DINOSAUR JR/J MASCIS
Guitar Techniques|September 2023
This month Martin Cooper checks out the sound of the Massachusetts rock pioneers, and the six-string talents of guitarist J Mascis.
Martin Cooper
DINOSAUR JR/J MASCIS

American rockers Dinosaur Jr and their guitar playing frontman J Mascis might not be household names like some of their contemporaries but the band, which formed in Massachusetts in 1984, has left an impression on many other classic outfits. These include Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan, Radiohead, Blur, and Snow Patrol to name a few, and their use of feedback, fuzz and awkward sounding non-diatonic chord progressions and riffs can be clearly heard in the sound of those bands.

Mascis himself grew up listening to artists like The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys and there’s a foundation of classic rock in the sound evident on both the band’s recordings and live performances.

This story is from the September 2023 edition of Guitar Techniques.

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This story is from the September 2023 edition of Guitar Techniques.

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