Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
All Music Guide:
Best known as the remote frontman of the influential indie trio Dinosaur Jr., J. Mascis was also an occasional producer and film composer. Born December 10, 1965 in Amherst, MA, he first emerged as a member of the hardcore unit Deep Wound, founding Dinosaur in 1984. Over the course of acclaimed LPs like 1987's You're Living All Over Me and 1988's Bug, the group emerged among the most highly regarded in alternative rock, with Mascis' creaky, Neil Young-like vocals and monolithic guitar leads becoming primary influences on the burgeoning grunge movement. The group temporarily disbanded in 1989, largely to allow the legendarily non-communicative singer the opportunity to dismiss bassist Lou Barlow, who went on to form Sebadoh; in the meantime, Mascis sat in on drums with a series of bands, among them the Velvet Monkeys and GobbleHoof, even producing the latter's eponymous 1990 LP. Upon re-forming Dinosaur Jr. in 1991, he scored Allison Anders' independent film Gas Food Lodging a year later, making a cameo appearance in the picture itself; he and Anders became regular collaborators in the years to follow, most notably on her feature Grace of My Heart. In the meantime, Mascis also produced records for pals including fIREHOSE (Mr. Machinery Operator) and Tad (Inhaler), and in 1996 issued his solo debut Martin + Me. After 1997's Hand It Over, Dinosaur Jr. disbanded. Keeping on with his personal musical eclecticism, J. Mascis and his new outfit the Fog issued More Light in fall 2000. Featuring appearances from avant garde guitarist Kevin Shields and Guided by Voices vocalist Bob Pollard, the record was a fine return to form that excited Dinosaur Jr. fans who had been disappointed with his acoustic record. A tour with Elf Power followed, featuring longtime friend Mike Watt on bass and Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton at several tour dates. It was his riff-heavy jams with Asheton and Watt that inspired much of the music he started writing for his follow-up, as well as several skydiving experiences. When he stepped back into the studio, he kept the guest appearances down to a minimum and recorded Feel so Free for a 2002 release.
Wikipedia:
J Mascis ( /ˈæɪ/ MASS-kiss; born Joseph Donald Mascis on December 10, 1965) is an American musician, best known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter for Dinosaur Jr.. In 2011, he was ranked 86th in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Biography
Mascis was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, the son of an orthodontist. His family name is Italian, from the province of Foggia (region Puglia) in the south of Italy. His mother is an avid golfer.
Mascis formed the short-lived hardcore group Deep Wound with Lou Barlow, Scott Helland, and Charlie Nakajima in the early 1980s. He started out on drums, but moved to guitar when he went on to found Dinosaur Jr. with bassist Barlow and drummer Emmett Jefferson "Patrick" Murphy (aka "Murph") in 1984 and achieved national success. His vocals have been described as "Neil Young-like" and his guitar riffs as "monolithic." Mascis dismissed Barlow from Dinosaur Jr. in 1989 and over the next eight years recorded several more Dinosaur Jr. albums, including the 1996 acoustic solo album Martin + Me.
The manager for Deep Wound was Gerard Cosloy, who then went on to found Homestead Records. Homestead released Dinosaur Jr.'s first record. Mascis says that the reason why Dinosaur Jr.'s sound is not fully formed on that record is that they were more or less automatically signed to Homestead.
As a side project, he was the drummer in Boston doom metal group Upsidedown Cross (featuring Seth Putnam of Anal Cunt infamy), who released a self-titled album on Taang! Records in 1991. He wrote songs for the film Gas, Food, Lodging, in which he made a cameo appearance. In 1996, he had a small part in the movie Grace of my Heart and provided a ballad and a Beach Boys-like song for the soundtrack. In 2000 he began producing albums with his new band, J Mascis + The Fog.
In April 2005 Mascis, Barlow, and Murph rejoined for a tour celebrating the rerelease of the group's first three albums. They have since released two new albums: Beyond (released in 2007) and Farm (released in 2009).
In August 2005 Mascis released J and Friends Sing and Chant For Amma, a solo album under the J Mascis and Friends banner. The album consists of devotional songs dedicated to Hindu religious leader Mata Amritanandamayi, or Ammachi, about whom he had written "Ammaring" on the first J Mascis + The Fog album More Light. The proceeds from the album are being donated to tsunami relief efforts Ammachi's organization is spearheading.
In 2006 Mascis returned to drumming with his newly formed heavy metal band Witch for their self-titled debut album.
His wife Luisa is from Berlin, Germany. They reside in Amherst, Massachusetts, and in September 2007 they had a baby boy named Rory. His brother-in-law is German filmmaker Philipp Virus, director of the 2006 Dinosaur Jr. DVD Live in the Middle East. Virus is also known for his work on the music videos of Atari Teenage Riot, who used a sample of Sludgefeast for their song "Riot 1995".
July 2007 saw the release of a signature guitar by Fender, the J Mascis Signature Jazzmaster. The instrument comes in a Purple Sparkle finish and, while otherwise visually similar to a standard Jazzmaster, features a number of modifications J requested: a tune-o-matic bridge (for improved intonation), a reinforced tremolo arm housing (for higher durability when subjected to repeated heavy bending, which the original Jazzmaster was never designed for), vintage-style pickups, jumbo frets, and a satin-finished neck and customized wiring.
In 2010 Mascis joined with John Petkovic and Tim Parnin of Cobra Verde and Dave Sweetapple of Witch to form Sweet Apple. The self-titled debut album was released on Tee Pee Records. Mascis plays drums, guitar, and sings on the album.
Mascis released a mostly acoustic album in March 2011 titled Several Shades Of Why on Sub Pop Records. He was joined in the studio by several guest musicians, including Kurt Vile and Sophie Trudeau. Mascis will tour the US with Vile as support act to promote the album.
