Somewhere in deepest, darkest Amherst there is a dingy, carpet-walled rehearsal space that smells of the accumulation of 23 years of body odor and the faint waft of urine. This is J Mascis’ natural habitat. Some say he was born here, others think that he’s been cursed to roam that space and churn out record after record until a family of mystical goblins has been nourished by the sweet fuzzy tones of Mascis’ songs.
In a bid to feed this goblin family’s insatiable appetite, Mascis has announced the arrival of a new solo album called Tied to a Star, which will be available to the world at large on August 26 (the cover art of which contains said goblin family). If lead track “Every Morning” is any indication, then J Mascis may soon find himself released from his rehearsal space; check it out below and sign the “C’mon Mystical Goblin Family, Surely You’ve Got Enough Mascis Goodness to Last a Lifetime” petition here.
In anticipation of obtaining emancipation, Mascis has also lined up a run of tour dates as epic as his tale of overcoming furry captors with nothing but a guitar, a big muff pedal, and the help of a few friends (including Cat Power and members of Black Heart Procession who play on the album). Check out the tour dates, tracklist, and a trailer for the album below.
Tied to a Star tracklisting:
01. Me Again
02. Every Morning
03. Heal the Star
04. Wide Awake
05. Stumble
06. And Then
07. Drifter
08. Trailing Off
09. Come Down
10. Better Plane
Tour dates:
06.26.14 - Carnation, WA - Timber! Outdoor Festival
09.24.14 - Hamden, CT - The Ballroom at The Outer Space
09.25.14 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
09.26.14 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
09.27.14 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
09.28.14 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle
09.30.14 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
10.01.14 - Nashville, TN - Exit / In
10.02.14 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
10.03.14 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
10.04.14 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar
10.05.14 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
10.07.14 - Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
10.08.14 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
10.09.14 - Minneapolis, MN - Minneapolis Institute of Arts
10.10.14 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
10.11.14 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean
10.13.14 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
10.14.14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
10.15.14 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
10.16.14 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
10.17.14 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
10.18.14 - Boston, MA - Sinclair
11.07-09.14 - Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest
11.11.14 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
11.12.14 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
11.13.14 - Long Beach, CA - Alex’s Bar
11.14.14 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
11.15.14 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
11.16.14 - Sonoma, CA - Gundlach Bundschu
11.19.14 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
11.20.14 - Portland, OR - Dante’s
11.21-22.14 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
• J Mascis: http://www.jmascis.com
• Sub Pop: https://www.subpop.com