Witch: The Brain of J.

“Yeah, I dunno why I have to talk. I’m the drummer,” bemoans Mascis from his home in Amherst, Massachusetts, sounding half-asleep and half-drugged. “I thought that was one of the joys of drumming; that you didn’t have to do anything except drum.”

It’s easy to see where he’s coming from. In a profession where monosyllabism is par for the course, and farting on command is considered a secondary talent, being the drummer in a band would normally circumvent you from the necessary evil of the interview process. However, as is patiently explained to a seemingly oblivious Mascis, to anyone outwith the close-knit rock community of Vermont, he is the only known quantity of Witch. “I guess so,” he grudgingly concedes.

Mascis initially formed the metal five-piece in 2006 as a response to his frustrations at the local scene and its inherent lack of ‘songs’. “Around here Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) is involved in a lot of stuff,” he explains. “A lot of his shows are like, noise and just kind of improv, and I just got tired of it after a while. In that setting, having songs was a novelty.”

To achieve this, Mascis enlisted other like-minded locals from a variety of unlikely sources. “Our singer (Kyle Thomas) was in this freak-folk band. We were just kinda like, ‘Yeah this is alright, but you’re pretty young. Don’t you want to rock before you retire?’”

When Mascis says ‘rock’, he means it in its purest form. Witch’s second long-player, Paralyzed goes straight to the source material of heavy metal, most notably Black Sabbath, though Mascis himself feels the shadow of Ozzy and co. is less pronounced this time. “I guess our last album (2006’s eponymous debut) was more kind of Sabbath-esque, but this album, there’s a lot more faster songs. I don’t know what I’d call it exactly. I guess it’s post-Sabbath,” he offers.

“The last album had a more obvious hit,” he continues. “Like, one song stood out. On this album, I don’t think one song jumps out as much.” Was this a conscious effort to avoid having a song they’re most associated with? “Nah, I don’t think so,” he audibly shrugs. “Better than having no song.”

With his own home recording studio, where the aforementioned Moore recently recorded a solo album, did J’s pad become a bit of a hangout for the band? “We recorded the drums and mixed it at my house, but then I kicked them out for the rest. It gets tiresome having deadbeats hanging around the kitchen all day,” he states nonchalantly.

At least his disdain for communicating with others seems universal. However, what might be mistaken for a glimmer of emotion is let slip when I casually mention the J. Mascis Signature Jazzmaster, a guitar made by Fender and customised to J’s specifications. “Yeah it was pretty cool,” he admits. “Sonic Youth have used them, and this guy who plays with Daryl Hall and John Oates, he used one.”

A note of pride is almost audible in his cracked, fatigued voice, until we ask if Witch will be using them on their upcoming European tour. “No,” he states firmly. “I don’t let those fuckers touch anything.”