As the frontman for the ear-splitting former SPIN cover stars Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis has generally taken on the mindset that louder is better. But over the course of a couple of solo albums, Mascis has stripped down for more intimate recordings that highlight the distant ache that remained buried under all of his main band’s fuzz. Celebrating his recent Tied to a Star, the indie rock guitar hero stopped by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series for a performance befitting that record’s intimacy. After apparently rejecting an amplifier for the electric guitar that he brought along, Mascis ran through “Stumble” and a medley of “Drifter” and “Heal the Star” from his August record, as well as the classic “Little Fury Things” in a stripped down incarnation. You can watch video of all three above.
J Mascis Turns the Volume Down For an NPR ‘Tiny Desk Concert’
