Great pics & show review

[AGAP]

Great pics of J, Watt, Ron and finally one with George visible [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Very cool review as well, gotta agree with the guy it would be a crime to not release some of this stuff live [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] Fingers crossed a song with Asheton is included on a live release…or an enhanced disc with a live video. One with Asheton playing with J

http://www.dfbpunk.com/showreviews/010409.htm

Allison

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[img]http://www.dfbpunk.com/photos/jmascis/09thumb.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.dfbpunk.com/photos/jmascis/08thumb.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.dfbpunk.com/photos/jmascis/06thumb.jpg[/img]

Elf Power
J Mascis and the Fog

Though the evening started off a bit slowly, this was definitely one of the best shows that I’ve ever attended in my life. After a nice relaxing two hour ride into Washington DC listening to the Clash and the Buzzcocks and enjoying the beautiful weather, we arrived to an almost completely empty club. Alkaline Trio was supposed to play the show but cancelled at the last minute, and many people were accepting the full refund that the venue was offering to people who were coming to see Alkaline Trio. Since I was there mostly for J Mascis I had no problem dropping the fifteen dollars (the price wasn’t lowered) to get in.

When I entered the club only about half a dozen people were inside, but when Elf Power started their set people started to trickle in. The band started with some quiet, folksy indie rock, and two musicians who switched off between saxophone, electric guitar, slide guitar, clarinet, and various other instruments. Though I commend Elf Power for trying to add something new to the tried and true indie rock formula, the extra instrumentation didn’t seem to be fully integrated into the music, and what would have been a competent three-piece rock band was muddled by a bunch of stuff that didn’t seem to fit too well. I’d be interested to hear their records, though, and check out how they integrate all of their diverse instrumentation in the studio.

J Mascis and the Fog took the stage not too long after, and ripped striaght into one of the best sets I’ve ever seen. They played about half the songs from the band’s new album, More Light, a few Dinosaur Jr. numbers, and a medly of three of John Peel’s all-time most requested songs, including a completely insane cover of "In A Rut" by the Ruts, one of my all-time favourite bands. For this tour J Mascis has the legendary Mike Watt on bass, and though I’ve never really been a gigantic fan of the Minutemen, Firehose, or any of Watt’s solo work, he is truly an amazing bass player. Watching Mike wail on his instrument was almost hypnotic, as his fingers glided effortlessly over every part of the fret board, doing double duty thanks to the lack of a rhythm guitarist.

After about ten songs, the band brought out Ron Asheton, the legendary guitar/bass player for Iggy and the Stooges, and did about eight Stooges covers with Watt on vocals (it would have been nice to hear J sing at least one; I think that his vocal style couldn’t be more different than Iggy’s, and it would have been a treat to hear such intense songs sung in Mascis’s laconic style). Though Ron didn’t look too much like a punk, he still has a totally aggressive style of guitar that is punker than most anything around today. In the 25+ years since the Stooges disbanded, Ron has learned a lot about his instrument, and though now he is an able soloist, he still attacks his guitar as fiercely as he did on The Stooges and his best work, Fun House.

Standing directly in front of the center of the stage, I nearly collapsed with glee as I watched the band do extended jams on several Stooges classics, and the several times when Asheton, Watt, and Mascis were all soloing simulatenously, eliciting a punishingly loud, feedback drenched frenzy from the amplifiers were moments that I won’t forget for a long time. With a band this incredible, it would be a sin for Mascis not to release a live album of the material, as this tour collects not only three of the greatest punk musicians of all time, but three musicians who all have unique and identifiable styles, and styles that mesh well at that.

Though I believe the set lasted well over an hour (I couldn’t tell for sure, as there was no way I was going to look away from the stage for one moment to check my watch), it was over all to quickly and we were herded out of the club, ears ringing. As I embarked on the long drive home, I didn’t put a CD in the stereo, just rolled down the windows and came down from the incredible high that I got from the show I just saw.

[SG]

Great find Allison!
thanks for the link. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Halfman]

Nice pics, Allison!

Might be the best Watt/J combination of pics I’ve seen seen coming aboard here.

[Cloud9]

Hey Allison

Great Find, Cool Pics

[Author]

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