Biography
Magnapop surfaced in the early 1990s, foregrounding Linda Hopper’s honeyed melodies and Ruthie Morris’ ferocious guitar work, yet lasted far longer than most acts from that period. Their literate, crunchy guitar pop drew the interest of R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould, both of whom recorded and toured alongside the group. The 1992 album Magnapop, a set of demos issued as their first full-length, carried forward the approaches of Let’s Active and Big Star, while later releases such as 1995’s Rubbing Doesn’t Help expanded the sonic palette. Repeated personnel shifts and contractual disputes that blocked use of the Magnapop name for nearly a decade tested the band, but they persisted. Across the 2000s and 2010s they issued some of their strongest material, among them 2005’s Mouthfeel and 2019’s The Circle Is Round, the first record in 25 years to include every original member.
The band’s story begins in 1990, when songwriter and vocalist Linda Hopper met guitarist Ruthie Morris through Atlanta’s local scene and quickly became close. A Marietta, Georgia native, Hopper had already been active in Athens’ music community during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She and future R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, classmates in an art course at the University of Georgia, formed Tanzplagen together. After that short-lived project ended, Hopper and Stipe started Oh-OK, which put out two mini-albums—1982’s Wow Mini Album and the following year’s Furthermore What—before splitting in 1984. Hopper spent a brief period with the Washington, D.C. band Holiday and then returned to Georgia. Morris, originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, relocated to Atlanta in 1989 after failing to find compatible musicians in her hometown.
Once a mutual acquaintance brought Hopper and Morris together, the pair began composing songs on the same day they met. To complete the lineup of Hopper’s deceptively sunny vocals and melodies with Morris’ charging guitars, they enlisted drummer David McNair, a former Oh-OK member, and bassist Shannon Mulvaney. Operating first as Homemade Sister, the group issued its debut single “Rip the Wreck”/“Merry” on Safety Net Records in 1990. By the time of their initial performance the name had changed to Swell, later altered to Swell Dopa upon discovery of the San Francisco band sharing the earlier title. Stipe was among the audience members and subsequently produced demos recorded that December. He also introduced the group at the New York New Music Seminar in July 1991. After the set, the demo tape reached a Dutch promoter who secured a booking—now under the settled name Magnapop—at that year’s Rotterdam Festival. The appearance led to a contract with Play It Again Sam, which released the 1992 EP Sugarland that climbed to number 20 on the Dutch Top 40. Later the same year the self-titled album Magnapop appeared, mixing several Stipe-produced demos with additional tracks cut independently at Marietta’s Furies Studio.
After the album’s release the band contributed to 1992’s Here No Evil: A Tribute to the Monkees and the following year’s Bob Dylan tribute Outlaw Blues, Vol. 2, and issued the European EP Kiss My Mouth. Growing popularity in Europe and the U.K. prompted a 1993 Peel Session and steady touring on both continents. Bob Mould became another key supporter after catching a Rotterdam performance and invited Magnapop to open for his post-Hüsker Dü project Sugar in 1992 and 1993. Mould also collaborated on the band’s Priority Records debut. Recorded at Austin’s Pedernales Recording Studio, Hot Boxing arrived in July 1994; its single “Slowly, Slowly” peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
The next year McNair departed, and the group recruited session drummer Josh Freese for their contribution to Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits. Seeking a new sound, Magnapop relocated to Los Angeles to work with Geza X at City Lab Studios. The EP Fire All Your Guns at Once preceded the May 1996 full-length Rubbing Doesn’t Help, which featured a heavier approach than earlier work. With drummer Mark Posgay now on board, the band toured with R.E.M. Mulvaney exited at year’s end, replaced by former Queers bassist Greg Urbatis. Magnapop continued performing through mid-1997 before Johnny Rozas joined after Posgay departed. Demo sessions for a follow-up began, yet Priority’s collapse and a contractual ban on recording under the Magnapop name until 2004 placed the group on hiatus.
During the break Hopper and Morris kept collaborating. They performed as an acoustic duo in Los Angeles through 1999, then moved to Seattle and formed the New Candidates with drummer Curtis Hall in the early 2000s. Around the same period a version of Magnapop featuring Hopper, Morris, Mulvaney, and Hall played occasional shows. Morris and Hopper formally reactivated the band in 2003, bringing in bassist Scott Rowe and drummer Brian Fletcher for European dates and studio work on the third album. Released on Daemon Records in January 2005, Mouthfeel recalled the group’s earliest style. Drummer Chad Williams joined for the subsequent tour, which yielded the concert recording Magnapop Live at Maxwell’s 03/09/2005.
After several years of road work, Magnapop issued Chase Park on their own Kraft Records imprint in September 2009. When Morris lost most of her belongings in that year’s Georgia flood, the Atlanta music community organized a December benefit concert. Another benefit show years later prompted a full reunion of the original lineup—Hopper, Morris, McNair, and Mulvaney—for an October 2011 performance supporting the local record store Criminal Records. The experience encouraged the members to keep playing together, leading to a European tour in 2017. Returning to Furies Studio, they recorded The Circle Is Round, which incorporated some of the earliest songs they had written and tracked. Happy Happy Birthday to Me issued the album in September 2019.
The band’s story begins in 1990, when songwriter and vocalist Linda Hopper met guitarist Ruthie Morris through Atlanta’s local scene and quickly became close. A Marietta, Georgia native, Hopper had already been active in Athens’ music community during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She and future R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, classmates in an art course at the University of Georgia, formed Tanzplagen together. After that short-lived project ended, Hopper and Stipe started Oh-OK, which put out two mini-albums—1982’s Wow Mini Album and the following year’s Furthermore What—before splitting in 1984. Hopper spent a brief period with the Washington, D.C. band Holiday and then returned to Georgia. Morris, originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, relocated to Atlanta in 1989 after failing to find compatible musicians in her hometown.
Once a mutual acquaintance brought Hopper and Morris together, the pair began composing songs on the same day they met. To complete the lineup of Hopper’s deceptively sunny vocals and melodies with Morris’ charging guitars, they enlisted drummer David McNair, a former Oh-OK member, and bassist Shannon Mulvaney. Operating first as Homemade Sister, the group issued its debut single “Rip the Wreck”/“Merry” on Safety Net Records in 1990. By the time of their initial performance the name had changed to Swell, later altered to Swell Dopa upon discovery of the San Francisco band sharing the earlier title. Stipe was among the audience members and subsequently produced demos recorded that December. He also introduced the group at the New York New Music Seminar in July 1991. After the set, the demo tape reached a Dutch promoter who secured a booking—now under the settled name Magnapop—at that year’s Rotterdam Festival. The appearance led to a contract with Play It Again Sam, which released the 1992 EP Sugarland that climbed to number 20 on the Dutch Top 40. Later the same year the self-titled album Magnapop appeared, mixing several Stipe-produced demos with additional tracks cut independently at Marietta’s Furies Studio.
After the album’s release the band contributed to 1992’s Here No Evil: A Tribute to the Monkees and the following year’s Bob Dylan tribute Outlaw Blues, Vol. 2, and issued the European EP Kiss My Mouth. Growing popularity in Europe and the U.K. prompted a 1993 Peel Session and steady touring on both continents. Bob Mould became another key supporter after catching a Rotterdam performance and invited Magnapop to open for his post-Hüsker Dü project Sugar in 1992 and 1993. Mould also collaborated on the band’s Priority Records debut. Recorded at Austin’s Pedernales Recording Studio, Hot Boxing arrived in July 1994; its single “Slowly, Slowly” peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
The next year McNair departed, and the group recruited session drummer Josh Freese for their contribution to Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits. Seeking a new sound, Magnapop relocated to Los Angeles to work with Geza X at City Lab Studios. The EP Fire All Your Guns at Once preceded the May 1996 full-length Rubbing Doesn’t Help, which featured a heavier approach than earlier work. With drummer Mark Posgay now on board, the band toured with R.E.M. Mulvaney exited at year’s end, replaced by former Queers bassist Greg Urbatis. Magnapop continued performing through mid-1997 before Johnny Rozas joined after Posgay departed. Demo sessions for a follow-up began, yet Priority’s collapse and a contractual ban on recording under the Magnapop name until 2004 placed the group on hiatus.
During the break Hopper and Morris kept collaborating. They performed as an acoustic duo in Los Angeles through 1999, then moved to Seattle and formed the New Candidates with drummer Curtis Hall in the early 2000s. Around the same period a version of Magnapop featuring Hopper, Morris, Mulvaney, and Hall played occasional shows. Morris and Hopper formally reactivated the band in 2003, bringing in bassist Scott Rowe and drummer Brian Fletcher for European dates and studio work on the third album. Released on Daemon Records in January 2005, Mouthfeel recalled the group’s earliest style. Drummer Chad Williams joined for the subsequent tour, which yielded the concert recording Magnapop Live at Maxwell’s 03/09/2005.
After several years of road work, Magnapop issued Chase Park on their own Kraft Records imprint in September 2009. When Morris lost most of her belongings in that year’s Georgia flood, the Atlanta music community organized a December benefit concert. Another benefit show years later prompted a full reunion of the original lineup—Hopper, Morris, McNair, and Mulvaney—for an October 2011 performance supporting the local record store Criminal Records. The experience encouraged the members to keep playing together, leading to a European tour in 2017. Returning to Furies Studio, they recorded The Circle Is Round, which incorporated some of the earliest songs they had written and tracked. Happy Happy Birthday to Me issued the album in September 2019.
Albums
Live
