Sense Of Place North Carolina: Mac McCaughan

Whether he's playing in bands like Superchunk (or his former solo project, Portastatic) or co-heading Merge Records, Mac McCaughan keeps plenty busy. Last year, he released his first solo album under his own name, Non-Believers.

Watching McCaughan perform with his new bandmates, who also call themselves the Non-Believers, it's easy to see how inspired he is these days. Non-Believers explores what he calls the messiness and ambiguity of a transition period — in this case, the rise of punk and indie music in the early '80s. It's not so much nostalgic as recapturing the moment.

Read a note about World Cafe's visit to North Carolina and the controversy surrounding HB2.