Monday, May 20, 2013
Back from extinction
by Alan Sculley
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Two years ago, when the original lineup of Dinosaur Jr. reunited for the first time in 18 years, bassist Lou Barlow thought there was little chance the band would go on to make a new studio record.
Even when frontman J Mascis sent word that he'd like Barlow to come to his studio to work on some songs, Barlow still wasn't making that leap.
"My first question was, "With [drummer Patrick Murphy]? What?'" he remembers. "At first, I really didn't even understand that it was going to be, like, a Dinosaur Jr. record."
Barlow's incredulity can be forgiven. Formed in 1984 in the college town of Amherst, Mass., the original trio released three albums Dinosaur (1985), You're Living All Over Me (1987) and Bug (1988) that helped inspire the early '90s grunge movement.
But it was a tense run. Barlow often clashed with Mascis, and in 1989, he was unceremoniously kicked out of the band.
In 2005, though, after considerable lobbying from Mascis' manager, the original lineup of Dinosaur Jr. started its unlikely reunion tour.
Now the band has released a new studio CD, Beyond, that stands up to those '80s albums. Barlow says he realizes that making new music again was the logical thing to do even if he had been frightened by the idea.
"Looking on it now, the reunion shows were really good," Barlow says. "It was successful in terms of making money and all that. The only way to really continue that without it becoming, like, not that much fun, would be to make a new record."
Dinosaur Jr.
Aggie Theatre,
204 S. College Ave., Fort Collins
Friday, June 15, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $20; visit aggietheatre.com.
Dinosaur Jr. with Lucero and local bands
Westword Music Showcase, Denver's Golden Triangle neighborhood at the intersection of Acoma Street and 12th Avenue
Saturday, June 16, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $15; visit westword.com.
