Laura Ballance is the bassist of the band Superchunk as well as a co-founder of Merge Records. Nearly 10 years ago, she stopped touring with Superchunk because of a hearing condition she developed from being exposed to loud sounds and music. Ballance talks about how her hearing issues have impacted her career in music.  

“If I’m around loud noises, which can be as minor as people talking too loudly when there’s more than a few people in a room, it hurts my ear. I get sort of a staticky feedback thing going on in my right ear. Being around drums or guitar amps is intolerable,” Ballance says.  

Laura Ballance is the bassist of the band Superchunk as well as a co-founder of Merge Records. Nearly 10 years ago, she stopped touring with Superchunk because of a hearing condition she developed from being exposed to loud sounds and music. Ballance talks about how her hearing issues have impacted her career in music. &nbsp;
&ldquo;If I&rsquo;m around loud noises, which can be as minor as people talking too loudly when there&rsquo;s more than a few people in a room, it hurts my ear. I get sort of a staticky feedback thing going on in my right ear. Being around drums or guitar amps is intolerable,&rdquo; Ballance says. &nbsp;

On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.

On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.