Dinosaur Jr. + Cobra Verde + Witch = Sweet Apple

BY Keith CarmanPublished Dec 2, 2009

There's an old adage that even flowers have to grow out of poop. Basically, great things are spawned from crappy situations. That's the premise behind latest indie rock "supergroup" Sweet Apple.

Made up of Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis, John Petkovic and Tim Parnin of Cobra Verde, and Witch's Dave Sweetapple (Mascis is also a member of Witch), the band have completed a 12-song debut album dubbed Love And Desperation, after a rather dire situation.

According to Petkovic, the impromptu outfit began when his mother died. Venting his frustrations, he simply got into his car to, "smoke cigarettes, listen to music and clear his head," as Blurt reports. Without a destination planned, he eventually wound up in New England, where Sweetapple and Mascis are located.

At their urging, he directed his internal issues towards an instrument, eventually penning the dozen songs. After getting Parnin involved and offering their personal sonic tweaks, Love and Desperation was born.

"I hadn't even played the guitar for months," says Petkovic. "And then, out of the blues, there were all these songs just coming out."

Enter John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth and the Hold Steady) and Don Depew (Cobra Verde, Guided by Voices), who recorded the album, which is described as a reflection of the contributors' disparate sounds, promising catchy power pop, crushing rock and wounded ballads.

The video for lead single "Do You Remember" is currently in production and Love and Desperation will be released on March 30 via heavy music label Tee Pee Records.

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