Dinosaur Jr. and Steve Gunn

Singer/guitarist J Mascis formed Dinosaur Jr. in 1984 and enlisted bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Emmett Murphy III – aka Murph – to be in the band. J Mascis had previously known Lou Barlow from being in the hardcore punk band Deep Wound that they formed when they were in high school. The members of Dinosaur Jr. grew up listening to an eclectic style of music such as Black Sabbath, the Replacements, and Neil Young , which would have a huge impact on the band’s sound.

In 1985 Dinosaur Jr. released their debut album “Dinosaur” through Homestead Records. Although the album was not a commercial success, it conveyed the beginning of the band’s unique sound, which featured extreme use of distortion run through guitar and bass that were played at maximum volume. Their sound also combined the country-garage rock style of Neil Young with the sound of hardcore punk and sludge metal. After playing club shows in New York City to promote their debut album, the band caught the attention of Sonic Youth, who asked Dinosaur Jr. to join them on their tour.

In 1987 the band released their second album “You’re Living All Over Me”, which was recorded in New York with the help of Sonic Youth’s engineer Wharton Tiers. The album was released through SST Records, which was a record label founded by one of the band’s heroes, Greg Ginn from Black Flag. The album was mostly written by J Mascis and featured the signature sound of his distorted guitar shredding melodic riffs and solos. The album also contained the songs “Lose” and “Poledo”, which were written by Lou Barlow and were very similar to the style of music Barlow would write for his band Sebadoh. The album has been critically praised and is looked at by many publications as one of the most influential indie rock albums of all times.

Dinosaur Jr. released their third album “Bug” in 1988. The album contained the hit single “Freak Scene”, which was a major breakthrough for the band in the UK. The single reached the No. 4 position on the UK independent chart and the album reached the No. 1 position on the UK independent chart. “Freak Scene” has been looked at as milestone for indie rock and the music publication Pitchfork has called the song “indie rocks greatest guitar performance”. After the band toured for the “Bug” album, Barlow would part ways with the band and work full time on his band Sebadoh.

For the band’s fourth album they signed with the major label, Sire Records, and released their album “Green Mind” in 1991. “Green Mind” was basically a solo album by J Mascis, who recorded nearly every part of the album himself. The album conveyed a more polished sound as opposed to the band’s other albums and it contained the hit songs “The Wagon” and “Thumb”. In 1993 Dinosaur Jr. recorded their next album “Where You Been” as full band with Mike Johnson filling in on bass and Murph back on drums. The album was a success, charting on The Billboard 200 chart and containing the hit single “Start Choppin”. After “Where You Been” Murph would depart from the band, leaving J Mascis as the only original member. During this time J Mascis would release two more albums under the Dinosaur Jr. name. The 1994 album “Without a Sound” and the 1997 album “Hand It Over” both received commercial success. After the release of “Hand it Over” J Mascis retired the Dinosaur Jr. name and began touring and releasing albums under J Mascis + The Fog.

In 2005 all original members reformed Dinosaur Jr. and began playing live shows at festivals as well as making late night television show appearances. In 2007 the band released the album “Beyond”, which was Dinosaur Jr.’s first album since 1997 and the band’s first album with the original lineup since 1988. The band would continue to release albums after their reformation. In 2009 they released the album “Farm” and in 2012 they released “I Bet on Sky”, which were both received with critical praise.

The band is known for their intense performances that include heavy distortion and incredibly loud volumes. They have played numerous festivals as well as headlining shows. They have also toured with many notable bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Blur, and Nirvana. In fact Nirvana had once asked J Mascis to join their band as a guitarist.