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Biography
Singer/guitarist J Mascis formed Dinosaur Jr. in 1984 and enlisted bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Emmett Murphy III – aka Murph – to be in the band. J Mascis had previously known Lou Barlow from being in the hardcore punk band Deep Wound that they formed when they were in high school. The members of Dinosaur Jr. grew up listening to an eclectic style of music such as Black Sabbath, the Replacements, and Neil Young , which would have a huge impact on the band’s sound.
In 1985 Dinosaur Jr. released their debut album “Dinosaur” through Homestead Records. Although the album was not a commercial success, it conveyed the beginning of the band’s unique sound, which featured extreme use of distortion run through guitar and bass that were played at maximum volume. Their sound also combined the country-garage rock style of Neil Young with the sound of hardcore punk and sludge metal. After playing club shows in New York City to promote their debut album, the band caught the attention of Sonic Youth, who asked Dinosaur Jr. to join them on their tour.
In 1987 the band released their second album “You’re Living All Over Me”, which was recorded in New York with the help of Sonic Youth’s engineer Wharton Tiers. The album was released through SST Records, which was a record label founded by one of the band’s heroes, Greg Ginn from Black Flag. The album was mostly written by J Mascis and featured the signature sound of his distorted guitar shredding melodic riffs and solos. The album also contained the songs “Lose” and “Poledo”, which were written by Lou Barlow and were very similar to the style of music Barlow would write for his band Sebadoh. The album has been critically praised and is looked at by many publications as one of the most influential indie rock albums of all times.
Dinosaur Jr. released their third album “Bug” in 1988. The album contained the hit single “Freak Scene”, which was a major breakthrough for the band in the UK. The single reached the No. 4 position on the UK independent chart and the album reached the No. 1 position on the UK independent chart. “Freak Scene” has been looked at as milestone for indie rock and the music publication Pitchfork has called the song “indie rocks greatest guitar performance”. After the band toured for the “Bug” album, Barlow would part ways with the band and work full time on his band Sebadoh.
For the band’s fourth album they signed with the major label, Sire Records, and released their album “Green Mind” in 1991. “Green Mind” was basically a solo album by J Mascis, who recorded nearly every part of the album himself. The album conveyed a more polished sound as opposed to the band’s other albums and it contained the hit songs “The Wagon” and “Thumb”. In 1993 Dinosaur Jr. recorded their next album “Where You Been” as full band with Mike Johnson filling in on bass and Murph back on drums. The album was a success, charting on The Billboard 200 chart and containing the hit single “Start Choppin”. After “Where You Been” Murph would depart from the band, leaving J Mascis as the only original member. During this time J Mascis would release two more albums under the Dinosaur Jr. name. The 1994 album “Without a Sound” and the 1997 album “Hand It Over” both received commercial success. After the release of “Hand it Over” J Mascis retired the Dinosaur Jr. name and began touring and releasing albums under J Mascis + The Fog.
In 2005 all original members reformed Dinosaur Jr. and began playing live shows at festivals as well as making late night television show appearances. In 2007 the band released the album “Beyond”, which was Dinosaur Jr.’s first album since 1997 and the band’s first album with the original lineup since 1988. The band would continue to release albums after their reformation. In 2009 they released the album “Farm” and in 2012 they released “I Bet on Sky”, which were both received with critical praise.
The band is known for their intense performances that include heavy distortion and incredibly loud volumes. They have played numerous festivals as well as headlining shows. They have also toured with many notable bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Blur, and Nirvana. In fact Nirvana had once asked J Mascis to join their band as a guitarist.
Live reviews
Dinosaur Jr. is an indie rock band from Amherst, MA. Even though they are a well-established band, playing on and off for almost 30 years, they have consistently remained underground and out of the mainstream press, never compromising their ideals. As former punk kids who were vastly influential on the grunge scene, Dinosaur Jr. has always embraced DIY ethics and this is reflected in their stripped-down, straightforward stage show, which emphasizes volume and dynamics while eschewing fancy showmanship that detracts from the music.
They are known for performing interesting covers during their set, often covering artists as diverse as The Cure, Peter Frampton, and Deep Wound, the hardcore band the band’s two core members played in while in their teens. They play songs from throughout their career, often playing selections from fan favorite You’re Living All Over Me.
Their sound involves large shifts in dynamics, extended guitar jams, and somewhat cryptic lyrics delivered in a nasally tone, all elements that often cause the band to be compared to Neil Young’s electric Crazy Horse band. Dinosaur Jr. is one of the longest-running and most critically acclaimed American underground bands. Anyone with any interest in American post-punk, indie, and alternative music should see Dinosaur Jr. at least once. They might be older, but have not lost any of their power or drive.
Massachuettes rockers Dinosaur Jr. were considered to be a band of total innovation during the 1980s as they merged traditional instrumental and vocal likened to the 1960s & 70s with feedback and distortion and this level of experimentation went onto inspire the alternative rock movement of the 1990s. As a band that so successfully crossed genres and decades, it is no wonder that the range of audience member in the venue this evening is of complete contrast. There are some who may have been around to buy the group's very first release, those who would have discovered them during the alt-rock 90s or those who would have found their records in the sub sequential decades.
No matter when the audience first heard the band's music, they are all equally enthusiastic as they step onto stage and tear into 'Bulbs Of Passion'. The lack of real commercial success means the band do not have hit singles, so they have obviously hand picked this setlist through the merit of each track. They make fantastic choices with 'Freak Scene' and 'The Lung' demonstrating their musical ability and the reason they have such a legacy to modern alternative.
sean-ward
"Hey, we got another tune for ya." Opened with Thumb, mind already blown. Of course played classics like The Wagon, Start Choppin', feel the Pain and Freak Scene. Encore of Just Like Heaven and then something I don't think I've ever seen them play. "Don't" from Bug. J just melted a few hundred faces on that one. Best guitar play I've ever seen and I've seen Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend and Eddie Van Halen. Dinosaur Jr forever!
aspeterson77
Terrible show. Very disappointing. The sound quality was horrific. You couldn't either hear or understand any of the lyrics. It was all amps and distortion. I'm all for loud, but blend it so it sounds right! I love J's voice but didn't get to hear it. I've also never seen so many people mass exodus out of a concert. Seems many felt the same way. It's a real shame. Dinosaur Jr is a great band, but you'd never know it from this concert.
melanie-ward
The concert in Stuttgart was not as I expected. I saw an excellent concert of Dinosaur Jr in Sao Paulo in 2010, but at this time the sound was way too loud and that made almost impossible to hear J. Mascis's voice. I like that Dino uses to play loud, but they exaggerated at this time, it was very unconfortble to stay next to the stage. The performances of Lou and Murph were excellent, but J looked like he was forced to be there.
leandro-mendes-olivo
As you'd expect- really loud, searing guitar, tight rhythm section pumped it out last night.
For me the bass player was the one who 'made' the gig.. he put boundless energy into the show and sang his song (left /right) off new album.
Sadly / strangely the bands timing was badly out on one of the old hits..feel the pain? - however the songs from new album were really well represented and it was on the whole, a great gig.
josh-hills-2
Last time I saw Dinosaur Jr and Primus together was Lollapalooza '93. It was really awesome to see these two bands sharing the stage once again. Other than J Mascis looking like the white wizard, not much has changed. They played just as well as they did then. Hope to see them in another 20 years!
abrader
Such a good show spanning 30 plus years of Dinosaur Jr catalogue. Riffs and droning guitars from these pre-grunge alternative rock legends. New tunes merging seamlessly into the more established set. J Madrid and Lou Barlow sound as enthusiastic and wild as they ever did.
Dancinptery
The whole Italian tour has been canceled because of bad health of John Mascis. No gig at all, so I am writing this only to let the staff know that Songkick lacks a way to update itself when gigs are deleted. Bye.
pugliamix
