Portastatic featuring Ken Vandermark & Tim Mulvenna

Chicago's improv sax/clarinet wizard Ken Vandermark isn't exactly hurting for collaborators; he's one of the most prolific performers of any genre currently working in the American underground. But for the Noise Pop festival in his hometown this past spring, he teamed up with Mac McCaughan to perform Portastatic material old and new, and their fruitful musical relationship was captured in the studio the next day. McCaughan trades solos on Vandermark's "Late Night Wait Around," while Vandermark and percussionist Tim Mulvenna add subtle shades to McCaughan's songs, especially the live "When You Crashed." Along with the Looking For Leonard soundtrack released earlier this year, Portastatic is evolving creatively into much more than a lo-fi Superchunk.