WITCH - Witch Review

We might as well get this out of the way: Witch includes alt-rock god J Mascis on drums, and although they're significantly less famous, singer Kyle Thomas and guitarist Asa Irons who both play in avant-folk group Feathers (and on Devendra Banheart's “Heard Somebody Say”). In fact, Mascis' buddy Dave Sweetapple, who provides bass, is the only member of Witch who isn't more well known for work elsewhere. And all of that, although it's likely to attract the lion's share of the attention directed at this band, doesn't matter.
...full text Forget the dog, kids: 2006 is ostensibly the year of the Mascis. Not only are Dinosaur Jr. back for reunion tours and catalog reissuing, but my favorite wah-loving stoner is revisiting his Deep Wound and Upsidedown Cross days on the side, drumming for doom quartet Witch. Mascis handled Dinosaur's thunder toms when Murph wasn't around (see Green Mind), but in Witch, it's his singular role: no blistering solos or perfect "Freak Scene" poetry, just airtight rolls and bass-drum thuds....full text A couple of years ago, I witnessed the one- or two-song reunion of Deep Wound, the early hard-core punk band and Dinosaur predecessor that was, until recently, the last band in which J. Mascis had regularly played drums. Despite a certain amount of nostalgia, despite a bit too much jovial interplay between the long-estranged Mascis and Lou Barlow, despite the passage of 20 years or more, it was clear that Deep Wound was a band that seriously rocked – and one of the reasons was Mascis' take-no-prisoners approach to the drum kit. Grey hair flying, ropey arms halfway to the ceiling, kick drum jumping ominously with every monster punch, there was nothing held back....full text