Autumn Treasure: J Mascis' Tied To A Star

It’s October in New York City. A favorite time of year as it brings about one of the most dramatic seasonal shifts in the calendar. As opposed to Spring, this autumnal turn is toward the frozen abyss which brings dropping temperatures and ever earlier darkening evening skies. A process which makes a world more in line with the visions of my happy place. The newly added chill in the wind is a subtle nod to the breath stealing cold weather to come. The clock is now counting down to the arrival of snow and it’s blanketing effect on the surrounding urban blight that makes even the dog-shitted, trash strewn and structurally failing streets of Brooklyn look as serene as a prairie in Nebraska. The excitement for these utterly unique winter induced moments are just currently thoughts lodged in the back of my mind, being awoken after a summer’s worth of hibernation.

The first signs of turning leaves, candy corn on the store shelves (now pumpkin infused beer too) and the spike in hooded sweatshirts in your field of vision are all markers of what used to be the start of a new school year. Even years after escaping the perpetual cycle, that instinctual thought of new beginnings in the Fall is still scarred into the minds and bodies of every adult churned through the US public school system. Perhaps for that reason, Fall can be a very nostalgic period of time. The end of yet another year is in sight, winter can be daunting prospect with the memory of summer so fresh and the fading history of so many new experiences (jr. high, high school, college, first jobs) hangs in the air. I’ve had a few people in my life say that music just sounds better in the Fall or there are certain albums that take on an additional dimension when the Earth’s axial tilt takes the Northern hemisphere further away from the sun. The music industry might even take this mysterious fact into account as so many albums and tours are seemingly tied to the Fall. While the thought of something mystical being at play is more intriguing, the logical part of my brain tells me it’s just tied to that new college year schedule. The fact being that an indie rock band wants to pass through Chapel Hill, Boston and Berkeley (for example) with new material when classes are in session and packed to the gills with impressionable students.

Regardless of the motivation, there has been many a show this month. None more present in my mind then the most recent, guitarrorist J Mascis of & The Fog, Dinosaur, Upside Down Cross and The Velvet Monkeys at The Bowery Ballroom of Manhattan, the now overly gentrified LES and the Bowery J train subway station. Mascis just recently put out his second solo lp “Tied To A Star” on Sub Pop records following in the critically lauded footsteps of Dinosaur Jr’s 2012 "I Bet On Sky" and his last solo release 2011’s “Several Shades of Why”. Much like that 2011 release, “Tied To A Star” offers a nice compliment to Mascis’ work in Dinosaur. A mostly acoustic excursion that, while seemingly obvious now, was not always a consistent part of his recording history. It is true that the year 1996 saw the release of his first acoustic solo lp, “Martin and Me”.  However, that album was more of a live document of his initial solo acoustic tour which was comprised of nothing more than Dinosaur classics given the stripped down treatment along with a few covers. “Several Shades of Why” and “Tied To A Star” offer a whole other world of output for Mascis with fully realized songs played with limited accompaniment beyond his own multi-instrumental talents. When assistance is given it usually is by a noteworthy contemporary such as Kurt Vile, Chan Marshall or Ben Bridwell. While complimentary, their offerings are nothing more than an added bonus placed on top of an already stellar track. Regardless of it being superfluous, their mere presence adds the potential to expand his usual listening base and/or add extra glowing lines to any record review.

At this point in his career, J Mascis is not exactly an artist that needs a review. He is known to be a polarizing figure and is usually either loved or reviled with not many falling in the middle. The signature squealing guitar solos, the dry vocal delivery and the overall in the red volume combined with his sleepy, laconic manner and affinity for purple boils down to either genius or horror in people’s minds. Indifference is a rare occurrence for anyone who has been to one of his shows or heard a couple albums on a long car ride. You either bleed purple or you do not (No offense to Prince, Minnesota or almost all 13 year old girls). In an act of full disclosure, I am going on record as stating Dinosaur is the absolute top of the musical pile for me. Decades of non-stop music being funneled into my ears have resulted in being uniquely moved and continuously blown away by the output, history and career of this band. The unbelievable reconciliation and reformation of the original trio of J, Lou and Murph was a genie worthy wish for me that actually came true. The first time seeing them on stage was a genuine moment of feeling lucky to be alive at this particular moment in all of history and time. A feeling I have been fortunate enough to experience again many, many times over in the years that have since followed.

A J Mascis solo show is different than the full-fledged Dinosaur experience. In obvious terms, his solo show revolves exclusively around one person, J Mascis. On stage, he is equipped with nothing more than his voice and guitar… or should I say guitars (plural), an array of pedals and something that allows him to record and loop his guitar lines to build a solid platform for his eventual ripping solo. J Mascis as a solo act became a part of my life during the tours leading up to that “Martin and Me” lp release. Downstairs at the Middle East club in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1995 or 1996 I was able to witness solo sets by both Mascis and Mike Johnson (the replacement for Lou Barlow on bass in Dinosaur). A set that at moments turned into near campfire sing-alongs with plastic beer cup holding audience members emotionally belting out Boston accented lyrics louder and with more intensity than J himself. While nearly two decades have passed since his initial solo shows, not much has changed from that basic equation.

However, it is obvious that Mascis has definitely become more confident alone on the stage. His sets including plenty of material where his vocals live in that unstable upper falsetto register (examples being the new track Stumble or Post-Barlow Dino classic Not The Same) without a hint of discomfort as his voice struggles to stay up in that high, thin air. Attempts to get his guitar looping on track, tuning breaks and the every once in a while miscue are of no concern to Mascis. Concentrating on the tasks at hand between sips from a large carton of coconut water, he seems as content in front of an audience as if he was setting up and practicing in his basement at home. The crowd creates the space for this ease as the shouts of “Yes, J!”, “Nice T-Shirt, J!” and “Everybody Loves You, J!” were yelled in between songs at Pantene Plus levels of volume. At this point in his career, J Mascis doesn’t have to do much to get his devotees into a tizzy. Throughout the night, just the resulting small bleed of fuzzy noise that results from his hitting a pedal for his impending electric solo over layered acoustic loops was enough to create a wild, pants shitting roar of anticipation. A trained, pavlovian response from those in attendance who have previously had their brains melted directly after hearing guitars make those sounds near J Mascis. It would appear that J knows he can do no wrong in a room full of his disciples and has found acceptance and comfort with that fact. Without question, the rough edges have been worn down and softened since those early days of acoustic tours in the nineties. You can tell that he just feels so free on that stage with the autonomy to play whatever he feels is right (even if that is basically the same set every night).

J Mascis seems to be hitting a personal stride of late with success as a solo artist and with his legendary band, Dinosaur Jr. He is even finding time to play his original instrument, the drums, in the bands Witch and Sweet Apple while also laying down some heavy, extensive guitar jams in the mysterious Heavy Blanket. Amidst all this activity, “Tied To A Star” has the potential to get lost in his recent prolific string of quality releases but that would be a huge disservice to all involved. Judging from the reaction at his Bowery Ballroom show, this isn’t going to be an issue. Loud cheers went up for the new songs (“Every Morning” and “Heal The Star” especially) just as quickly as for classic Dinosuar material. The crowd reacting equally to all of the Mascis cannon which over the course of sixteen songs ran the gamut from acoustic ballads to electric tube blowing shredding. 

Let next spring bring a new Dinosaur album that screams to be played with the windows rolled down in a rental car for that trip out of the city. “Tied to A Star” is an album for right now. It is perfect headphone listening for your daily travels while the wind howls around you and the dead, dried leaves crunch underfoot. Daylight Savings Time ends this upcoming weekend and that brings the darkness even earlier than it’s already crept into the evening. So, let’s not concentrate on what’s to come; Embrace the now- bring on the dark ales and stouts, take those sweaters out of the closet, let’ begin the end of the year holiday gauntlet and, for damn sure, be sure to take advantage of the increased music coming to your town.