J Mascis Live at CBGBs: The First Acoustic Show

So what differentiates an acoustic J Mascis show from an acoustic Dinosaur Jr. show? The songs. *J Mascis Live at CBGB’s: The First Acoustic Show* has indie rock’s favorite longhair stripping down the songs of his most notable band. As the title clearly states, this 1993 show marked the first time he performed live acoustic. It opens with “What Else Is New,” and you get the sense that there’s much more to Dinosaur Jr. than face-melting walls of guitar feedback; Mascis can craft a memorable song as well as any of his influences. He follows that with the fan favorite “Thumb” from *Green Mind*, revealing that underneath his cascading sonic walls there\'s a timeless, folk-based ballad. Despite Mascis’ minimal stage banter, he does reveal that “Keeblin’” was indeed inspired by the Keebler Elves. And rather than take on the all-too-common rendition of “Freebird,” Mascis covers Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Every Mother’s Son,” leaning hard into his natural drawl before turning The Wipers’ “On the Run” into something that sounds more like a Neil Young tune.