J Mascis and the Fog
The Middle East
Cambridge, MA
10.31.00.


    Riding high on the open arms acceptance of his new album More Light, J. Mascis delivered a high-octane, no-nonsense set that showcased his ever-evolving songwriting prowess and ripping, syrup-and-broken glass guitar style.  He paraded the best songs off More Light with characteristic professionalism, using his guitar and effects pedals as extensions of his seemingly instinctive creativity.  The familiar fuzzy crunch of his chords and adventurous spirit of his oftentimes fluid and virtuosic leads were ear candy for the 500-plus souls (some in costume, many not) who filled The Middle East basement on All Hallow’s Eve.  J’s return, not only to the world of indie music and college radio, but to this legendary club in his home state of Massachusetts was tremendously well received; a joyous celebration of do-it-yourself Rock and Roll.

    Injecting a healthy dose of fresh new material from the start, J made it apparent that the night would be a step forward and not a Dinosaur Jr. retrospective.  He brought bass hero Mike Watt (whose jack-o-lantern headgear disguised his face but not his rock-solid bottom end and customary flannel button down) to Boston as a member of his new touring band the Fog, ensuring prompt delivery of the driving, wall-of-sound euphoria the fans would expect.  Unfortunately, Watt’s muffled backing vocals failed “Sameday,” the rollicking opener to More Light.  The sad, high-pitched answers to J’s lead vocal are indispensable on the album version.  The live reproduction deserved better.  But, to his credit, Watt redeemed himself later on, wailing the chorus to “I’m Not Fine” with the furious desperation of a drowning man.

    The show reached its zenith at the seventh song, a thrilling rendition of “Out There,” another fantastic album opener—this time from the Dinosaur Jr. classic Where You Been.   With his gleaming blue Fender-style electric capoed at the fifth fret, J nailed down the frantic rhythm pattern that drives the song with sterling precision.  Soon the room was awash in a torrent of quintessential Mascis—overdriven wailing and highwire solos pushing the song towards structural collapse without ever really getting there.  He sustained this fevered pitch right through the next number, “Back Before You Go,” an equally infectious rocker off the new album that rides along on an inventive main riff that fits perfectly into J’s growing catalog of such creations.  J Mascis has one-upped his already indomitable songwriting skills on More Light and handles all the live guitar parts brilliantly, although the solos tend to drift away from what was recorded and find their own path.  His vocals always inhabit a gray area (some like them, some don’t) but Tuesday night at The Middle East they were clear and true to what can be expected from an artist not blessed with golden pipes yet determined to squeeze out all he can muster.  Here’s hoping that this incisive songwriter and modern-day guitar great will bask in the light for a while.

by D. Cullity


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