Sugar, photo by Ryan Bakerink
Audio By Carbonatix
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Bob Mould has almost recovered from the first leg of the tour as he prepares for a show in Denver.
“When I was 20 years old, I could stay up all day and night, live out of a knapsack, and spend time living on people’s floors and in abandoned warehouses,” he says. “Granted, 45 years later, I don’t tour like that, but this first run of Sugar shows was pretty darn physical.
The guitarist, singer and songwriter is referring to the first run of reunion gigs for his short-lived band from the ‘90s featuring bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis.
Mould was already an underground legend by the time Sugar came together. As a member of Saint Paul hardcore band Hüsker Du, he helped push the genre into new terrain with albums like “Zen Arcade” and “Flip Your Wig.” After the band’s collapse in 1988, Mould released a pair of moodier solo records the following years: “Workbook” and “Black Sheets of Rain.” After parting ways with Virgin Records in 1991 and immersing himself in the music of the burgeoning shoegaze movement, Mould wrote songs for what would become the group’s first album, “Copper Blue.”
Initially, the album was planned as another Mould solo record, but after sharing rough drafts of the songs with Barbe and Travis, the two felt more like bandmates than friends giving their input. So they all joined together, and the newly formed band decamped to Stoughton, Mass., in early 1992 to record, with the resulting album being released in September of that year to widespread critical acclaim — including being named NME’s album of the year — and his best sales to date. However, a taxing touring schedule and the push to release a follow-up record took their toll on Mould.
“For the first three years of Sugar, I was out of my head,” says Mould. “It consumed every minute of my life, and I didn’t really have a moment to enjoy that success as it was happening.”
The band broke up shortly after the release of their second album, “File Under: Easy Listening.” Mould continued to release albums under his own name while Barbe went on to handle production for the bands Drive-By Truckers and Deerhunter, and Travis worked as a touring drummer for hire.
Then, after Travis received a birthday message from Mould, the seeds of a reunion were planted.
“No band has a clean ending, right?” says Mould. “When the three of us endeavored to put this back together, we didn’t spend a ton of time pointing to stuff and going, ‘That was fucked up, my bad.’ We did a lightning round. Mainly, we just figured we have all these songs that people love and some new stuff, so let’s get going with version two.”
To prepare, the group put itself through boot camp, with an intensive practice schedule to get in sync with each other musically while building out the setlist.
“Then, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we had a tour simulation where we stay in a hotel and see how we are going to do this every day,” Mould details. “It helps us figure out so many little things before we take the stage. When do people want to eat? When should we write the setlist? When do people need time to stretch? It’s sort of like sports, where the regimen of it is key, especially as you get older.”
“It’s just trying to get back in the saddle,” he continues. “Then you try to do it in front of 1,500 people.”
Overall, Mould says everyone’s been loving life back on the road, adding that it’s “just amazing to see the crowds.” But he is also grateful not to be the focal point of the entire show.
“We’re really shining a light on David’s work,” Mould explains. “Everything in the last 30 years, I’ve been front and center, chained to the microphone. With him singing, I can go off leash, roam around the stage watching the crowd and see what they’re responding to. It’s fun not to have my back to them while I yell at the crowd.”
Despite a pair of new singles — “House of Dead Memories” and “Long Live Love” — Mould isn’t sure what the future holds for the group. As someone who claimed not to be big into nostalgia, he says he enjoys seeing the lasting impact of Sugar.
“This time around, it’s about recognizing the fans and the people around me,” he says. “And if that’s nostalgia, then I guess nostalgia is good.”
Sugar is set to perform at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, at Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. Tickets are $67-$159.
