Mike Watt cuts tour short to join J. Mascis’ solo run

Mike Watt has scrapped the latter half of his current solo tour in order to play bass for former Dinosaur Jr. frontman J. Mascis' upcoming fall tour, according to Watt's official website.

Watt--touring with his Mike Watt and the Pair of Pliers lineup--had dates scheduled until Nov. 3. He will now cut his tour short, ending it with an Oct. 21 performance at the Sapphire Supper Club in Orlando, Fla. Two nights later, he will join Mascis' tour at the same venue.

"J asked me to help him w/ some bass for his first power trio tour in a few years," Watt wrote on his website. "Trouble is, his tour starts right near the end of mine, but not near enough, so I'm gonna have to trim off some gigs w/ the Pliers and make them up in the spring. … Me and the Pliers will be back for another tour in March/April, 2001, where we [will] re-do the gigs that got scissored here, plus the rest of the country and our Canadian neighbors too."

Mascis' U.S. tour runs through Nov. 17, according to his publicist. His first U.S. solo appearance is on Oct. 21 at the annual CMJ music festival in New York City, where he will perform an acoustic set.

A European tour is scheduled to begin in Paris on Nov. 27. Subsequent stops in Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Ireland are planned, with a final European show set for Dec. 10 in London.

"More Light," the first album from J. Mascis and the Fog, is scheduled for release on Oct. 24. The album is Mascis' first since Dinosaur Jr. disbanded shortly after the release of 1997's "Hand It Over."