Acoustic singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen these days. But how many can also claim to have headed one of the foremost bands of the American grunge movement? The king of guitar noise, J Mascis, has traded in his fuzz pedal for finger picking on a new solo album, “Several Shades of Why,” released in March.
Where I grew up, in woodsy Western Massachusetts, J Mascis is something of a local legend. His iconic alternative rock band, Dinosaur Jr. formed at the area’s university, and played its first gigs on the Amherst Common (allegedly, a shout of “Fuck the cops!” got the plug pulled pretty fast). When I was too young to understand genre, I assumed he was a rock star, like Ringo. When I was old enough to appreciate excessive noise and distortion, I listened to some Dinosaur Jr., and tagged along to a reunion concert in Boston. Now the thing that impresses me most about J Mascis, apart from his virtuoso status as a guitarist, is his serious prowess as a songwriter. He was the primary songwriter for Dinosaur Jr. until the band’s separation, and for the many bands he has formed since then.
‘Several Shades of Why‘ showcases Mascis’s talents not just as a lyricist, but also as a crafter of simple, beautiful melodies. Simplicity is the trademark of the album; when recording the tracks in his home studio, Mascis made a deliberate decision to forego all percussion (aside from the occasional tambourine) in an effort to “push everything in a new direction.” It is certainly a far cry from the heavy, distorted ‘wall of sound’ that put Dinosaur Jr. on the map. Most of the songs require little more than an acoustic guitar and some backing vocalists (Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell, among others), although a small string section swells the title track.
The stand out tracks on ‘Several Shades of Why‘ are this title track, and the first single, ‘Not Enough’. Together they illustrate perfectly the range of the album as a whole—’Not Enough‘ is a folksy, fun, and upbeat jaunt, while ‘Several Shades of Why‘ is slow and thoughtful, with a single guitar line so heart-tuggingly sweet and simple, you can almost see tough and tattooed Dino fans the world around reaching for the tissues. And although the album is not their usual fare, those who fell in love with Mascis during the Dinosaur Jr. days of wailing 10 minute long guitar solos can catch a glimpse in ‘Is It Done‘ a slow and melancholy track which develops into a howling solo, almost as if Mascis couldn’t resist sneaking in just one.
Mascis is currently touring the US and Europe in support of the album, and when he played solo at The Garage on April 14th, I wasn’t sure how many of his old fans would embrace this ‘new direction‘. But with a crowd of 550, just shy of capacity, it would seem that I had underestimated their loyalty. Mascis sat at the very front of the stage with one black and tan electro-acoustic and two pedals, mumbled inaudibly between songs, and played through a mix of new solo material, old Dinosaur Jr. tunes, and a few songs from the in-between period. While he played some songs entirely acoustic, Mascis frequently switched to a distorted, heavier sound for the choruses. When he did, it became clear that this was the guitarist the crowd knew and revered—they howled and cheered whenever he plugged in.
After seeing him twice with a full band, it was strange and exciting to watch this one quiet man, with his trademark long white hair and thick coke-bottle glasses, captivate a massive audience with almost no effort at all. Though I’d always thought of J Mascis as our local rock royalty, it was strikingly clear atThe Garage that being local has little to do with it, and his renown as the instrumental and creative talent of a generation will continue to pack venues.
In just a few short months, Mascis will hang up the acoustic in favour of his trusty Marshall rig, for a set of decidedly noisier, full band shows with the again reunited Dinosaur Jr. They’ll be playing their 1988 album ‘Bug‘ in its entirety for each show, and the tour culminates at Alexandra Palace on July 1st.
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Post by Emily
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