J Mascis

J Mascis (/ˈmæskɪs/ MASS-kiss; born Joseph Donald Mascis, Jr.; December 10, 1965) is an American musician. He is best known as the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. and described as a figurehead of grunge. He also developed a solo career releasing six albums while also playing drums on other projects. His latest album Tied to a Star was released in August 2014. As a notable guitarist he was ranked number 86 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time", and in 2012 was also ranked 5th in Spin's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

Biography

Mascis was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, the son of a dentist and grew up in the same area together with his sister Patty and an older brother. His family name is Italian, from the province of Foggia, in the region of Apulia in the south of Italy. His mother, Theresa (an avid golfer), died in 1985 while his father, Joseph Sr., died in 1993.

At the age of 17, Mascis joined the short-lived hardcore group Deep Wound with Lou Barlow, Scott Helland, and Charlie Nakajima in the early 1980s. He started out playing 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, as well as the 1996 acoustic solo album Martin + Me. In 1989 Kurt Cobain suggested that Mascis join Nirvana.

J Mascis + The Fog

J Mascis + The Fog is the post-Dinosaur Jr musical project embarked by Dinosaur Jr's founding member, musician J Mascis.

History

After fulfilling his contractual obligations to Blanco y Negro in the UK and Sire/Reprise in the US, Mascis holed up in his home studio in Amherst, MA, which he named Bob's Place after his pet bulldog. Recording 99% of the instruments on the recordings, he emerged from the studio with the first J Mascis + The Fog album, More Light, an album title inspired by Mascis's growing interest in "hugging saint" Ammachi. One of the pivotal songs on the album, "Ammaring", is also about Ammachi. Mascis signed with Artemis Records to release the album.

To promote More Light, Mascis enlisted sometime Dinosaur Jr. drummer George Berz and former Minutemen and Firehose bassist Mike Watt. Mascis had worked with Watt several times before - most notably producing the final Firehose album Mr. Machinery Operator (1993), on which he also contributed some guitar and vocal parts, and contributing guitar and drum performances to several songs on Watt's first solo album Ball-Hog or Tugboat?. They embarked on four separate tours between October 2000 and the spring of 2001, including a tour of Japan and Australia, a European tour, and two full tours of the US. The set lists would be a mix of songs from both More Light and the Dinosaur Jr. back catalog, along with a handful of Stooges songs and a version of Black Flag's "I've Had It" with lead vocals sung by Watt.

The Fog

The Fog is a 1980 American horror film directed by John Carpenter, who also co-wrote the screenplay and created the music for the film. It stars Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh and Hal Holbrook. It tells the story of a strange, glowing fog that sweeps in over a small coastal town in California, bringing with it the vengeful ghosts of mariners who were killed in a shipwreck there exactly 100 years prior.

The Fog was Carpenter's first theatrical film after the success of his 1978 horror film Halloween, which also starred Jamie Lee Curtis. Although initially given mixed to positive reviews, the film was a commercial success and has achieved a cult following years since its release. A remake of the film was made in 2005.

Plot

As the Californian coastal town of Antonio Bay is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, paranormal activity begins to occur at the stroke of midnight. Town priest Father Malone is in his church when a piece of masonry falls from the wall, revealing a cavity containing an old journal, his grandfather's diary from a century ago. It reveals that in 1880, six of the founders of Antonio Bay (including Malone's grandfather) deliberately sank and plundered a clipper ship named the Elizabeth Dane. The ship was owned by Blake, a wealthy man with leprosy who wanted to establish a leper colony nearby. Gold from the ship was used to build Antonio Bay and its church.

The Fog (2005 film)

The Fog is a 2005 horror film directed by Rupert Wainwright and starring Tom Welling, Selma Blair and Maggie Grace. It is a remake of John Carpenter's 1980 film of the same name and was produced by Carpenter and Debra Hill who co-wrote the original film. The film's narrative follows a strange fog that sweeps in over an island town in the coast of Oregon; it brings vindictive apparitions of mariners who were murdered there exactly 100 years prior. The townspeople find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives while investigating the truth of their history.

Plot

William Blake arranges to purchase half of Antonio Island, off the coast of Oregon, to establish a leper colony for his people. However, island residents Patrick Malone, Norman Castle, Richard Wayne and David Williams double-cross Blake. During a foggy night, they loot his clipper ship the Elizabeth Dane and set it on fire, killing all aboard. 134 years later, the residents of Antonio Island prepare to honor their founding fathers—the same men who burned the Elizabeth Dane—and a statue of them is to be unveiled on the town's anniversary. During a boating trip, Nick Castle and his friend Spooner unwittingly disturb a bag containing a pocket-watch and a hairbrush from the Elizabeth Dane lying on the seabed.

The Fog (1923 film)

The Fog is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Paul Powell which starred Mildred Harris and was based upon the novel of the same name by William Dudley Pelley. This film still survives. A poster for this film was later featured in the film Sherlock Jr. (1924).

Cast

References

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