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J spun up a brief punk fury last night at the Gallery Bershad in Somerville, MA, in between sets from Peer and the Wharton Tiers Ensemble. Earlier, when I called to get the address, an obviously anxious woman responded that, "The show was scheduled to begin at 7:00, but Mr. Mascis is out picking up his records, so we probably won’t be starting until 7:30 or so…" I immediately had this vision of J driving all the way to Somerville from Amherst (a good 2 and a half hours) and realizing he left his box of records on the kitchen table…Anyway, he spun some old-school-sounding punk (not my area of expertise) for about 15 minutes while an incredibly annoying photographer crouched in front of him snapping away (for pretty much the entire spin-set). The only song I recognized, thanks to Dinosaur, was Last Rights’ "Chunks." One visibly excited female fan did attempt to approach him and gush her admiration…probably not a great idea with J. He stared at the floor a lot while she went on about something, and a friend of mine (who happened to be standing near-by) recalled her saying something along the lines of "But I’m not a stalker or anything" (obviously prompted by his less-than-enthusiastic response). The lesson: if you do go for the meet n’ greet, don’t expect a big hug and a photo op. But don’t get me wrong; I’m sure he was very cordial.
Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom was also present, as was Maura Jasper, who apparently helped put the whole thing together.
Although I only caught a bit of Peer’s set, it was solid, in an experimental noise-rock sort of way, but it really didn’t do too much for me. I really didn’t hear enough to make a sound judgment. The Wharton Tiers Ensemble, on the other hand, with their drums/bass/3 guitar/no vox line-up, unveiled a blistering set of orchestral guitar beauty. I was very skeptical going in, but I left a much bigger fan of the WTE than when I walked in. If you like guitar rock in the Glen Branca tradition, then definitely check out the WTE.
Overall, the entire event was fantastic and I, for one, sincerely hope that Gallery Bershad (and other galleries, for that matter) continue to put "events" like last night’s together. J’s spinning was just an added bonus to what would’ve been a great night of rock n’ art regardless. So kudos to Maura Jasper and the Gallery Berthad for putting on a great show.
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