In June, they played an hour-long gig at Urban Outfitters June 11, and the old Dino roar was back - just as it is on “Beyond.” (Barlow has two songs, “Back To Your Heart” and “Lightning Bulb” on the CD; the other nine are Mascis’s.)  If you closed your eyes, it felt like 1988. If you opened them (into the bright lights of the store’s lower-level section), you’d see 20-year-olds and 45-year-olds, all there to feel the noise. Dinosaur Jr’s sound remains the same: aggressive and unsettled, while simultaneously narcotic and laconic. Consider it angst and ennui delivered at maximum volume and high velocity. Whatever tension exists offstage, it’s clear they’re simpatico on it.
      In concert, Mascis said virtually nothing. What came through vocally were refrains like “I’m almost ready” (from “Almost Ready,” the first single from “Beyond”) and “I feel the pain of everyone/Then I feel nothing” from “Feel the Pain.” Mascis played guitar at an ear-splitting level  - Barlow tossed out spare earplugs to the grateful few up front – and frequently employed effects pedals. The long-and-gray-haired guitarist didn’t exactly smile or emote, but with his guitar swaying gently side-to-side, he seemed in the zone. Asked what he enjoys most about what he does, Mascis said, “I like playing solos best.”
     After they decided to regroup two years ago, they hit the road. Last year, they co-curated the 2006 All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in London, This year, they released a concert DVD, “Live at the Middle East,” (done at the Central Square club) and “Beyond.” At present, they’re a month into tour. (The gig at the Harvard Square Urban Outfitters was part of a multi-act tour – one band for each city - called FreeYrRadio. It promotes local college radio and Toyota’s Yaris, with concerts in various retail outlets. The college radio partner in Boston was WERS.)
      So, how did this re-formation – this jolt of activity - come about? And why?
      “It’s hard for us to answer questions like this,” says Murph, standing outside Urban Outfitters, prior to the gig. “We’re not the kind of band to analyze ourselves too much. It’s partly chemistry. J drums and writes his songs with Lou and me in mind. We have a formula that works.”
      “It’s a practical move on J’s part to reform the band,” says Barlow. (All interviews were done separately.) “We’re all 20 years older and there’s a lot of water under the bridge.” (When Barlow was bounced out of Dinosaur, he wrote a Sebadoh song called “The Freed Pig.”)
      When they first re-formed Dinosaur Jr found themselves touring their catalog. Not a bad thing, considering the quality, but also something that can make a band think they’re an oldies group. “At the end of the last tour,” says Barlow, “it became apparent we needed to learn new songs and write a new record.” (Barlow, had, though, consented to play Dinosaur Jr songs from the ‘90s.)
     “We had to [write and record] to keep going,” says Mascis. Having done that, Mascis realized something else: “I kind of like playing more now than I ever have. Not sure why. I remember talking to Sonic Youth when I was younger and Thurston [Moore] said he really liked playing and I was perplexed by it. Now, I understand it. I don’t know if I ever enjoyed anything [before]. Certain moments, maybe.”
    “Beyond” is Dinosaur Jr’s first for the gritty blues label, Fat Possum. Mascis, 41, is still a grumbling, growling singer, but he seems to be doing more of it, and with more passion, here. The trademark snarling guitar-based hooks and pummeling bass-and-drums sound is right up front.
    Murph explains the Fat Possum connection: “We got interest and J went in and made it happen.” Barlow says, “We’ve been on a lot of labels with a lot of jaded people, and [Fat Possum] just seemed the most enthusiastic and that’s what we were looking for.” In nine weeks, “Beyond” has sold upwards of 50,000 copies worldwide. Over their career, Dino’s CD sales exceed a million.
    Pulling words from Mascis is a task. He’ll answer a question with a few words, you’ll look at him for amplification … and then you realize he’s done. He’s the Silent Bob of rock. He’s not unfriendly. He may be cryptic. He gives the impression of a man without much on his mind – certainly not much to say publicly. Murph concurs that Mascis is mostly a man of few words, but says if you ask him about musical gear, he’ll go on forever.
     At the Cambridge show – fans got their free tickets on-line from FreeYrRadio - each band member had a white, foot-high riser to play on. It was practical for the small stage area, but it also kept them separated. Certainly a coincidence. Any banter was initiated by Barlow, who praised Boston’s college radio scene and told the full house of 450, “It’s kinda like a real show. C’mon!” (FreeYrRadio reportedly gave out 1000 tickets; 250 people were turned away.) Barlow mused that Urban Outfitters could never sell any of the clothing on display because everything was saturated with body odor. (It was a hothouse in there.) Barlow’s proclamation got a big cheer. “That’s nothing to clap about, friends,” he added, mock-sternly.
     Before the show, with the fans lining the sidewalk, the band members were on JFK Street, posing for photos inside and outside a Dino-customized purple Yaris. (Purple is Mascis’s color; the sides of his Marshall amps are painted that, too.) The guys spoke little to each other, and did only what needed to be done.
     “We’re probably closer to friends then we’ve ever been,” Murph opined a bit later. Family members are on the tour bus, too, he said, and when dinnertime comes, they’ll often all go out together. The three guys, they’d never do it on their own.
      “I don’t see an end to it,” says Barlow, of this Dinosaur Jr resurrection. “But that doesn’t mean anything. I’m not looking that far into the future. I’m very pleased we have an album out and I’m surprised by the reaction to it.” Tickets for the Boston shows: $20. (A version of this piece ran in the Boston Phoenix this summer.)

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