U.S. Maple

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U.S. Maple is an American noise rock band from Chicago. The group formed in 1995 at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, started by members from two bands, Shorty and the Mercury Players. The lineup was Al Johnson on vocals, Mark Shippy on guitar, Pat Samson on drums, and Todd Rittmann on guitar. They joined together with a goal: to strip rock and roll down to its core elements and rebuild it in a new way.

Their first recording was a two-song 7" single, produced by Doug Easley and recorded in September 1995 at Easley Studios in Memphis. The songs were “Stuck” and “When a Man Says Ow!” Skin Graft Records picked them up and released the single that fall.

U.S. Maple’s first album, Long Hair in Three Stages, came later in 1995. It was recorded at Solid Sound Studios in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with producer Jim O’Rourke. The music featured jagged guitar work, intense vocal sighs, and wild drumming. The vinyl version included a bonus track and hand-made metal jackets made by the band. The album was followed by a six-week European tour and a Peel session for John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show.

In 1997 they released a second album, Sang Phat Editor, again produced by Jim O’Rourke. After touring and more recording, U.S. Maple left Skin Graft Records in 1998 and signed with Drag City in 1999, helped by O’Rourke and the label’s support during busy tours.

Their third album, Talker, arrived in 1999. It was darker and more spare, recorded at B.C. Studio in Brooklyn with producer Michael Gira (of Swans) and engineer Martin Bisi. In 2001 they released Acre Thrills, recorded at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, and mixed in Richmond, Virginia.

That summer Pat Samson left the band and Adam Vida joined on drums. In 2003 U.S. Maple released Purple on Time, which featured more conventional song structures and singing than their earlier records.

After U.S. Maple stopped, the members stayed active in different projects. Shippy and Samson formed Miracle Condition; Shippy also played in Invisible Things. Rittmann leads the Chicago group Dead Rider and has played with Singer. Johnson has collaborated with Lake of Dracula. The band’s unusual approach and raw sound left its mark on indie and experimental rock. Their influence shows up in pop culture too—Al Johnson has a cameo in the film High Fidelity, and a U.S. Maple poster appears in a scene.