J Mascis, Ron Asheton, Mike Watt, Tower Records, Friday 16

Live Shots

Ron Asheton (l) and Mike Watt (r)
Ron Asheton (l) and Mike Watt (r) (Photo By John Anderson)

J Mascis, Ron Asheton, Mike Watt

Tower Records, Friday 16

Back in the early Eighties, Dinosaur Jr. formed from the remains of J Mascis' old hardcore punk band Deep Wound, and the era's hardcore movement remained a strong influence on Dinosaur's early material. To longtime fans, therefore, it came as no surprise that Mascis and Fog member Mike Watt, another SST underground hero whose music was informed by punk rock, lured Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton to join them at both their Thursday night South by Southwest showcase and at Friday's in-store at Tower Records on the Drag. Though Thursday's roaring show at Emo's featured as much Mascis as Stooges, the Tower show was a Stooges revue through and through. Two generations of sweaty, fiery rockers belted out the proto-punk anthems that served as the grimy, blood-splattered ground floor for everything to come, from Rotten to Rage. The frosty-bearded bassist Watt, clad in a jean jacket, took center stage, relegating Mascis, sporting a black Sabbath T-shirt, to the unfamiliar role of sideman. The set consisted entirely of songs off the Stooges' first two albums, and if Watt can't quite match Iggy Pop's stage presence, he definitely pulled off the trick in terms of sheer volume and intensity. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" found the ex-Minuteman pouring out every ounce of raw-throated, vein-bulging fire in a primal punk display that was even more jarring given the squeaky clean Tower backdrop. The stout, goateed Asheton kept to the front of the stage, poking his guitar out in true interactive form. The first-generation punk legend looked hardly any older than either Watt or the frosty-haired Mascis, who spent the entire show bobbing his mop up and down as he churned out wild screeching solos and his trademark fuzzy wah sound to complement the piston-charged rhythms of Watt, Asheton and ex-Dinosaur drummer George Berz. A smattering of old-schoolers in attendance got their rocks off in a big way, but even the later generation couldn't escape the crushing waves of sound ping-ponging off the store's high walls and ceiling. Unfortunately for those there to see Mascis, the tightly knit Motor City romps left little room for the Bostonian to stretch out with his wild, elongated solos, nor did he take a single turn up to the mike. But that was a moot point by the time the foursome churned out a roaring version of "No Fun," a runaway locomotive that slammed into the sound barrier, causing a violent aural explosion that brought the fiery affair to a fitting conclusion.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE
More Music Reviews
Texas Platters
Sabbath Crow
Carrion Highway Weird Sun (Record Review)

Michael Toland, Aug. 16, 2019

Texas Platters
USA/Mexico
Matamoros (Record Review)

Rick Weaver, Aug. 16, 2019

More by Michael Chamy
Texas Platters
Palaxy Tracks
Twelve Rooms (Record Review)

Sept. 16, 2005

Texas Platters
Comet
Feathers From the Wing EP (Record Review)

Aug. 12, 2005

MORE IN THE ARCHIVES
One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle