fredricksburg.com interview w/murph …

[rambleon]

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006 … 006/177522

Quote:

Dinosaur Jr. rises from the ashes

Date published: 3/30/2006

By KATY HERSHBERGER

Dinosaur Jr.’s original bassist, Lou Barlow, didn’t know he was kicked out of the band until he had been replaced.

Such a caustic breakup would not typically lend itself to civil conversation, let alone a reunion of the band’s founding members–Barlow, drummer Emmett Jefferson "Murph" Murphy III and guitarist-frontman J Mascis–but that is exactly what Dinosaur Jr. has undertaken.

"I really thought we would never get back together," Murph said in a phone interview. "J is pretty surefooted. He doesn’t usually flake on certain things like that. Once he’s made a decision on certain levels he’s pretty set."

However, once the founding members realized they had mellowed since the split, they decided to pursue a reunion.

"There had been enough time, I think, gone past that we were able to work out some of our differences," Murph said.

Last summer Dinosaur Jr. embarked on a festival tour and is now gearing up to hit the U.S. again, making a stop at Washington’s 9:30 Club on Saturday.

The reincarnation of the band is not only happier, according to Murph, but better.

"Now it’s totally different personally," he said. "We get along now, but the music is the same. If anything, it’s better. We’ve had more time, and we’re better on our instruments. We can execute the songs with more control. We know where the explosion should happen."

The band’s shows have been drawing crowds of all ages, from seasoned fans to those who were in diapers during the first release of the albums they now love.

"I thought it would be more people my age, people with kids coming out," Murph said. "It’s actually really inspiring."

With backgrounds in local hardcore bands, Mascis, Barlow and Murphy formed Dinosaur Jr. in Amherst, Mass., in 1983. The band soon forged a connection with alt-rock peers such as Sonic Youth and placed their stake in the pregrunge ground with their first three albums–"Dinosaur," "You’re Living All Over Me" and "Bug."

Meanwhile, tension formed between Mascis and Barlow, finally culminating in an onstage fight where Mascis hit Barlow with his guitar.

Without Barlow, the band lacked the magic of its early days.

"It was like a different band because the three of us with Lou in the mix created a certain chemistry," Murph said. "We were able to re-create the songs but it wasn’t the same."

Murph stuck around until 1993, when Mascis began recording drums on the album "Green Line." Mascis fronted Dinosaur Jr. until the band’s final breaths in 1997.

Each member pursued his own projects throughout the ’90s. Barlow created low-fi indie band Sebadoh, Murph played with the Lemonheads and Mascis toured with J Mascis and the Fog.

In the ’80s, Dinosaur Jr. was known for it’s ear-splitting shows and eclectic heaviness. After the original members disbanded, the focus shifted to how influential Dinosaur Jr.–for early-’90s grunge as well as more recent indie rock–rather than the sonic merits of later Dinosaur Jr. albums.

The music has been categorized as nearly every genre of rock, from alternative to punk and noise, yet only one thing remains certain: "We still rock really hard," Murph said. "We haven’t lost anything over the years."

Last year allowed for the reissue of the first three albums, which some say are the most intense of the band’s catalogue.

"The energy on those records was really ferocious," Murph said. "It really rocked but in a really good way."

And after nearly two decades, the music continues to be relevant, Murph said.

"When we started listening to [the albums] together, I got a sense that it wasn’t really dated sounding," he said. "It still held up and it still sounded current to me. There’s a lot of bands you can’t say that with.

This summer, Dinosaur Jr. plans to release a DVD with performance and backstage footage of the band during a 10-day tour in November.

"It’s going to be raw and capture a punk-rock feeling," Murph said. "We wanted to get a sense of the audience and kids moving and reacting. We wanted to give the sense of a big energy gig in a small room."

The band also plans to write and record new material, according to Murph.

"I think the [new] songs will sound different, but it will have kind of a similar energy," he said. "When Lou, J and I get in a room and play there’s just a certain sound that comes out of it. No matter what we’re trying to play it’s still going to have the Dino stamp on it."

To reach KATY HERSHBERGER: 540/374-5000, ext. 5617

WHAT: Dinosaur Jr.

WHERE: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. N.W., Washington

WHEN: Wednesday, doors open at 7:30 p.m.

COST: $30 via Tickets.com, 930.com and 800/955-5566

INFO: 930.com, 202/393-0930

Date published: 3/30/2006

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"rambleon " wrote:

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/032006/03302006/177522″>http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006 … 006/177522

Quote:

Murph stuck around until 1993, when Mascis began recording drums on the album "Green Line."

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