very short review of Free So Free @ BostonHerald.com

[turnipfarmer]

</font><blockquote><font>quote:</font><hr><font>He writes finely barbed melodies that get under your skin and stay there, cut after cut. </font><hr></blockquote><font>full review

[sarsaparilly]

and this from the boston phoenix, apologies if someone already posted it …
http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/live/documents/02481484.htm

Even 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 FOG

J 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, 2002

[FlyingCloud]

hey, a live review <img> thanks, Sarsa

now, that hurts to miss a J show <img> , sorry to hear that! I hope, you can make it to another show in the near future!

[bob]

<strong> </font><blockquote><font>quote:</font><hr><font>You better just enjoy the luxury of sympathy, if that’s a luxury you have!" BTS
</font><hr></blockquote><font></strong>

I just had one of those strange coincidences I was listending to Velvet Waltz on MP3 and when I went to read this thread just as I read you’re quote that lyric came on. One of the most eerie coincidences I everhad.

[Author]

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