Live Review of J Mascis Concert:

Time/Place: 10PM @ Emo’s

Band: J MASCIS + FOG (Amherst MA)

The ex-Dino Jr guitar Ace, playing with ex-Iggy Pop-Stooge Ron Asheton and ex-Minutemen-man Mike Watt gave me the feeling it was gonna be one heavy-handed guitar-smackin helluva shoe. J Mascis is a fluid guitar player and has a drawling singing style, like he’s forever on ‘ludes, or maybe just singing out of a fog. Whatever the case may be, J came out singin and slingin, doing some songs from his new cd More Light, such as "Sameday" and "Waistin" (which sounds like he’s singing "wasted, i’m wasted, just wasted", which makes perfect sense). Mike Watt, looking a tad like Billy Joel with the bearded stash goin’ on, is simply a lead guitar bass player, making his beefy presence felt. Speaking of beef, after a few songs, Ron Asheton came out, looking heavier than ever, a big husky donut-eating, shades-wearing dude, quite unlike the skinny heroin-shooting Stooge from strung-out days gone by. Once Ashe-ton came out, it was all Iggy/Stooges songs, "I Wanna Be Your Dog", "TV Eye" etc., with Mike Watt doing all the Iggy vokes, J and Ron trading leads; Listen to big Ron access the wah-wah pedal made famous back in the day of early Ig. J’s guitar playing is immense, his outstanding, sinewy lead lines cutting through the music, blasting holes in eardrums and goatees, tattering tattoos, and reverberating off the walls of Emo’s. Wailathon. Note: I was way in the back of a packed Emo’s, which used to be my favorite venue of all time, being half open, half closed, with a tree smack in the middle of the place. Well, they chopped down the tree (mercy me!) and tore down a wall, so Emo’s is a larger venue by a good 25% Good idea, poor tree…