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Mike Watt

Michael Watt (b. December 20, 1957 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is a bass guitarist, singer and songwriter, probably best-known for co-founding punk rock bands The Minutemen and fIREHOSE. He's been praised throughout his carrer for his inventive, melodic playing; his basslines are often quite distinctive.

When he was young, Watt's family moved to San Pedro, California, where he became good friends with D. Boon. Watt and Boon picked up bass and guitar, respectively, and in the mid-1970s, they formed a band called The Reactionaries. The band later became The Minutemen (named after the 1960's radical group), and drummer George Hurley was added to the lineup. After signing with SST Records in 1980, The Minutemen began touring constantly, releasing a number of albums along the way. Their music was based on the speed, brevity and intensity of punk, but included elements of jazz, folk, and funk. The Minutemen were ended tragically in December 1985, when Boon was killed in a van accident.

Watt and Hurley, despite originally intending to quit music altogether, formed fIREHOSE with Ed Crawford , a Minutemen fan who drove from Ohio and persuaded Watt and Hurley to continue playing music. After three releases on SST, fIREHOSE signed with major label Columbia Records. Their music often sounded much like that of The Minutemen, though the songs became longer and more traditionally structured (generally, verse-chorus-verse). Shortly after the release of 1994's Mr. Machinery Operator, the band decided to call it quits.

Though always a prolific songwriter, Watt was long uncomfortable singing onstage; he credits J. Mascis --who produced Mr Machinery Operator--with encouraging him to sing more often.

Watt also formed Dos with his then-wife Kira Roessler.

After fIREHOSE, Watt began a solo career. His first album, Ball-Hog or Tugboat? , featured appearances from members of Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Soul Asylum, and Screaming Trees. He gained a following among the alternative rock crowd, as his touring band included Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Dave Grohl of Nirvana.

After the release of Contemplating the Engine Room in 1997, Watt went on to play in such groups as Banyan and Hellride . He also played in The Wylde Rattz , recording a song for the film Velvet Goldmine.

In 2003, Watt joined the reformed Iggy Pop and The Stooges.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated their hugely successful Censored page to Watt.

Watt's third solo album The Secondman's Middle Stand was released in 2004; one reviewer writes that the album is a "harrowing, funny, and genuinely moving stuff from a true American original." [1] http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:b1ua6j5471w0~T1

Discography

1995 Ball-Hog or Tugboat?
1997 Contemplating the Engine Room
2004 The Secondman's Middle Stand

External Links

  • Mike Watt Live Music Archive http://www.archive.org/audio/etreelisting-browse.php?collection=etree&cat=Mike%2
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Last updated: 02-08-2005 06:14:36
Last updated: 02-26-2005 13:00:46