Merge Records celebrates its 25th birthday today through Saturday in Carrboro.

I’m vaguely familiar with the history of the label, which was launched by Superchunk cofounders Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance. Superchunk’s “Slack Motherfucker” ranks among the 100 best singles of the 1990s by Pitchfork Media and Spin magazine. It should be considered a classic in the canon of North Carolina songs.

Google Play has a documentary about Merge that’s narrated by Daniel Handler, author of the Lemony Snicket books. It says something about the culture and stature of North Carolina, the Triangle and certainly merge that the mega-player of the new tech economy would take notice of an upstart record label.

There’s a lot to celebrate. We get to share in a small piece of it when Hiss Golden Messenger, recently signed to Merge, plays SECCA in Winston-Salem on Saturday.

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