So yes, my ears are still ringing from last night's show at Ottobar in Charm City. 150-200 capacity bar, at the most, packed to the max. Mike Watt (formerly of the Minutemen) opened for Jr., that was pretty epic. But the show was absolutely freakin' intense. I knew was I was getting into soundwise, and I really should have brought earplugs. I get the dumbass award for not bringing earplugs. Played a lot of shit from their upcoming album (although they really didn't say which ones were new, except for a few). Of course, being typical Mascis, played only what he wanted and none of the fan favorites with Raisans, Little Furry Things, In a Jar and Kracked being notable non-plays. But overall, hey, it was exactly what I expected. The baddest distortion ever, straight-forward, no-frills, bare bones rock and roll, J playing eight minute solos at every opportunity, no talking between songs (props to Lou for trying to engage the crowd a few times). Murph is just a fucking beast on the kit and J is, well, J.
4.5 out of 5 stars, would have been 5 if we could have heard Raisans. If Fu reads this, they haven't skipped a beat since the 80s. It was awesome to be in the presence of true indie-rock legends.
