripes were working on their seventh album. A concert film, Under Great White Northern Lights, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 18, 2009. The film (directed by Emmett Malloy) documents the band's summer 2007 tour across Canada and contains live concert and off-stage footage. Jack and Meg White appeared at the premiere and made a short speech before the movie started about their love of Canada and why they chose to debut their movie in Toronto. The tour was in support of the album Icky Thump, and they performed in every province. Jack conceived the idea of touring Canada after learning that Scottish relatives on his father's side had lived for a few generations in Nova Scotia before relocating to Detroit to work in the car factories. Additionally, their 10th anniversary occurred during the tour on the day of their show at the at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and in this shot, Jack and Meg are dancing at the conclusion of the concert. The film was directed by a friend of the duo, Emmett Malloy.

In an interview with Self Titled, Jack alluded to the creation of a White Stripes film, Under Nova Scotian Lights, to be released later in 2009. In an interview with contactmusic.com, Jack claimed that working with the White Stripes would be "strange". "It would definitely be strange to go into the White Stripes again and have to rethink my game," adding: "But that would be the best thing about it, because it would be a whole new White Stripes."

In November 2010, the White Stripes contributed a previously released cover version of the song "Rated X" to the compilation album Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute To Loretta Lynn. In late 2010, the White Stripes reissued their first three albums on Third Man Records on a 180-gram vinyl along with 500 limited-edition, "split-colored" records to accompany it. Jack hinted at a possible White Stripes reunion in a 2010 interview with Vanity Fair. He said, "We thought we'd do a lot of things that we'd never done: a full tour of Canada, a documentary, coffee-table book, live album, a boxed set... Now that we've gotten a lot of that out of our system, Meg and I can get back in the studio and start fresh."

On February 2, 2011, the duo announced that they had officially ceased recording and performing music as the White Stripes. The announcement specifically denied any artistic differences or health issues, but cited "a myriad of reasons ... mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band".

Post-breakup
Following the band's breakup, Jack continued his music career while Meg retired and returned to Detroit. In a 2014 interview, Jack told Rolling Stone that Meg "viewed me that way of 'Oh, big deal, you did it, so what?' Almost every single moment of the White Stripes was like that. We'd be working in the studio and something amazing would happen: I'm like, 'Damn, we just broke into a new world right there!' And Meg's sitting in silence." He later apologized and praised Meg nonetheless, stating that "She was the antithesis of a modern drummer. So childlike and incredible and inspiring. All the not-talking didn't matter, because onstage? Nothing I do will top that."

Several unreleased recordings and memorabilia of the band have been released through Third Man, typically through the Third Man Records Vault, a "rarity-excavating" quarterly subscription service. This began with a 2009 package that included a mono mix of Icky Thump. The latest package is 2023's Elephant XX, a mono mix of the aforementioned album which celebrates its 20th anniversary.

In 2016, the previously unheard "City Lights" was released as a promotional single after Michel Gondry surprised Jack with a music video. It was additionally featured on Jack's compilation album Acoustic Recordings 1998–2016 and received a nomination for Best American Roots Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

On October 6, 2020, a greatest hits album titled The White Stripes Greatest Hits was announced through Third Man not as a vault exclusive. It consists of twenty-six songs including "Ball and Biscuit" which was released as a promotional single. The band relaunched their Instagram account to promote the album. It was released in the United States by Third Man and Columbia Records on December 4, 2020, and was internationally released on February 26, 2021. Wartella-directed music videos for "Let's Shake Hands" and "Apple Blossom" were released simultaneously. AllMusic's Heather Phares wrote: "The White Stripes Greatest Hits is filled with the same detail, wit, and willingness to subvert expectations that made the band so dynamic when they were active… the collection's hand-curated feel is much more personal than the average best-of or streaming play list." The New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich called the album "a good reminder of how odd and inventive the band was… It feels old-fashioned, even deliberately so, but it sounds awfully good."

In May 2023, Third Man Books announced "The White Stripes Complete Lyrics 1997-2007", a book featuring lyrics written during the band's activity in addition to rough drafts and unseen content. When compiling the lyrics, Jack said that "I couldn’t get through any of those songs; I would cry halfway through each of those songs… some of them are the first songs I really had ever written, or among the earliest… humbly, I don't really know why anyone would get anything out of them… but people reflect back at you and keep mentioning that and you go 'OK, I guess people are getting something out of that.'" It was released in October of that same year.

Musical style
The White Stripes have been described as garage rock, blues rock, alternative rock, punk blues, and indie rock. They emerged from Detroit's active garage rock revival scene of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their contemporaries included bands such as The Von Bondies, The Dirtbombs, The Detroit Cobras, and other bands that Jack included on a compilation album called Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit, which was recorded in his living room.

The band was influenced by blues musicians including Son House, Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson, garage rock bands such as The Gories and The Sonics, the Detroit protopunk sound of bands like the MC5 and The Stooges, in addition to groups like The Cramps, The Velvet Underground, and the early Los Angeles punk blues band The Gun Club. Jack has stated on numerous occasions that the blues is the dominant influence on his songwriting and the roots of the band's music, stating that he feels it is so sacred that playing it does not do it justice. Of The Gun Club's music in particular, Jack said, "'Sex Beat', 'She's Like Heroin To Me', and 'For The Love Of Ivy'...why are these songs not taught in schools?" Heavy blues rock bands such as AC/DC and Led Zeppelin have also influenced the band, as Jack has claimed that he "can't trust anybody who doesn't like Led Zeppelin."

Traditional country music such as Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn, rockabilly acts like the Flat Duo Jets, Wanda Jackson and Gene Vincent, the surf rock of Dick Dale, and folk music like Lead Belly and Bob Dylan have also influenced the band's sound. Meg has said one of her all-time favorite musicians is Bob Dylan; Jack has performed live with him, and has claimed "I've got three fathers—my biological dad, God and Bob Dylan".

Instruments and equipment
The White Stripes were notable for having only two musicians, limiting the instruments they could play live. Jack, the principal writer, said that this was not a problem, and that he "always centered the band around the number three. Everything was vocals, guitar and drums or vocals, piano and drums." Fans and critics drew comparisons between Jack's prowess on the guitar and Meg's simplistic, reserved drumming. The band additionally drew attention for their preference for antiquated recording equipment. In a 2001 New York Times concert review, Ann Powers noted that Jack's "ingenious" playing was "constrained by [Meg's] deliberately undeveloped approach", and that "he created more challenges by playing an acoustic guitar with paper taped over the hole and a less-than-high-quality solid body electric."

With few exceptions, Jack displayed a continued partiality towards amps and pedals from the 1960s. Jack used a number of effects to create his sound, such as a DigiTech Whammy IV to reach pitches that would be otherwise impossible with a regular guitar. When performing live, Jack used a Randy Parsons custom guitar, a 1964 JB Hutto Montgomery Airline, a Harmony Rocket, a 1970s Crestwood Astral II, and a 1950s Kay Hollowbody. Also, while playing live, he used an MXR Micro-Amp, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi distortion/sustainer, and an Electro-Harmonix POG (a polyphonic octave generator). He also used a Boss TU-2 tuner pedal. He plugged this setup into a 1970s Fender Twin Reverb, and two 100-Watt Sears Silvertone 1485 amplifiers paired with two 6x10 Silvertone cabinets. In addition to standard guitar tuning, Jack also used several open tunings. He also played other instruments such as a black F-Style Gibson mandolin, Rhodes bass keys, and a Steinway piano. He played a custom-made red and white marimba on "The Nurse", "Forever for Her (Is Over for Me)" as well as on the non-album tracks "Who's A Big Baby" and "Top Special".

Meg's minimalistic drumming style was a prominent part of the band's sound. Meg never had formal drum lessons. She played Ludwig Drums with Paiste cymbals, and says her pre-show warm-up consisted of "whiskey and Red Bull". Jack downplayed criticisms of her style, insisting: "I never thought 'God, I wish Neil Peart was in this band.' It's kind of funny: When people critique hip hop, they're scared to open up, for fear of being called racist. But they're not scared to open up on female musicians, out of pure sexism. Meg is the best part of this band. It never would have worked with anybody else, because it would have been too complicated... It was my doorway to playing the blues." Of her playing style, Meg herself said: "I appreciate other kinds of drummers who play differently, but it's not my style or what works for this band. I get [criticism] sometimes, and I go through periods where it really bothers me. But then I think about it, and I realize that this is what is really needed for this band. And I just try to have as much fun with it as possible ... I just know the way [Jack] plays so well at this point that I always know kind of what he's going to do. I can always sense where he's going with things just by the mood he's in or the attitude or how the song is going. Once in a while, he throws me for a loop, but I can usually keep him where I want him."

Although Jack was the lead vocalist, Meg did sing lead vocals "In the Cold, Cold Night" (from Elephant) and "Passive Manipulation" (from Get Behind Me Satan) among other tracks. She also accompanied Jack on the songs "Your Southern Can Is Mine" from their album De Stijl, "Hotel Yorba" and "This Protector" from their album White Blood Cells, on "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" and "Rag & Bone" from their album Icky Thump, "Rated X", and also sang alongside Jack and Holly Golightly on the song "It's True That We Love One Another", from the album Elephant.

Recording sessions and live performances
Several White Stripes recordings were completed rapidly. White Blood Cells was recorded in less than 4 days, and Elephant was recorded in about two weeks in London's Toe Rag Studio. Their 2005 follow-up, Get Behind Me Satan, was likewise recorded in just two weeks. For live shows, the White Stripes were known for Jack's employment of heavy distortion, as well as audio feedback and overdrive. The duo performed considerably more recklessly and unstructured live, never preparing set lists for their shows, believing that planning too closely would ruin the spontaneity of their performances. Other affectations included Jack using two microphones onstage.

Aesthetics
The White Stripes had a carefully constructed image built around lore they created for themselves and visual motifs. Early in their history, they turned down a potential deal with Chicago label Bobsled, because the label wanted to put its green logo on the CD. Their presentation was a subject of intrigue among the public and in the media. They made exclusive use of a red, white and black color scheme when conducting virtually all professional duties, from album art to the clothes worn during live performances. Jack told Rolling Stone in 2005 that "The White Stripes' colors were always red, white, and black. It came from peppermint candy. I also think they are the most powerful color combination of all time, from a Coca-Cola can to a Nazi banner. Those colors strike chords with people. In Japan, they are honorable colors. When you see a bride in a white gown, you immediately see innocence in that. Red is anger and passion. It is also sexual. And black is the absence of all that." He also explained that they aspired to invoke an innocent childishness without any intention of irony or humor. Meg said that "like a uniform at school, you can just focus on what you're doing because everybody's wearing the same thing." They also cited the minimalist and deconstructionist aspects of De Stijl design as a source of inspiration.

The media and fans alike varied between intrigue and skepticism at the band's appearance and presentation. Andy Gershon, president of the V2 label at the time of their signing, was reluctant to sign them, saying, "They need a bass player, they've got this red-and-white gimmick, and the songs are fantastic, but they've recorded very raw...how is this going to be on radio?" In a 2002 Spin magazine article, Chuck Klosterman wondered, "how can two media-savvy kids posing as brother and sister, wearing Dr. Seuss clothes, represent blood-and-bones Detroit, a city whose greatest resource is asphalt?" However, in 2001, Benjamin Nugent with TIME magazine commented that "it's hard to begrudge [Jack] his right to nudge the spotlight toward his band, and away from his private life, by any means available. Even at the expense of the truth." Klosterman also commented that "his songs—about getting married in cathedrals, walking to kindergarten, and guileless companionship—are performed with an almost naive certitude."

Portrayal as siblings
Early in their career, the band provided various descriptions of their relationship. Jack claimed that he and Meg were siblings, the youngest two of ten. As the story went, they became a band when, on Bastille Day 1997, Meg went to the attic of their parents' home and began to play on Jack's drum kit. This claim was widely believed and repeated despite rumors that they were, or had been, husband and wife. In 2001, proof of their 1996 marriage emerged, as well as evidence that the couple had divorced in March 2000, just before the band gained widespread attention. Even so, they continued to insist publicly that they were brother and sister. In a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Jack claimed that this open secret was intended to keep the focus on the music rather than the couple's relationship: "When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, 'Oh, I see...' When they're brother and sister, you go, 'Oh, that's interesting.' You care more about the music, not the relationship—whether they're trying to save their relationship by being in a band."

Other appearances
Jack and Meg White appeared in Jim Jarmusch's film Coffee and Cigarettes in 2003, in a segment entitled "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil". This particular segment contains extensions of White Stripes motifs such as childhood innocence and Nikola Tesla. They appeared in the 2005 documentary The Fearless Freaks, which covers the band The Flaming Lips. The band appeared as themselves in The Simpsons episode "Jazzy and the Pussycats" in 2006. Meg had previously expressed interest in a Simpsons role in 2003, saying that "A guest appearance would be amazing. I wouldn't want to be in a Lisa episode. They're kind of boring. Maybe a Homer one would be better." Jack is one of three guitarists featured in the 2009 documentary It Might Get Loud, and Meg appears in segments that include the White Stripes.

Legacy
The critical and commercial success of the White Stripes has established Jack and Meg White as key figures of both the garage rock and indie rock revival of the 2000s. They, along with The Strokes and The Hives, are credited by NME for bringing about both a "new garage rock revolution" and a "new rock revolution". Christened by the media as the "The" bands, they were dubbed "the saviours of rock 'n' roll" by Chris Smith, and Rolling Stone magazine declared on its September 2002 cover "Rock is Back!"

In 2007, British choreographer Wayne McGregor used music by the White Stripes for his production Chroma, a piece he created for The Royal Ballet in London, England. The orchestral arrangements for Chroma were commissioned by Richard Russell, head of XL Recordings, as a gift to the White Stripes and were produced by the British classical composer Joby Talbot. Three of these songs, "The Hardest Button to Button", "Aluminium" and "Blue Orchid", were first played to the band as a surprise in Cincinnati Music Hall, Ohio. McGregor heard the orchestral versions and decided to create a ballet using the music. Talbot re-orchestrated the music for the Royal Opera House orchestra, also writing three additional pieces of his own composition. The world premiere of the ballet took place on November 16, 2006, at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The ballet subsequently won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.

The song "We're Going to Be Friends" appeared in the films Napoleon Dynamite in 2004, Wonder in 2017, and Mr. Harrigan's Phone in 2022. The song "Why Can't You Be Nicer to Me?" was used in The Simpsons episode "Judge Me Tender" in 2010. The Academy Award-winning 2010 movie, The Social Network featured "Ball and Biscuit" in the opening scene. The song "Icky Thump" was featured in the 2010 film The Other Guys, and in Zack Snyder's Justice League in 2021. The song "Catch Hell Blues" is featured in the 2011 film Footloose, a remake of the 1984 film. The song "Little Ghost" appears in the post credits scene for the 2012 Laika studios film, ParaNorman. The songs "Hello Operator" and "Fell in Love with a Girl" were featured in the Academy Award-winning 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook. In 2013, several songs by the White Stripes were featured in the first season of the television series Peaky Blinders. The song "Apple Blossom" was featured in the 2015 Quentin Tarantino film The Hateful Eight. The song "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" was featured in a 2023 advertising campaign for Calvin Klein.

In 2010, a Super Bowl ad by the U.S. Air Force Reserve caused the White Stripes to "take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support." During the campaigning for the 2016 United States presidential election, then Republican candidate Donald Trump used "Seven Nation Army" in a campaign video against the Stripes' wishes. Jack and Meg made a joint post on the White Stripes Facebook page stating that they were "disgusted by this association, and by the illegal use of their song" and that they had "nothing whatsoever to do with this video". They also released a limited edition T-shirt that read "Icky Trump" on the front, which was wordplay on Trump's last name.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has White Blood Cells on their Definitive 200 Albums of All Time list. White Blood Cells and Elephant both appeared on Rolling Stone 's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone included Jack on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2010, and Meg on its list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" in 2016. In 2015, Rolling Stone named the White Stripes the sixth greatest duo of all time. In 2023, in their first year of eligibility, the White Stripes were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but were not inducted.

Members

 * Jack White – vocals, guitar, keyboard, piano
 * Meg White – drums, percussion, vocals

Discography
Studio albums
 * The White Stripes (1999)
 * De Stijl (2000)
 * White Blood Cells (2001)
 * Elephant (2003)
 * Get Behind Me Satan (2005)
 * Icky Thump (2007)

Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards

 * 2004: Best Alternative Music Album – Elephant
 * 2004: Best Rock Song – "Seven Nation Army"
 * 2006: Best Alternative Music Album – Get Behind Me Satan
 * 2008: Best Alternative Music Album – Icky Thump
 * 2008: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal – "Icky Thump"
 * 2011: Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package – Under Great White Northern Lights

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: The White Stripes


text:
Talk:Susan Blackmore

Rewrite
This article has been rewritten with appropriate sources. I am removing the third party tag. Should any additional citations be needed they can be found by doing a Google Scholar search for Susan Blackmore and going to any of the many journal articles citing her books and articles. The references that remain to her own work are to support the direct quotations and have been referenced with third party sources that cite the articles quoted. If an editor has the time her work in Memetics could be expanded and if truly necessary the direct quotes could be converted to prose based on third party sources. Her work in parapsychology and the paranormal could also be further detailed. - - MrBill3 (talk) 11:11, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Large study quote
I reverted the removal of the following:

"A large study of paranormal experiences that Blackmore conducted from 1996 to 1999 revealed most them "fell under the definition of sleep paralysis.""

The source has this:

"Dr Susan Blackmore, a research psychologist and visiting lecturer at the University of the West of England, carried out a large study between 1996 and 1999 of 'paranormal' experiences, most of which clearly fell within the definition of sleep paralysis."

The editor who removed it stated in their edit summary that it did not follow from the source. Clearly this sentence follows the source very directly. Regarding the focus of the study it is my understanding that the study was focused on Out of Body experiences not sleep paralysis. If there is a RS that states this study was of sleep paralysis please cite and consider including in the article as appropriate. - - MrBill3 (talk) 05:37, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

 * No, it doesn't follow. The sentence in the WP article suggests that they indiscriminately gathered 'paranormal' experiences and discovered that most of them were the result of sleep paralysis. That's not what the cited article says, and that's not what happened. I provided a pointer in my edit comment, the Perrott-Warrick Project: "We carried out several surveys, several experiments, and collected a large number of accounts of psychic experiences. We concentrated especially on the experience of sleep paralysis, and collected over 300 accounts of these experiences."

 * Incidentally the sentence in the WP article also falsely implies that Blackmore wrote the words in quotes, when they come from the author of the Guardian article. And it isn't even an accurate quote, substituting "within" for "under". Vzaak (talk) 07:10, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

 * I suggest then;
 * Barbara Rowland in an article in The Guardian stated that Blackmore, "carried out a large study between 1996 and 1999 of 'paranormal' experiences, most of which clearly fell within the definition of sleep paralysis." The study examined borderline states of consciousness focusing on sleep paralysis and found that many experiences that some attribute to psychic phenomena, including out of body experiences, occurred during sleep paralysis.

 * Please note WP policy WP:BRD. After making a Bold edit and being Reverted the appropriate action is to Discuss not to undo the revert. I am more than happy to have a discussion here and work towards consensus. That is the policy of WP not a series of edits before there has been discussion. What I think is important to include in this article is a specific example of Blackmore studying phenomena that have been attributed to psychic causes and finding scientific explanations. If you can find a better example I welcome it's substitution for this example. It is clear that her work was originally an attempt to study psychic phenomena and her results led her to believe there were scientific explanations. This is in the article already and as I said I think a specific example is appropriate. - - MrBill3 (talk) 08:11, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

 * Take it easy. The original sentence in the WP article was clearly mistaken, as was the revert of my edit. This wouldn't have happened if the pointer I gave to the Perrott-Warrick Project was checked, or if the cite was more carefully read. Removing obvious misinformation isn't edit warring.

 * Deciding upon an appropriate replacement is orthogonal to this correction. Vzaak (talk) 08:46, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

 * To address your point about WP:BRD directly, my edit was not a bold edit. Correcting an article isn't being bold. So please relax with this stuff. Vzaak (talk) 09:15, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

 * Vzaak: 1. Removal of material and source from an article without first discussing it on the talk page is a bold edit. 2. It is clearly stated on the Bold, revert, discuss process page that “a revert should not be reverted again by the same editors until the changes have been discussed”. I pointed this out on your talk page. 3. Removal of a quote published in a notable source rather than correcting a one word error could be seen as disruptive editing. 4. “this stuff” is discussion in an attempt to reach consensus.

 * I continue to take it easy and welcome discussion. Please don't imply any personal attack or animosity. I certainly hope that my comments are seen as civil. I enjoy working to improve Wikipedia and find the collaborative process engaging and constructive. I respect your opinions and conclusions and remain open to compromise. As you can see in my proposal below, I have corrected the error in the quotation, clearly identified the author of the quotation and given the subject of the article for context. If you have other issues with the fact I seek to include in the article please continue to voice them.

 * Please see the following guidelines and procedures: Bold, Editing policy, BOLD, revert, discuss cycle, Edit warring, Consensus and Identifying reliable sources. - - MrBill3 (talk) 14:35, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

 * You wrongly accused me of criticizing Blackmore's research methods and methodology (still no apology), apparently because you thought I was some pro-paranormal enthusiast. You misrepresented the content of the Guardian article. You didn't carefully reassess the article after the removal, and didn't check the confirming reason for the removal, the Perrott-Warrick Project. Moreover, you misattributed a quote to Blackmore, and even the misattributed quote was incorrect. And, to boot, you forgot an ending quotation mark. All in one sentence! There is no controversy whatsoever in removing such a sentence, and your voluminous efforts to paint it otherwise are highly inappropriate. Vzaak (talk) 17:41, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

 * I misinterpreted Vzaak's criticism of the use, accuracy and attribution of a quote as a criticism of the content of the quote or the research methods of the study mentioned in the quote, I apologize. The material he removed contained a misquotation and error in punctuation. The attribution of the quote was not clear. I have sought to remedy these errors in the sentence suggested below. My misenterpretation of Vzaak's criticism has resulted in this exhaustive discussion of his removal of material that contained at least two errors. My comments in the discussion on this page and elsewhere have been unncessarily long and strident. I regret the effort required to discuss and reach a consensus on rather small item that required correction due to my over the top reaction to a revert of a revert without discussion first. - - MrBill3 (talk) 08:43, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Proposal for inclusion in article
I propose the following sentence for inclusion in the article:

In a article in The Observer on sleep paralysis Barbara Rowland wrote that Blackmore, “carried out a large study between 1996 and 1999 of 'paranormal' experiences, most of which clearly fell within the definition of sleep paralysis.”

reference

Justification for inclusion: This is factual and verifiable. It is notable for publication in a major newspaper. It has encyclopedic value as a specific example of the content of the article.

Response to criticism: This “follows” the source directly it is a quotation. If there is content in the article that provides context or clarification, suggest it's inclusion. An editor's opinion of the implications of a writers statement (what it "suggests") must be supported by a reliable source. The webpage pointed to (Perrott-Warrick Project) clearly states that the study was funded by a grant (administered by Trinity College, Cambridge) that is "absolutely for the purpose of psychical research". Criticism of the methodology of the research methods should be backed up by a more reliable source than this webpage, there are 19 conference papers and 8 published articles listed on the webpage. These papers and articles (or other articles which cite them) would provide verifiable information on this study. However it is a fact that Rowland wrote precisely what is quoted and it was published. - - MrBill3 (talk) 13:44, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

 * I find this response bizarre. Do you think I'm a pro-paranormal advocate or something? A look at my history will show the exact opposite. Why all this lawyering? Why do you think I'm criticizing the "methodology of the research methods" of Blackmore or anyone else? That is obviously not true.

 * Why not simply summarize Blackmore's research into sleep paralysis with respect to alien abductions or OBEs or something? You're citing an article that discusses the medical aspect of sleep paralysis which only mentions Blackmore in passing, and the paranormalish aspect of sleep paralysis is given no treatment whatsoever. Vzaak (talk) 14:53, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

 * My objective in including the above quote is to provide a notable third party source. I think the article already contains adequate explanation of Blackmore studying paranormal phenomena and not finding any supernatural causes but would benefit from specific examples. WP places an emphasis on someone other than the subject as a source. I think including the fact that Blackmore was consulted on an article where it is stated she studied a phenomena as possibly paranormal but found a scientific explanation instead provides that. I don't understand what you see as bizarre about that. Sorry if my suggestions to adhere to WP policies and guidelines seem excessive. I will strive to be more concise and focused on content. I will also look for another example that elaborates further on Blackmore's research. At this point I still think this is a factual and valid example for inclusion, however should a better example be found and included this one could be removed. - - MrBill3 (talk) 15:56, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

 * The bizarreness I mentioned is your accusation that I criticized the "methodology of the research methods" of Blackmore, which is completely untrue and out of left field. Also bizarre is the lawyering on display here, indicating you thought I was a paranormal enthusiast looking to push a point of view or something. No, I simply removed inaccurate content.

 * I'm not involved with whatever you decide to add (or not). My removal of inaccurate and misleading information is independent of that.

 * This is a backhanded uncivil remark: "Sorry if my suggestions to adhere to WP policies and guidelines seem excessive." Please see WP:UNCIVIL. Consider this a warning. Vzaak (talk) 17:45, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

 * My remark was not intended as a backhanded uncivil remark it was sincere. I have apologized above for both my over reaction and misinterpretation.

 * I am not sure how to interpret your statement "I am not involved with whatever you decide to add (or not)." Does that mean you have no opinion or objection regarding including the sentence proposed? If so I will add the sentence after waiting for any other editors to weigh in. - - MrBill3 (talk) 08:55, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

As there has been no objection I will add the proposed text and reference. - - MrBill3 (talk) 05:20, 31 August 2013 (UTC)

Problems With the Photos
Both photos in the main body of the article make references to something called TAM. There's no reference to TAM in the body of the article, nor does to photo caption provide a link or explain what that apparent acronym stands for. I assume it's some sort of conference, but surely there's a better way to reference it.

Also, the second photo (the one of the autographed book) doesn't seem to be relevant to anything in the body of the article. There is no explanation of who Susan Gerbic is, nor does the name link to anything. It's also not clear what "fakers" Blackmore is referring to, and the suggestion that she won't fight the fakers (whatever that means) seems to be at odds with the description of her as a skeptic. Webster100 (talk) 19:56, 31 March 2014 (UTC)
 * TAM is presumably The Amaz!ng Meeting, and yes, the signed book doesn't seem to add anything. I've updated the first photo and cut the second. --McGeddon (talk) 20:28, 31 March 2014 (UTC)

Request for Comments
There is an RfC on the question of using "Religion: None" vs. "Religion: None (atheist)" in the infobox on this and other similar pages.

The RfC is at Template talk:Infobox person.

Please help us determine consensus on this issue. --Guy Macon (talk) 17:04, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

Spirituality vs. Secular spirituality
After hearing Blackmore lecture recently, I propose changing the beginning of the first sentence of "Personal life" should be changed from Blackmore is spiritual to Blackmore is an advocate of secular spirituality, as the latter better describes her secular humanist worldview and does not imply a relationship with the divine. Poorlyglot (talk) 02:45, 30 October 2018 (UTC)

 * I agree. DolyaIskrina (talk) 07:00, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Go for it. WP:BOLD Mramoeba (talk) 14:59, 8 March 2019 (UTC)

title: Talk:Susan Blackmore


text:
Superchunk

Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Laura King. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s. Their energetic, high-velocity style and do-it-yourself ethic is influenced by punk rock, notably such bands as Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, and Buzzcocks.

Members McCaughan and Ballance founded the successful independent record label Merge Records in 1989 as a way to release music from Superchunk and music created by friends, which has expanded to include artists from around the world and records reaching the top of the Billboard music charts. Superchunk released a string of full-length albums and compilations throughout the 1990s. After releasing their eighth studio album in 2001, the band went into a period of reduced activity. In 2010, the band released a new studio album, Majesty Shredding, and followed it up in 2013 with their tenth studio album, I Hate Music. Their eleventh studio album, What a Time to Be Alive, was released on February 16, 2018. Their twelfth album, Wild Loneliness, was released in February 2022.

History
Superchunk was formed in 1989 in the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by Mac McCaughan (guitar and vocals), Laura Ballance (bass and backing vocals), Chuck Garrison (drums), and Jack McCook (guitar). Initially, the band went by the name Chunk (original drummer Chuck Garrison's name was misspelled as "Chunk" Garrison in the phone book, and the moniker stuck), and they released their first single as Chunk. After adding the "Super" prefix to their name to avoid confusion with a similarly named jazz band from New York, the first official Superchunk single, "Slack Motherfucker", followed in 1989 on Merge Records, founded by McCaughan and Ballance. Both releases were well received, and Superchunk released its debut eponymous album in 1990 on Matador Records to more critical acclaim.

McCook decided to leave the group after the release of the first album, Superchunk, and Connecticut-born James Wilbur was recruited to take over guitar duties. In spite of the ensuing bidding war that emerged between major record labels in the aftermath of the album's release, Superchunk decided to stay independent, sticking with Matador Records for their second, just as critically lauded LP, No Pocky for Kitty, which was recorded in Chicago by Steve Albini in 1991. Garrison left the band a few weeks before the record's release, and Jon Wurster was brought on board on drums.

The band put out one more record for Matador, On the Mouth in 1993. After Matador entered into a distribution agreement with major label Atlantic Records, Superchunk decided to leave the label, even though the Atlantic logo did not have to be displayed on their releases. Instead, the band opted to release their following records through Merge. The next album, Foolish, brought further critical acclaim for the band in 1994. A second singles compilation (the first was 1992's Tossing Seeds) came out in the summer of 1995. It was titled Incidental Music 1991–95 and contained most of their hard-to-find tracks (imports, B-sides, comp. tracks) released between 1991 and 1995.

Boston was the setting for Superchunk's next album session. 1995's Here's Where the Strings Come In was recorded at the city's Fort Apache Studios and slated for a fall release. The band toured hard for Strings all over the world as well as appearing on the Lollapalooza tour, scoring a minor hit with the "Hyper Enough" single and video.

After a brief hiatus and another Australian tour, the band released a limited-edition EP called The Laughter Guns. They then started writing for what would become Indoor Living. Recording started in Bloomington, Indiana's Echo Park Studios with Chapel Hillian John Plymale co-producing with the band. Superchunk stretched out a bit on Indoor Living, expanding their sound by adding some new instruments to the mix: piano, organ, vibes and more. The album was by far their most adventurous and at the same time their most accessible to date.

Superchunk delivered Come Pick Me Up, their seventh full-length studio release, in 1999, recording in Chicago at Electrical Audio with producer Jim O'Rourke. Superchunk continued the expansion and growth of their sound that started with Foolish, pushing themselves to new heights of creativity.

In 2001, the band released Here's to Shutting Up. In 2002, Superchunk began a series of limited-edition live albums known as The Clambakes series. Clambakes Volume 1 (limited to 1500 copies) is an acoustic live set recorded in various record stores across the US in support of Here's to Shutting Up and Clambakes Volume 2 (limited to 2500 copies) is a film score Superchunk was commissioned to write. It was recorded live at the Castro Theater in San Francisco on April 23, 2002, during the San Francisco International Film Festival at a showing of the 1926 Teinosuke Kinugasa film A Page of Madness.

Cup of Sand, released in 2003, is the third singles album compiling all singles and rare 1995–2002 tracks.

Clambakes Series Volume 3 was released in 2004, documenting the live set Superchunk played at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina, on July 23, 1999, for the Merge Records tenth anniversary celebration.

In 2006, Superchunk headlined a concert held in celebration of the tenth anniversary of The Daily Show, a Comedy Central program, at Irving Plaza in New York. The show also featured a performance from Clem Snide as well as short stand-up comedy sets from various Daily Show correspondents.

In 2007, Superchunk contributed a hidden track to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force soundtrack, "Misfits and Mistakes", with singing from Aqua Teen Hunger Force character Meatwad. On June 5, 2007, Superchunk released the Misfits and Mistakes 7-inch, which has the Superchunk solo version on the A-side, and the Meatwad version on the B-side.

The band played two shows, the Eff Cancer Benefit in Chicago on June 20, 2007, and headlined the inaugural free Pool Parties show at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, New York. They are also known to still play occasional one-off shows at home in North Carolina, usually at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro.

Superchunk also recorded a cover version of "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child for Engine Room Recordings' compilation album Guilt by Association, which was set to be released in September 2007.

Superchunk appeared at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on April 18, 2009, along with other acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, M.I.A., TV on the Radio, Band of Horses.

On April 7, 2009, Superchunk released the Leaves in the Gutter EP, their first CD release in seven years. It consisted of three unreleased tracks, in addition to "Misfits and Mistakes" and an acoustic version of the new song "Learned to Surf".

On May 28, 2009, the band announced a new 7-inch, "Crossed Wires" b/w "Blinders (Fast Vers.)", which released on July 7, 2009. It was initially limited to a pressing of 1000 on clear vinyl.

On July 27, 2010, the band covered The Cure's In Between Days for AV Club Undercover.

The band's ninth studio album, Majesty Shredding, was released on September 14, 2010. The band was chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival he curated in December 2011 in Minehead, Somerset.

The band's tenth studio album, I Hate Music, was released on August 20, 2013. Before the release, Ballance announced on the band's website that she would not be taking part in the upcoming tour to promote the album, citing a worsening hearing condition known as hyperacusis. Her live replacement is Jason Narducy, formerly of Verbow and currently bass player with Bob Mould's band. The band performed in North America, Australia and the UK as part of the tour.

In November 2013, the band played the final holiday camp edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Camber Sands, England.

On February 27, 2016, Superchunk re-united with original drummer Chuck Garrison for a performance of "Slack Motherfucker" at the end of a Scharpling & Wurster live show in Durham, North Carolina. Jon Wurster performed some of the vocals in character as Philly Boy Roy.

In November 2017, the band announced that their 11th studio album What a Time to Be Alive will be released in February 2018.

On May 31, 2019, as part of Merge Records' "special 30th anniversary releases", Superchunk released an acoustic version of their 1994 album Foolish, titled Acoustic Foolish.

On February 10, 2023, Jon Wurster announced his exit from the band. The band released the compilation album Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B-Sides & Strays 2007–2023 in October 2023.

Legacy
Superchunk has had a significant impact on underground music, being cited as an influence by Motion City Soundtrack, the Get Up Kids, Jawbreaker, Lemuria, and the Van Pelt.

Discography

 * Superchunk (1990)
 * No Pocky for Kitty (1991)
 * On the Mouth (1993)
 * Foolish (1994)
 * Here's Where the Strings Come In (1995)
 * Indoor Living (1997)
 * Come Pick Me Up (1999)
 * Here's to Shutting Up (2001)
 * Majesty Shredding (2010)
 * I Hate Music (2013)
 * What a Time to Be Alive (2018)
 * Wild Loneliness (2022)

Side projects
Mac McCaughan has recorded several albums as Portastatic. Initially a solo project, Portastatic has evolved into a full band, which currently includes Superchunk's Jim Wilbur as a member.

Jim Wilbur, a graduate of Fairfield University, in Fairfield, Connecticut, has recorded a number of singles and an album as Humidifier. The album Nothing Changes was released on Link Records in 1996. Humidifier also includes John King from another Merge Records band, Spent.

In addition to his work on The Best Show with Tom Scharpling, Jon Wurster joined the group the Mountain Goats in 2007, playing drums on the last leg of the Get Lonely tour. Wurster also began performing and recording on drums with Bob Mould in 2008. He remained a member of Superchunk until 2023.

title: Superchunk


text:
Social reality

Social reality is distinct from biological reality or individual cognitive reality, representing as it does a phenomenological level created through social interaction and thereby transcending individual motives and actions. As a product of human dialogue, social reality may be considered as consisting of the accepted social tenets of a community, involving thereby relatively stable laws and social representations. Radical constructivism would cautiously describe social reality as the product of uniformities among observers (whether or not including the current observer themselves).

Schütz, Durkheim, and Spencer
The problem of social reality has been treated exhaustively by philosophers in the phenomenological tradition, particularly Alfred Schütz, who used the term "social world" to designate this distinct level of reality. Within the social world, Schütz distinguished between social reality that could be experienced directly (umwelt) and a social reality beyond the immediate horizon, which could yet be experienced if sought out. In his wake, ethnomethodology explored further the unarticulated structure of our everyday competence and ability with social reality.

Previously, the subject had been addressed in sociology as well as other disciplines. For example, Émile Durkheim stressed the distinct nature of "the social kingdom. Here more than anywhere else the idea is the reality". Herbert Spencer had coined the term super-organic to distinguish the social level of reality above the biological and psychological.

Searle
John Searle has used the theory of speech acts to explore the nature of social/institutional reality, so as to describe such aspects of social reality which he instances under the rubrics of "marriage, property, hiring, firing, war, revolutions, cocktail parties, governments, meetings, unions, parliaments, corporations, laws, restaurants, vacations, lawyers, professors, doctors, medieval knights, and taxes, for example".

Searle argued that such institutional realities interact with each other in what he called "systematic relationships (e.g., governments, marriages, corporations, universities, armies, churches)" to create a multi-layered social reality.

For Searle, language was the key to the formation of social reality because "language is precisely designed to be a self-identifying category of institutional facts"; i.e., a system of publicly and widely accepted symbols which "persist through time independently of the urges and inclinations of the participants."

Objective/subjective
There is a debate in social theory about whether social reality exists independently of people's involvement with it, or whether (as in social constructionism) it is only created by the human process of ongoing interaction.

Peter L. Berger argued for a new concern with the basic process of the social construction of reality. Berger stated that the social construction of reality was a process made up of three steps: externalization, objectivation and internalization. In similar fashion, post-Sartrians like R. D. Laing stress that, "once certain fundamental structures of experience are shared, they come to be experienced as objective entities...they take on the force and character of partial autonomous realities, with their own way of life". Yet at the same time, Laing insisted that such a socially real grouping "can be nothing else than the multiplicity of the points of view and actions of its members...even where, through the interiorization of this multiplicity as synthesized by each, this synthesized multiplicity becomes ubiquitous in space and enduring in time".

The existence of a social reality independent of individuals or the ecology would seem at odds with the views of perceptual psychology, including those of J. J. Gibson, and those of most ecological economics theories.

Scholars such as John Searle argue on the one hand that "a socially constructed reality presupposes a reality independent of all social constructions". At the same time, he accepts that social realities are humanly created, and that "the secret to understanding the continued existence of institutional facts is simply that the individuals directly involved and a sufficient number of members of the relevant communities must continue to recognize and accept the existence of such facts".

Socialisation and the Capital Other
Freud saw a child's induction into social reality as consolidated with the passing of the Oedipus complex and the internalisation of the parents: "the same figures who continue to operate in the super-ego as the agency we know as conscience...also belong to the real external world. It is from there that they were drawn; their power, behind which lie hidden all the influences of the past and of tradition, was one of the most strongly-felt manifestations of reality".

Lacan clarified the point by stressing that this was "a highly significant moment in the transfer of powers from the subject to the Other, what I call the Capital Other...the field of the Other – which, strictly speaking, is the Oedipus complex". Lacan considered that "the Oedipus complex...superimposes the kingdom of culture on that of nature", bringing the child into the Symbolic Order.

Within that order, Lacanians consider that "institutions, as signifying practices, are much more extensive structures than romantic notions allow and they thus implicate us in ways which narrower definitions cannot recognize...exceed any intersubjective intention or effect". In similar fashion, Searle asserts that "institutional power – massive, pervasive, and typically invisible – permeates every nook and cranny of our social lives...the invisible structure of social reality".

Measuring trust
If one accepts the validity of the idea of social reality, scientifically, it must be amenable to measurement, something which has been explored particularly in relation to trust. "Trust is...part of a community's social capital, as Francis Fukuyama argues, and has deep historical and cultural roots".

Theories of the measurement of trust in the sociological community are usually called theories of social capital, to emphasize the connection to economics, and the ability to measure outputs in the same feeling.

title: Social reality


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Sleater-Kinney

Sleater-Kinney is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member Janet Weiss (drums, harmonica, and vocals) in 2019. Sleater-Kinney originated as part of the riot grrrl movement and has become a key part of the American indie rock scene. The band is also known for its feminist and progressive politics.

The band released seven studio albums between 1994 and 2005: Sleater-Kinney (1995), Call the Doctor (1996), Dig Me Out (1997), The Hot Rock (1999), All Hands on the Bad One (2000), One Beat (2002) and The Woods (2005). They disbanded in 2006 and devoted themselves to solo projects. They reunited in 2014 and have since released a further five albums: No Cities to Love (2015), Live in Paris (2017), The Center Won't Hold (2019), Path of Wellness (2021), and Little Rope (2024).

Critics Greil Marcus and Robert Christgau have each praised Sleater-Kinney as one of the essential rock groups of the early 2000s. Marcus named Sleater-Kinney America's best rock band in 2001, and Tom Breihan of Stereogum called them the greatest rock band of the past two decades in 2015.

Formation, early years (1994–1999)
Sleater-Kinney was formed in early 1994 in Olympia, Washington, by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. The group's name derives from Sleater Kinney Road, in Lacey, Washington, where signs for Interstate 5 exit number 108 announce its existence. The road itself is named for two families that lived in the nearby South Bay neighborhood of Olympia in the 19th century, the Sleaters and Henry and Martha Kinney. One of the band's early practice spaces was near Sleater Kinney Road. Tucker was formerly in the influential riot grrrl band Heavens to Betsy, while Brownstein was formerly in the band Excuse 17. They often played at gigs together and formed Sleater-Kinney as a side project from their respective bands. When Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17 disbanded, Sleater-Kinney became their primary focus. Janet Weiss of Quasi was the band's longest-lasting drummer, though Sleater-Kinney has had other drummers, including Lora MacFarlane, Misty Farrell, and Toni Gogin.

Upon Tucker's graduation from The Evergreen State College (where Brownstein remained a student for three more years), she and her then-girlfriend Brownstein took a trip to Australia in early 1994. On their last day there, they stayed up all night recording what would become their self-titled debut album. It was released the following spring. They followed this with Call the Doctor (1996) and Dig Me Out (1997), and became critical darlings as a result. Produced by John Goodmanson and recorded at John and Stu's Place in Seattle, the record was influenced by both classic rock ‘n’ roll and the band's usual punk predecessors. From Dig Me Out onwards, the band's drummer was Janet Weiss.

Later albums (2000–2006)
Their next few albums (The Hot Rock, All Hands on the Bad One) pushed the band towards mainstream listeners, culminating in 2002's One Beat. The group opened for Pearl Jam at many North American shows beginning in 2003, and the band cited the experience of playing in large arenas as part of the inspiration and motivation for the music found on their seventh album, The Woods. The Woods was released in 2005 and was a departure from the sound of their previous albums. In its place, The Woods featured a denser, heavily distorted sound that drew on classic rock as its inspiration. In 2006, they helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival. They also contributed to the Burn to Shine project, appearing in Volume 3 (Portland), playing "Modern Girl".

Two days before Sleater-Kinney were to go to Europe for a touring leg there in 2006, Brownstein caught shingles, caused by her anxiety. As Weiss had never caught chicken pox as a child, Brownstein was isolated from the rest of the band, causing her mental health to decline further. Consequently, prior to Sleater-Kinney's performance at the Le Botanique in Brussels on May 27, 2006, Brownstein experienced a mental breakdown in front of Tucker and Weiss that prompted her to break up the band. Also contributing to Sleater-Kinney's disbandment was Tucker's exhaustion with touring and her desire be with her family and look after her child.

On June 27, 2006, the band announced an indefinite hiatus, stating there were "no plans for future tours or recordings." Sleater-Kinney's last major public show was at the 2006 Lollapalooza music festival. The band's final appearance before the hiatus was at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon on August 12, 2006. At the time, the band did not offer an explanation for the hiatus, although Brownstein later disclosed the reasons for the breakup in her 2015 memoir Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl.

Hiatus (2007–2013)
Upon the dissolution of Sleater-Kinney in 2006, Weiss joined Quasi bandmate Joanna Bolme in Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. She performed on two albums, Real Emotional Trash in 2008 and the 2011 release Mirror Traffic. She left the band before the tour for the latter. In April 2010, Tucker announced she was recording a solo album for Kill Rock Stars to be released in October 2010. Working with Tucker on the Corin Tucker Band's album was Unwound's Sara Lund and Golden Bears'/Circus Lupus Seth Lorinczi. According to Tucker, the album would be a "middle-aged mom record". The album, entitled 1,000 Years was released on October 5, 2010, to positive reception by music critics. Tucker toured the United States to support the 1,000 Years album. The band's second album, Kill My Blues, was released on September 18, 2012. A United States tour supported this album.

In September 2010, Brownstein revealed her latest project was the band Wild Flag, with Janet Weiss, Mary Timony, formerly of Helium, and Rebecca Cole, formerly of the Minders. Their self-titled eponymous debut album was released on September 13, 2011, on Merge Records. By 2014, the band was no longer active. In an interview, Brownstein stated, "We had a fun run… but all the logistics started seeming not quite worth it." Brownstein's television project Portlandia premiered on IFC in January 2011 and aired a new season every year until its series finale in March 2018.

Reunion, new albums, and Weiss's departure (2014–present)
In October 2014, the band announced it had recorded a new album, No Cities to Love, later released on January 20, 2015. The members of Sleater-Kinney also announced a 2015 tour covering North America and western Europe. In 2014, the band released the vinyl box set of their previous releases as Start Together. It was reviewed by BUST Magazine, where writer Claire McKinzie stated, "With their feminist, left-leaning lyrics, Sleater-Kinney's relevance today is obvious. While some singers back away from being labeled "feminist," Sleater-Kinney exists partially to redirect society's perception of the word."

In January 2017, the band released their first live album, Live in Paris, recorded at La Cigale on March 20, 2015. By January 2018, the band was said to be working on their follow-up to No Cities to Love, though Brownstein has said that they're "going to do this very slowly." In January 2019, the band announced that a new album, produced by the artist St. Vincent (Annie Clark), was expected that year.

In May 2019, Sleater-Kinney released a new song, "Hurry on Home" along with a lyric video. This served as the lead single for The Center Won't Hold, released in August 2019. During the making of the album, Tucker and Brownstein made it clear to Weiss that she would no longer be a creative equal in the band and would just serve as the band's drummer. Upon completion of recording, Weiss felt reluctant to perform the album's songs live due to her lack of involvement in the creative process and opted to leave the band prior to the album's release.

On July 1, 2019, Weiss announced on her Twitter account that she would be leaving the band, saying it was "time for me to move on". The band performed their first concert without Weiss at the Hopscotch Music Festival on September 5, with new drummer Angie Boylan.

In May 2021, the band announced a new album, Path of Wellness, released on June 11. The first single, "Worry With You" was released on May 11, 2021.

On January 19, 2024, their eleventh studio album, Little Rope, produced by John Congleton, was released on Loma Vista Recordings. The album's lead single, "Hell" was released in conjunction with a music video on October 3, 2023.

Musical style
Sleater-Kinney's musical style was rooted in Olympia, Washington's punk and independent rock scenes of the early- to mid-1990s, forming around the last years of the riot grrrl movement. Both Tucker and Brownstein came from veteran acts from the beginning of the movement. Although the band's lyrics revolved around various topics, they were included in the riot grrrl movement because of the subject matter that supported feminist ideals. On the topic of the band's involvement in political movements, Carrie Brownstein was quoted, "Sleater-Kinney are brave enough and strong enough to make a difference and get the word out."

Their sound incorporates personal and social themes along with stripped-down music that was influenced by punk and the free-thinking ideals of the 1980s-1990s alternative and indie rock. They experimented with this foundation by bringing in different instruments and arrangements. Sleater-Kinney have been compared to female singers such as Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Patti Smith and Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex. They have also named influences such as Bikini Kill, Mecca Normal, Bratmobile, Throwing Muses and Sonic Youth. Corin Tucker's emotional vocals and the band's lyrics alternate between personal and political topics, rebelling against war, traditionalism, gender roles and consumerism from feminist and progressive perspectives. Sleater-Kinney contributed the protest song "Off With Your Head" to NOFX leader Fat Mike's Rock Against Bush compilation. In 2017, Sleater-Kinney contributed the single "Here We Come" to 7-Inches For Planned Parenthood, which is a compilation of 7-inch records and digital downloads whose proceeds went to Planned Parenthood.

In a documentary about riot grrrl, Tucker revealed that her vocal style has always been intentionally harsh to suit the band's message and to demand focus from the listener, and her vocals have been described by AllMusic critic Heather Phares as "love-them-or-hate-them vocals." At the beginning of the band's career, lead vocals were often performed by Tucker, though as the band progressed, Brownstein began to perform more vocals. Both Brownstein and Tucker played guitar, with Brownstein usually handling lead and Tucker performing rhythm. Although Sleater-Kinney had no bass player, both Tucker and Brownstein tuned their guitars one and a half steps down (D♭ tuning), and Tucker's tone and style enabled her to fill the same role as a bass guitar.

Collaborations
In 1998, the band recorded "Big Big Lights" on the first split single (with Cypher in the Snow) in the series of recordings dealing with women's self-defense, entitled Free to Fight, and released on Candy Ass Records. In 2000, all three members of Sleater-Kinney assisted Robert Forster and Grant McLennan of the now-defunct Brisbane indie band The Go-Betweens to record the album The Friends of Rachel Worth.

In 2003, the band recorded the song "Angry Inch" with Fred Schneider of The B-52's for the Hedwig and the Angry Inch charity tribute album Wig in a Box. Proceeds for the album went to the Harvey Milk School, a school for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.

Tucker was featured on Eddie Vedder's solo album Into the Wild, where she performed vocals on the track "Hard Sun" along with Vedder. In 2008, Tucker collaborated again with Vedder on a cover of John Doe's "The Golden State" on Doe's own Golden State EP. On November 29, 2013, the members of Sleater-Kinney joined Pearl Jam, along with Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck of R.E.M., during a concert in Portland for a cover of Neil Young's "Rocking in the Free World".

In 2015, Sleater-Kinney collaborated with the makers of the animated sitcom Bob's Burgers to create a video for the song "A New Wave", from their album No Cities to Love. In the summer of 2021, they collaborated in a joint tour with the band Wilco.

Legacy
During an interview with The New York Times, Britt Daniel of the band Spoon said, "Even at that time, they felt legendary to me... Like they were coming out of nowhere with this sound that was totally unique and really aggressive. I hadn't seen anything like that before, I hadn't heard anything like that before." As a teenager, St. Vincent discovered All Hands on the Bad One, Sleater-Kinney's 2000 album, "and promptly went and mail-ordered every other Sleater-Kinney record at the time, had the posters on my wall," she said in a separate interview. Beth Ditto, singer of the Gossip, has emphasized the influence of the band in her career. British band Big Joanie has acknowledged the influence of the band and was included in the Dig Me Out covers album, released in 2022. The band covered the song "Things you say". Gerard Way of the band My Chemical Romance is a fan of the band; he appeared in the official video for the song "No Cities to Love" and has covered the song "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" in concerts.

Corin Tucker was listed number 155 in the Rolling Stone 2023 list of the 200 Best Singers, adding "Punk is full of loud voices, but Corin Tucker's voice stands out even in that genre".

Members
Current members
 * Carrie Brownstein – guitar, lead and backing vocals (1994–2006; 2014–present)
 * Corin Tucker – lead and backing vocals, guitar (1994–2006; 2014–present)

Current touring musicians
 * Angie Boylan – drums (2019–2021, 2022–present)
 * Katie Harkin – guitar, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals (2015–2021, 2023–present)
 * Toko Yasuda – keyboards, backing vocals (2019–2021, 2023–present)
 * Teeny Lieberson – guitar, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals (2024–present; substitute for Katie Harkin)

Former members
 * Misty Farrell – drums, percussion (1994)
 * Lora MacFarlane – drums, guitar, backing vocals (1995–1996)
 * Toni Gogin – drums (1996)
 * Janet Weiss – drums, backing vocals, harmonica, percussion (1996–2006; 2014–2019)

Former touring musicians

 * Vincent Lirocchi – drums (2021–2022)
 * Bill Athens – bass (2021–2022)
 * Fabi Reyna – guitar, backing vocals, percussion (2021–2023)
 * Galen Clark – keyboards (2021–2023)

Discography
Studio albums
 * Sleater-Kinney (1995)
 * Call the Doctor (1996)
 * Dig Me Out (1997)
 * The Hot Rock (1999)
 * All Hands on the Bad One (2000)
 * One Beat (2002)
 * The Woods (2005)
 * No Cities to Love (2015)
 * The Center Won't Hold (2019)
 * Path of Wellness (2021)
 * Little Rope (2024)

Live albums
 * Live in Paris (2017)

Compilations
 * Start Together (2014)
 * Dig Me In: A Dig Me Out Covers Album (2022)

In popular culture
The band's name appears in the lyrics of the Le Tigre song "Hot Topic" and the Half Man Half Biscuit song "Bottleneck at Capel Curig".

Sleater-Kinney songs have been included in films and television programs, including Six Feet Under, Lady Bird, Hearts Beat Loud, Moxie, Shrill, and Broad City.

title: Sleater-Kinney