Sweet Apple
Love & Desperation
Of course, the band - Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis (drums/guitar/vocals); Cobra Verde's Tim Parnin (guitar); John Petkovi (vocals/guitar) and Witch's Dave Sweetapple (bass/vocals) - eschews the whole "supergroup" tag. Sweetapple was born by accident and friendship - out of death, after a cross-country drive. Singer-guitarist John Petkovic got in his car heading eastward days after the passing of his mother - to smoke cigarettes, listen to music and clear his head. He ended up in New England, the home of long-time friends Dave Sweetapple and J. Mascis, who told John to start writing some songs so they could start a band. Within weeks, and after recruiting Cobra Verde guitarist Tim Parnin they started working on an album. The 12-song disc casts a wide net, reflecting the disparate sounds of all their bands: catchy power-pop, crushing rock and wounding ballads. Recorded in Cleveland and Massachusetts, the album was mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr/Sonic Youth/The Hold Steady) and Don Dephew (Cobra Verde/Guided By Voices). "I tell people that I saved Johns life by starting this band," says Mascis. "But they dont believe me."