Sugar’s Southern roots: Bob Mould’s legendary trio returns after a three-decade hiatus

“I have Atlanta history and I have Athens history and I’m really glad we’ll be finishing up the tour in those two cities,” said singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Bob Mould.

Calling from his home in San Francisco, the musician was excited to talk about the long-awaited return of his band Sugar.

Athens plays a big part in the trio’s history. “That’s where it all came together,” he said. 

Sugar melded elements of punk, ’60s and ’70s pop and intelligent lyrics into a concise catalog of two full-length albums, Copper Blue and File Under Easy Listening, an incendiary EP (Beaster) and a handful of singles. Formed in 1992 and dissolved by 1995, the group’s original era was brief, but its legacy has survived for more than three decades.

Last year, after a 30-year hiatus, guitarist-vocalist Mould — along with David Barbe on bass and drummer Malcolm Travis — reconvened in Athens to run through songs from their ’90s repertoire. A few reunion shows were planned, and, due to demand, more gigs were added across the country. This week, their Love You Even Still tour concludes with shows in Atlanta and Athens.  

The Classic City was a fitting spot for the band’s initial rehearsals because the Sugar story began there — literally and figuratively many miles from the Minneapolis scene where Mould-led Hüsker Dü ruled from 1979 to 1988.

After that band’s collapse and two solo albums, Mould was at a creative crossroads.

“In 1991, I was pretty broke, writing tons of songs and basically workshopping,” he recalled. “After the Huskers broke up, my ear was tilted more toward the pop music I grew up with in the ’60s and a lot of things I loved in the ’70s, like Cheap Trick. That’s pretty much where the music was coming from at the time. But I needed a band that could make that sound happen.” 

Athens-based Barbe, along with Travis, formerly of Boston’s Human Sexual Response, soon became the band he was imagining.

“When I was looking around to put a band together for what became the Sugar records, David was top of the list,” continued Mould. “I’d let him hear some of the songs I’d been working on, and I knew he was a stand-up guy — reliable, responsible, with a good work ethic. I reached out to him and asked if he wanted to do some music. He said, ‘Yeah!’ But I’m not sure he understood the depth of the ask until we got into it.”

“Malcolm was my choice as a drummer. I had produced a band he was in called The Zulus, so I had worked with Malcolm in the studio, making records. I was very aware of his abilities. It’s not like we met in a record store or at a club and hung out. It was formed with the blind faith that we could get along and play together. And that happened in Athens at Snow Tire. That was the wild card we needed.”

The now-defunct tire store on West Hancock served as the band’s first rehearsal space. The building was also within walking distance of the 40 Watt Club on West Washington Street. “And that was the first place we played live,” laughed Mould.

During rehearsals, the three musicians went to a nearby Waffle House for a break. That’s where Mould saw a pack of sugar and thought it might work as a band name. “That’s when it all sort of gelled,” he said. “So the Georgia connection is strong for us.”

Mould explained that his history with Athens “goes back to, I guess, ’83 or so. When R.E.M. would come up to Minneapolis, and Husker Du would play the 688, I got to know [Michael] Stipe and [Peter] Buck. So I’d come to Athens to hang out, and I got a good taste of the whole scene there. I had a 14-year relationship with a fellow from Athens, and his family were there, so I became pretty familiar with the city and the music. I knew David’s band Mercyland — and also the guys from Love Tractor and the Pylon folks.”

“I have a lot of friends in Atlanta, too,” he continued. “I was there quite often during my time working [as a creative team member and scriptwriter] with World Championship Wrestling, flying in and out of Hartsfield every week. I got very acquainted with the Hyatt on Windy Hill in Marietta. From working for TBS and TNT doing the wrestling shows, I still have a lot of friends from there. I’m real happy I’ll get to see a lot of them when we do The Eastern. Then, seeing everyone in Athens the next day at the Georgia Theater should be a great way to end this tour.”

“I actually almost moved to Athens back in the day,” said Travis by phone from his home studio in Massachusetts. “I was footloose and fancy-free, and it’s a really cool town. Very liberal, lots of musicians and a very fun, artistic place. When we went back there, doing a few days of rehearsals, I spent a lot of time walking the city, and I was happy that the Waffle House isn’t a mile-and-a-half away anymore. It’s really changed since my first visit. Grown and commercialized, I guess. But Wuxtry is still there, and I bought a lot of vinyl. I’ve always loved playing in Georgia because when I’d play down at 688, we could go to The Varsity. I loved the TVs there. Three rooms, segregated only by TV channels — one for ABC, one for NBC and one for CBS.”

Barbe, who also serves as director and principal lecturer at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, added, “When we first played again after so long, it felt so good to get back together as a band, and it just felt right to do it in Athens. We wanted it to be great, so right around the end of 2025, I started practicing a lot to get in shape. I practiced for about two hours a day, five days a week. Playing standing up at a microphone at the same showtime every night, just to get it down right. When the day came for the rehearsal here in Athens, it went exactly how I thought it would. Everybody knew the songs; everybody was excited about doing it. We did a few practices in Athens and a few in Atlanta, so by the time we hit New York to play those first few shows on this tour, it was good. But it’s even better now.”

“We were already pretty much fully formed when we first started,” explained Barbe, 63. “Me, probably the least, but Bob was already Bob, and between Husker Du and his first solo albums, he was fully developed as an artist. People knew who he was and he was serious about it. And Malcolm had plenty of experience on the road and in the studio.”

Travis, who turned 73 earlier this year, agrees. “We’re all mature adults now,” he said. “Back then there was a lot of pressure just to make it work. Now we are older, we have good management and we’re actually enjoying it. Time doesn’t really make any difference to me. I’ve always played at an aggressive, high level. Luckily, I’ve been able to maintain it. Now I have to keep the machine well-oiled, but I’m having an absolute blast. I’m playing the way I’ve always played. If I fall over and die, that’s fine.”

Mould, 66, added that their maturity just adds to their cohesion. “When we first got back together, we sounded OK and of course we sort of went through the past issues, very directly and quickly — like in a matter of a few minutes. Once we got that out of the way, it was like, ‘Well, let’s just play music, then.’ So all is well, and the shows have been intense.”

So far, audience reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

“When we first started playing again,” he continued, “it was like when we first started. We didn’t know what was gonna happen or how audiences might take it. But people are showing up for the songs, and they’re there for the community that was built around Sugar.”

“The biggest tell that I see in the crowd reaction has been that when I look out, I do not see many people holding their phones up. The only time that seems to happen is during the two new songs that are in the set right now. Otherwise, it’s like time has stood still,” concluded Mould. “There are no phones, no tweets. All that goes away and people are just 100% in the moment, watching the show and being together. I haven’t felt that in at least 15 years, and it’s pretty cool.”

Where and when

Sugar, with special guest J. Robbins. 8 p.m. October 23 at The Eastern, 800 Old Flat Shoals Road, Atlanta — and 8 p.m. October 24 at the Georgia Theatre, 215 N. Lumpkin St., Athens.

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Lee Valentine Smith is an Atlanta-born artist, writer and musician. Currently a regular contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, his work has been syndicated internationally. He has appeared at Music Midtown, on CBS Radio and on Air America. He also served as art director, consultant and archivist for projects with ’80s hitmakers The Go-Go’s.