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and this from the boston phoenix, apologies if someone already posted it …
http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/live/documents/02481484.htmEven though i bought a ticket(lucky #13, baby) at t.t. the bear’s box office weeks before the show i could not make it the night of Oct 9th. Seems i missed a pretty wicked hour and a half. bum bum bumming a bit…
J MASCIS
LIFTING THE FOGJ Mascis has a reputation for being many things: the eccentric musical genius behind Dinosaur Jr; the man with the tempestuous relationship with Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow; the plaid-pants-wearing golf pro in MTV’s Buzz Bin in Dino’s "Feel the Pain" video. Yet his (mostly) acoustic solo show at T.T. the Bear’s Place last Wednesday revealed the reassuring aspect of the Amherst native’s character. Part of that’s his accessibility — he was wandering around the club beforehand like any other patron, at one point carrying a box of his own CDs. And his Coke-bottle glasses, vintage T-shirt, and trademark long hair make him instantly recognizable.
The hour-plus set of stripped-down tunes that he played was also a mark of his comforting consistency. Freely jumping from his indie and major-label days to his latest solo album, Free So Free (Ultimatum; it’s credited to loose collective band the Fog), he remained direct and uncomplicated throughout. And though Free So Free is a fleshed-out, fuzzy-chorded affair featuring Cleveland glam-slammers Cobra Verde, the new songs were especially well-suited to the acoustic setting. "Every step I should begin, but I’m stuck feeling this pain," he sang with resignation on a sparse "If That’s How It’s Gotta Be." "Tell the Truth" jangled like the Smiths behind pleading lines like "I need a place to go, I need a friend." The tune Mascis opened with, "Someone Said," flickered with pastoral peace and was highlighted by his nasal but country-tickled twang; an urgent "Freedom" demonstrated the same back-porch picking amid a more aggressive firestorm of sound. Just his strumming alone was forceful — "Flying Cloud," from Dinosaur Jr’s major-label debut, Green Mind (Warner Bros.), thundered with the power of Led Zeppelin’s acoustic work.
Yet Mascis didn’t limit himself to straightforward acoustic-guitar arrangements. Some of his more recent songs benefitted from crunchy electric jams: "Waistin’ " featured rough glam riffs and "Ammaring" brought some extended noodling (both are from the Fog’s previous CD, More Light, on Artemis). This electricity was especially inspired on highlights from Dino’s legendary noisy catalogue, adding boosts of texture that were both familiar and welcome. "What Else Is New," from Where You Been (Warner Bros.), layered squealing electric riffs over an acoustic loop; "Get Me" hummed as a partly plugged-in crowd sing-along; "Little Fury Things" had an ear-splitting bridge in contrast to the quiet verses. On the show-ending "Quest," from his debut album, Dinosaur (Homestead), Mascis howled with electrified anguish and a grinding passion; it all sounded as fresh today as it did in 1985.
BY ANNIE ZALESKI
Issue Date: October 10 – October 17, 2002chronic pleasure
last night at club passim in harvard square, cambridge ma.
two guys, one guitar and a whole lot a craziness goin’ on.
the club was packed and i mean barely enough oxygen for everyone, but the music kept us alive, happy and demanding if i recollect 4 possibly 5 encores.
i have seen this duo before mebbe 5 years ago and i have wanted to see them again ever since as the lyrics, the performance, and the unbelievable guitar playin’ sticks in yer head like velcro(to itself). my favorite moments included the acappella Yoko Ono, beautiful song and sentiment. also House Party, you do not need to know the words to sing along cuz you have lived it, house party, house party. and the Drive-In song with lyrics like "when the sun’s a settin’, the trees a silhouettin’ " indeed does bring back the time you were stuck in the trunk with the home made popcorn, sneakin’ into the drive-in to save the family some dough, waitin’ to be released by dad/mum. playin’ on the swingset and monkey bars in front of the gigantic screen till dusk when parents yelled the kids back to the car, the bad speaker hooked on the window to enjoy The Rescuers and The Gnomemobile, or Jaws and The Deep, or whatever double feature you remember. elbowin’ yer sister/brother, fightin’ off the mosquitos, ahhhh, yes the good ole days before west nile… chronic pleasure is now based in california(though i jus’ don’t know why) and they gig everywhere so check out their website http://chronicpleasure.com/
and go see this band, i promise like the chronic illness you suffer from chronic pleasure stays with you til the bittersweet end…thanks thanks thanks, regardless of the queston j’s answers were subtly excruciatingly hysterical. i enjoyed the interview thoroughly.
mattman ya know i thought you looked a lot like watt, duh…
anyway so then ya just take an eyebrow pencil and grease on a big village people ‘stache, clothing under the robe is fully optional too depends on who you are trick or treatin’. oh and do not forget a big gold medallion (steal it outta mum’s jewelry box, looks sooo good with the gnarley chest hair).
by the by, hey i checked out yer website it kicks arse, especially the robots and heroes…
eh, *sophie* be careful out there in ze big bad city zeeez french devils zey are a collector’s item and highly valuable and zey look zo good in ze cage, oui?<small>[ 10-05-2002, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: sarsaparilly ]</small>
porno guy- a gaudy short bathrobe, afro(optional), a cheesy mustache and a cigar, no wait ya got those already… looks like you are all set.
pm waitin’ for ya too…<small>[ 10-04-2002, 03:29 PM: Message edited by: sarsaparilly ]</small>
cuz sludgie asked (in trade)here is the one i am workin’ on…
glances more meaningful than kisses
mumbled words, incoherent thoughts
blurring, slurring
shadows dappled purple
hearts dented blue
darkness drops heavy
pulling,dragging me down
below the truth, beneath the surface
listless lies
murky depths of dreams.sludgie i too missed that bbc6 interview but read the transcript so i am with flying cloud, i wouldn’t mind hearin’ it…
bobbin, thanks palace bro, it is utterly thrilling me now and jeez i CANNOT wait til’ next wednesday when i will hear it in person.
look i hate to disagree with sludgie but in answer to your question malcontent bleepin’ absolutely NOT! do not say a word just pick up the pieces after he does his dirty work. trust me if ya tell her she is gonna get dumped she will somehow BLAME or resent you for knowing. and ya said she is already peeved at you so remember hell hath no fury as a woman scorned even if it is by proxy!!!
i had a black lab named mandy she didn’t give a shit how we spelled it…
oops unnecessary advice given and unheeded, still i woulda let sara tell her and not deal with fallout, whatever, what do i know, i never even been in an olive garden… so are ya currently speaking to her, is she speaking to you? oh and most importantly did ian dump her or not? i ask cuz i seem to ‘member malkie didn’t ya mention a while back that you have a wee crush on this "friend" mandi? be evil, spray paint yer chuckies and take more than a few sips of cheap wine, after like three you don’t notice how nasty it is…
<small>[ 09-25-2002, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: sarsaparilly ]</small>
