Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

(1980–1985),

Dos DOS is shorthand for the MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS family of operating systems. DOS may also refer to: Computing * Data over signalling (DoS), multiplexing data onto a signalling channel * Denial-of-service attack (DoS), an attack on a communicatio ...

(1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo career with the 1994 album ''

Ball-Hog or Tugboat? ''Ball-Hog or Tugboat?'' is the 1995 debut solo album by American musician Mike Watt, previously known for his work as the bass guitarist and songwriter for the punk rock groups Minutemen and fIREHOSE. The title references the difference bet ...

'', he has since released three additional solo albums, most recently in 2010 with ''

Hyphenated-man ''Hyphenated-man'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the fourth solo album by Mike Watt, and the first full-length recording he made under his own name since parting with Columbia Records in 2005. Initially released in Japan bParabolica Recordsin O ...

''. He is also the frontman for the supergroup

Big Walnuts Yonder Big Walnuts Yonder is an American indie rock supergroup formed in 2008. The band consists of bassist/vocalist Mike Watt from Minutemen, guitarist Nels Cline from Wilco, drummer Greg Saunier from Deerhoof, and guitarist/vocalist Nick Reinhart fro ...

(2008–present), a member of the

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...

group

Banyan A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...

(1997–present) and is involved with several other musical projects. From 2003 until 2013, he was the bass guitarist for

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

. Watt has been called "one of the greatest bassists on the planet." ''

CMJ New Music CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'' called Watt a "seminal

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

bass player." Readers of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' voted Mike Watt one of the "40 Greatest Bassists of All Time" and ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'' awarded him the number six spot in "The 20 Best Bassists of All Time." In November 2008, Watt received the ''Bass Player Magazine'' lifetime achievement award, presented by

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...

. The

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

dedicated their best-selling album, 1991's ''

Blood Sugar Sex Magik ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released September 24, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Rick Rubin, its musical style differed notably from the band's previous album '' M ...

'', to Watt.

Biography

Early career

Watt was born in

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...

. His father was in the Navy and when he was young, Watt's family moved to

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, where he became good friends with

D. Boon Dennes Dale Boon (April 1, 1958 – December 22, 1985) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and songwriter of the punk rock trio Minutemen. He was born on April 1, 1958 in San Pedro, California, and formed the Minuteme ...

. Watt and Boon picked up bass and guitar, respectively. Watt was a fan of T. Rex and

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American Rock music, rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla ( ...

, while Boon's exposure to rock music was limited to

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

, another Watt favorite.

The Minutemen

In 1978, Watt and Boon formed a band called

The Reactionaries The Reactionaries were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, in 1978. The band's continual members were lead vocalist Martin Tamburovich, guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley. Th ...

with drummer

George Hurley George Hurley (born September 4, 1958) is a drummer noted for his work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Music career Early years Originally from the East Coast, Hurley and his family moved to San Pedro, California, when he was six years old. ...

and vocalist

Martin Tamburovich Martin Tamburovich (June 6, 1958 – December 2, 2003) was the co-founder of New Alliance Records and vocalist for the short-lived Punk rock, punk/New wave music, new wave band The Reactionaries. Tamburovich, along with his San Pedro High School ...

. The band later became

with another drummer named

Frank Tonche Frank Tonche was the original drummer for The Minutemen. Hurley, who had been in the short-lived new wave group Hey Taxi! at the time Minutemen first formed, rejoined Watt and Boon. After signing with

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was formed in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Tuners, a small business through which he sold electronics equipm ...

in 1980, 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 Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

, and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

. Born with

Osgood–Schlatter disease Osgood–Schlatter disease (OSD) is inflammation of the patellar ligament at the tibial tuberosity (apophysitis). It is characterized by a painful bump just below the knee that is worse with activity and better with rest. Episodes of pain typica ...

, Watt had surgeries on both knees in the early 1980s which limited touring in 1981. Watt wrote all of the music for ''

What Makes a Man Start Fires? ''What Makes a Man Start Fires?'' is the second full-length album and fifth release overall by American punk rock band Minutemen. Background At almost twice the length of their previous album, ''The Punch Line'', the Minutemen's songs began sur ...

'' as he was laid up after one of his knee surgeries, living with his mother at the time and needed to keep himself occupied. In 1984, Watt met Black Flag bassist

Kira Roessler Kira Roessler (born June 12, 1961) is an American musician and two-time Emmy Award-winning dialogue editor. She is best known as the bassist for the influential hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1983 to 1985. Since the mid-1980s, she has been ...

during a Black Flag/Minutemen tour. They soon became romantically involved, and subsequently began collaborating on songs, including material on Minutemen's final album ''

3-Way Tie (For Last) ''3-Way Tie (For Last)'' is the fourth and final full-length album recorded by the American punk band Minutemen. It is particularly notable for featuring several covers of songs by bands such as the Urinals, Meat Puppets, Blue Öyster Cult, ...

''. They also formed a two-bass duo,

, and have since recorded and released three records. Minutemen ended tragically on December 22, 1985, when Boon was killed in an automobile crash at the age of 27 while driving to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

with his girlfriend. Their fifth full-length album, ''3-Way Tie (For Last)'' had already been scheduled for release at the time of the accident. In the documentary film ''

We Jam Econo ''We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen'', is a full-length documentary about the influential 1980s punk rock band Minutemen, created by director Tim Irwin and producer Keith Schieron in association with Rocket Fuel Films. The film premiered ...

'', Watt mentioned that the last time he saw Boon, he had received lyrics for 10 songs from critic and songwriter

Richard Meltzer Richard Meltzer (born May 10, 1945) is an American rock critic, performer, writer and songwriter. He is considered by some rock historians to be the first to write real analysis of rock and roll and is credited with inventing "rock criticism". B ...

for a planned collaboration with Minutemen. Minutemen were also planning to record a triple album with the working title ''3 Dudes, 6 Sides, 3 Studio, 3 Live'' as way to counteract

bootleggers Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

Firehose

After Boon's death, Watt was profoundly depressed; he and Hurley initially intended to quit music altogether.

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

invited Watt to hang out with them in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1986; they recorded a cover of

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

's "Burnin' Up" (with additional guitars by Greg Ginn) on the first

Ciccone Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

EP, and Watt played bass for two songs on the Sonic Youth album ''

Evol Evol may refer to: * ''Evol'' (Sonic Youth album), 1986 * ''Evol'' (Future album), 2016 * EvoL, South Korean girl group * "E.V.O.L.", a song by Marina and the Diamonds * ' Kamen Rider Evol', the main antagonist of a Japanese tokusatsu series, Ka ...

''. Watt cites this period as critical in inspiring his post-Minutemen career saying, "The first thing I did was Thurston asked me to play bass on ''Evol''. That was a big highlight, man. Like, 'What, you want me to play without D. Boon?'" Subsequently,

Ed Crawford Charles Edward Crawford, known as ed fROMOHIO, (born January 26, 1964, in Steubenville, Ohio) is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for Firehose, an alternative rock band he formed in 1986 with former Minutemen members Mike Watt (bass ...

, a Minutemen fan who drove to San Pedro from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, persuaded the Watt/Hurley

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm sec ...

to continue playing music. Firehose was formed soon after. Following three releases on SST, Firehose was signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

by A&R man Jim Dunbar. Shortly after the release of 1993's ''Mr. Machinery Operator'', the band decided to call it quits. Watt and Kira married in 1987, but their marriage ended not long after Firehose's break-up. However, both their friendship and Dos have remained intact; they even recorded their third album, ''

Justamente Tres ''justamente tres'' ("just three") is an experimental indie album, the third by the band dos featuring Mike Watt (Minutemen) and Kira Roessler ( Black Flag). At the time, they believed this album might be their last (hence the "just three" title) ...

'', not long after their

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

Solo career

After working with Firehose, Watt began a solo career. His first album, ''

'', featured appearances from dozens of musicians (many were Watt's peers from the 1980s SST era), including

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo arti ...

Carla Bozulich Carla Ragin Bozulich (born December 24, 1965) is an American musician based in Los Angeles, known as the lead singer, lyricist and founder of The Geraldine Fibbers and Evangelista as well as a founding member of Ethyl Meatplow and Scarnella. The ...

Evan Dando Evan Griffith Dando (born March 4, 1967) is an American musician and frontman of the Lemonheads. He has also embarked on a solo career and collaborated on songs with various artists. In December 2015 Dando was inducted into the Boston Music Awards ...

, members of

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train (Soul Asylum song), Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rule ...

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...

, the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

and the

Screaming Trees Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the tim ...

. The album and its supporting tour were Watt's first taste of mainstream fame, when Vedder and

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

were part of his touring group. After Vedder returned to his

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

commitments and Grohl began working with his new band

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

, Watt formed his only four-piece touring group to date, The Crew Of The Flying Saucer, featuring guitarist

Nels Cline Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been the guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004. In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex Cline, Alex, a percussionis ...

and two drummers. In 1996, Watt contributed bass guitar on two songs for

Porno for Pyros Porno for Pyros is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1992, following the break-up of Jane's Addiction. The band currently consists of former Jane's Addiction members Perry Farrell (vocals) and ...

' second album, ''

Good God's Urge ''Good God's Urge'' is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Porno for Pyros. It was released in 1996 on Warner Bros. It was the band's first album to feature bass guitarist Mike Watt, who assisted the band in finishing the alb ...

'', filling in for

Martyn LeNoble Martyn LeNoble ( nl, Martijn LeNoble; born 14 April 1969) is a Dutch bassist and a founding member of the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros. He started his musical career by playing bass in a Dutch punk rock band when he was 14. In 1989, h ...

who quit the band during recording sessions. Watt subsequently ended up being the bassist for the band's tour that followed the release of the album. He made an appearance in an episode of

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

's ''

Space Ghost Coast to Coast ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' is an American adult animation, adult animated comedy talk show created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and hosted by a re-imagined version of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. In contrast t ...

''. In 1997, Watt released ''

Contemplating the Engine Room ''Contemplating the Engine Room'' is a punk rock opera by Minutemen veteran Mike Watt. Released in 1997, the album is a punk rock song cycle that uses navy life as an extended metaphor for both Watt's family history and his first band, the Min ...

'', a punk rock

song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice ...

using naval life as an extended

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

for both Watt's family history (the album has a picture of his father in his Navy uniform on the cover) and the Minutemen. The album, which was critically well received, features the trio of musicians

on guitar,

Stephen Hodges Stephen Hodges (born February 12, 1952) is an American percussionist and composer. He is best known for his work with Mavis Staples, Tom Waits, Mike Watt, T Bone Burnett, Rick Holmstrom, and film director David Lynch. Discography *Tom Waits � ...

on drums, and Watt as the only singer. Watt went on to play in such groups as

(with

Stephen Perkins Stephen Andrew Perkins (September 13, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellride. Following the dissolution of Jane's Addiction, Perkins continued to play ...

and Nels Cline) and

Hellride Hellride is an American music group formed in the 1990s by guitarist Peter DiStefano, bassist Mike Watt, and drummer Stephen Perkins. Hellride is a side project to the musicians' other full-time bands (Watt is active as a solo artist and forme ...

, a sometime live outfit that plays cover versions of Stooges songs. He also played in

Wylde Ratttz Wylde Ratttz were an American punk rock supergroup. Composed of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley, Ron Asheton (The Stooges), Don Fleming ( Gumball), bassist Mike Watt (Minutemen), Jim Dunbar, and Mark Arm (Mudhoney) the band provi ...

with Sonic Youth's

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moo ...

and The Stooges'

Ron Asheton Ronald Franklin Asheton (July 17, 1948 – c. January 6, 2009) was an American musician , who was best known as the guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter for the rock band the Stooges. He formed the Stooges along with Iggy Pop and his brother, ...

, recording a song for the film ''

Velvet Goldmine ''Velvet Goldmine'' is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes from a story by Haynes and James Lyons. It is set in Britain during the glam rock days of the early 1970s, and tells the story of fictional bisexual pop star B ...

''. Watt also recorded a bass line to send to the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

space-folk band The Clubber Lang Gang for their record ''Now Here This'', on the track "For the Broken People". Starting in mid-2011, Watt began playing bass for a psychedelic/progressive rock band called Anywhere with the

Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms ...

Cedric Bixler-Zavala Cedric Bixler-Zavala (born November 4, 1974) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta and the only constant member of the post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, for which ...

and Christian Eric Beaulieu of

Triclops! Triclops! was an American, San Francisco and Oakland-based acid punk/progressive rock band, formed in 2005. They released two full-length albums, a 7" picture disc single, and an EP on noted independent record labels Gold Standard Laboratories, ...

In 2015 Mike Watt joined the

Waywords and Meansigns ''Waywords and Meansigns: Recreating Finnegans Wake n its whole wholume' is an international project setting James Joyce's novel ''Finnegans Wake'' to music. Waywords and Meansigns has released two editions of audio, each offering an unabridged m ...

project, a collaborative project setting James Joyce's

Finnegans Wake ''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction whi ...

to music.

Illness, recovery and The Stooges

Mike Watt, The Stooges, ATP Festival, May 2010

In January 2000, Watt fell ill with an infection of his

perineum The perineum in humans is the space between the anus and scrotum in the male, or between the anus and the vulva in the female. The perineum is the region of the body between the pubic symphysis (pubic arch) and the coccyx (tail bone), includi ...

, forcing him into emergency surgery and nine weeks of bedrest in his San Pedro apartment. Initially unable to play his bass, he rebuilt his strength with intense practice as well as live club gigs where he performed sets of Stooges covers with Hellride in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and with

and

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow ( ...

drummer Murph in

under the name Hellride East. In 2000, Mascis asked Watt to participate in a world tour behind Mascis' first post-Dinosaur Jr. release,

J Mascis and the Fog J Mascis + The Fog was an American rock band formed by J Mascis in 2000, following the break-up of Dinosaur Jr. The project released two albums; 2000's ''More Light'' and 2002's ''Free So Free''. History After fulfilling his contractual obligat ...

's ''More Light''. At several of the shows,

formerly of The Stooges joined Mascis and Watt onstage, wherein the group would play entire sets of Stooges songs. Watt and Mascis later joined Asheton and his brother, Stooges drummer

Scott Asheton Scott Randolph Asheton (August 16, 1949 – March 15, 2014) was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band the Stooges. Asheton was born in Washington, D.C. and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan with his family at the age of ...

, for a one-time-only performance at a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

festival under the name Asheton, Asheton, Mascis & Watt. In 2001, Watt was one of several bassists invited to participate in the sessions for

Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule''. ...

's '' The Deep End'', partly on the recommendation of Primus'

Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and author. He is best known as the founder, lead singer, bassist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the ro ...

. Watt and Gov't Mule recorded a cover version of

's "Effigy" for the album. The sessions were immortalized in the documentary feature film ''

Rising Low ''Rising Low'' is Mike Gordon's second feature film – a documentary based on the life and death of Gov't Mule bassist Allen Woody and the making of a double-disc tribute album featuring a host of legendary bass players. Throughout the film, Gor ...

''. In 2002, Watt, along with

Pete Yorn Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, ''Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is k ...

and members of

The Hives The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the album ''Veni Vidi Vicious'', containing the single "Hate to Say I Told You So". T ...

, backed

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

for a short set of Stooges songs at that year's

Shortlist Music Prize The Shortlist Music Prize, stylized as (shôrt–lĭst), was an annual music award for the best album released in the United States that had sold fewer than 500,000 copies at the time of nomination. First given as a cash prize in 2001 under ...

ceremony, after which Watt was asked to play bass in the reunited Stooges lineup in 2003. The reunited Stooges played their first show in almost 20 years at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

in May 2003.

''The Secondman's Middle Stand''

Watt's third solo album ''

The Secondman's Middle Stand ''The Secondman's Middle Stand'' was Mike Watt's third solo album and the first full-length recording that he had made under his own name since the release of ''Contemplating The Engine Room'' in 1997. The storyline for the nine-track album para ...

'', inspired by both his 2000 illness and one of his favorite books,

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

's ''

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

'', was released in 2004; one reviewer writes that the album is a "harrowing, funny, and genuinely moving stuff from a true American original.". For the first time since the Minutemen, Watt recorded the album with an "all-Pedro band",

Mike Watt and the Secondmen Mike Watt and the Secondmen is the punk rock trio formed by former Minutemen (band), Minutemen and Firehose (band), Firehose bassist Mike Watt to perform and record his third solo album, ''The Secondman's Middle Stand''. Formed in 2002 in Watt's ...

, consisting of organist Pete Mazich and drummer Jerry Trebotic, along with former that dog. vocalist

Petra Haden Petra Haden (born October 11, 1971) is an American musician and singer. She is the daughter of the jazz bassist Charlie Haden, and is the triplet sister of bassist Rachel Haden (her bandmate in That Dog) and cellist Tanya Haden (married to sing ...

. While promoting and touring behind ''The Secondman's Middle Stand'', Watt announced plans for future recordings, stating that he intended to record as frequently as he did in the Minutemen days for as long as he could. Watt would part amicably with Columbia/

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

in 2005, after 14 years as both a solo artist and as one-third of Firehose.

Unknown Instructors

In 2005, another side project featuring Watt came to light with the announced September 20 release of ''

The Way Things Work ''The Way Things Work'' is a 1988 nonfiction book by David Macaulay with technical text by Neil Ardley. It is an entertaining introduction to everyday machines and the scientific principles behind their operation, describing machines as simple ...

'', an album of

improvised music Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous ...

under the group name,

Unknown Instructors Unknown Instructors are an all-star improvisational rock outfit that features the former rhythm section of Minutemen and fIREHOSE, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley; Saccharine Trust members, guitarist Joe Baiza and vocalist Jack Br ...

with George Hurley,

Saccharine Trust Saccharine Trust is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1980 by singer Jack Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza. The band would frequently perform with SST labelmates Minutemen and Black Flag. However, Baiza descri ...

's Joe Baiza and Jack Brewer, and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

Dan McGuire. A month after the album's release, the Unknown Instructors recorded a second album, ''

The Master's Voice ''The Master's Voice'' is the second album by American improvisational band Unknown Instructors. The core quartet of Mike Watt ( The Minutemen, fIREHOSE, The Stooges, Dos, Banyan), George Hurley (The Minutemen, Firehose, Red Krayola), Joe Baiz ...

'', with

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their d ...

frontman David Thomas and artist

Raymond Pettibon Raymond Pettibon (born Raymond Ginn, June 16, 1957) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Pettibon came to prominence in the early 1980s in the southern California punk rock scene, creating posters and album art mainly for ...

joining the core quartet of Watt, Hurley, McGuire and Baiza. A third album with the same lineup, ''Funland'', was released in 2009 and features a semi-cover version (the original lyrics over new music) of

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

's "Frownland" (from the ''

Trout Mask Replica ''Trout Mask Replica'' is the third studio album by the American band Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released as a double album on June 16, 1969, by Straight Records. The music was composed by Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) and arran ...

'' album). Basic tracks have already been laid down for the fourth Unknown Instructors album at Secondmen organist

Pete Mazich Peter Mazich (born October 25, 1964) is an American punk rock organist best known for his work with Mike Watt And The Secondmen. A classically trained pianist, Mazich became interested in playing the organ after hearing the classic Deep Pur ...

's Casa Hanzo studio in San Pedro. Watt would further his interest in improvised music by forming a trio, Los Pumpkinheads, with former

keyboardist

Money Mark Mark Ramos Nishita (born February 10, 1960), known professionally as Money Mark, is an American producer and musician, best known for his collaborations with the Beastie Boys from 1992 until 2011. Early life Born in Detroit to a Japanese-Hawai ...

and Caroline Bermudez. On December 14, 2005, the McNally-Smith College of Music in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

announced the formation of the Mike Watt Bass Guitar Scholarship, which is to be awarded annually to a bass major starting in the Fall of 2006. In March 2006, Watt took part in the performance at

Disney Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, of

Glenn Branca Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement ...

's "Hallucination City" Symphony #13.

''The Weirdness''

In October 2006, Watt joined the rest of The Stooges at recording engineer

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

Electrical Audio Electrical Audio is a recording studio, recording facility founded in Chicago, Illinois by musician and recording engineer Steve Albini in 1997. Hundreds of independent music projects have been recorded there. Unlike most producers, Albini refuses ...

Studio in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to record ''

The Weirdness ''The Weirdness'' is the fourth studio album by American proto-punk band The Stooges. Released on 5 March 2007, it was the first Stooges album of new material since ''Raw Power'' in 1973, and is also the final album to feature guitarist Ron Ash ...

'', the first Stooges studio album since 1973's ''

Raw Power ''Raw Power'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Stooges (credited as Iggy and the Stooges), released on February 7, 1973 by Columbia Records. The album departed from the "groove-ridden, feel-based songs" of the band's first two r ...

''. The album was released on March 6, 2007, and much of Watt's 2007 was devoted to Stooges duties, including the band's first full-length U.S. tour since the band's reformation. Watt also worked on two other projects during this time period: Funanori, a musical collaboration with Kaori Tsuchida, guitarist of

The Go! Team The Go! Team are an English six-piece band from Brighton, England. The band initially began as a solo project conceived by Ian Parton; however, after the unexpected success of The Go! Team's debut album, '' Thunder, Lightning, Strike'', Parton r ...

, on

shamisen The , also known as the or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usual ...

and other instruments, and Pelicanman (named after the closing track on ''The Secondman's Middle Stand'') with Petra Haden. The first three songs recorded by Watt and Tsuchida as Funanori were released on a split EP with

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

band LITE in the summer of 2007 by Transduction Records. Watt also contributed a cover of

's "Burning For You", recorded with Haden, Nels Cline, Money Mark Nishita, and

drummer

Chad Smith Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the h ...

, to the all-star compilation album ''

Guilt by Association Guilt may refer to: *Guilt (emotion), an emotion that occurs when a person feels that they have violated a moral standard *Culpability, a legal term *Guilt (law), a legal term Music * ''Guilt'' (album), a 2009 album by Mims * "Guilt" (The Long Bl ...

'', released in August by the independent label

Engine Room Recordings Engine Room Recordings is an independent record label with a roster of indie rock and alternative rock musicians. Beyond marketing and distribution for its artists, the label does booking and artist management. Engine Room Recordings is part of ...

. On June 9, 2007, Watt was the live narrator for the

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Cae ...

'' Brand Upon the Brain!'' at the

Egyptian Theatre Egyptian-style theatres are based on the traditional and historic design elements of Ancient Egypt. The first Egyptian Theatre to be constructed in the US – which inspired many of the identically-named theatres that followed it – was Graum ...

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

Big Walnuts Yonder

Big Walnuts Yonder is an American

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

formed in 2008 consisting of bassist/vocalist Watt, guitarist

from

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...

, drummer

Greg Saunier Greg Saunier (born 18 May 1969) is a musician, producer, and composer best known as the drummer and founding member of Deerhoof. ''Rolling Stone'' included Saunier alongside Brian Chippendale (of Lightning Bolt) and Zach Hill (of Hella, late ...

from

Deerhoof Deerhoof are an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They currently consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noi ...

, and guitarist/vocalist Nick Reinhart from

Tera Melos Tera Melos is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2004. They incorporate many styles of rock, ambient electronics and unconventional song structures. They are currently a three-piece, consisting of guitarist/keyboard ...

. They released their debut album in March 2017 though

Sargent House Sargent House is an American management company and record label based in Los Angeles. It was founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow, who is a music video commissioner for Atlantic Records and also owns a music video production company called Ref ...

Clenchedwrench label, Floored by Four, and Firehose reunion

Watt reunited with the final Black Gang lineup of Nels Cline and Bob Lee to record a new album, tentatively titled ''My Shibun No Hi'', in 2008. No release date has yet been set for the album. Continuing his exploration of both improvised music and the Japanese independent music scene, Watt, along with Nels Cline and producer Kramer, formed Brother's Sister's Daughter with mi-gu members Shimizu "Shimmy" Hirotaka and Yuko Araki to do a two-week tour of the country in late 2008 and record an album afterward. The album was mixed down by Hirotake but has not lined up a label or release date yet. Since then, two more albums by the band have been recorded but have yet Watt and Cline teamed up in New York to form

Floored by Four Floored by Four was an American rock band from New York City. The group consisted of bassist and singer Mike Watt, guitarist Nels Cline, keyboardist Yuka Honda and drummer Dougie Bowne. They were inspired by Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Captain Beefheart ...

with ex-Cibo Matto keyboardist

Yuka Honda Yuka Honda is a Japanese-American musician who resides in New York City. She is a multi-instrumentalist (mainly piano, synthesizer, sampler and other keyboards), composer, record producer, and co-founder of the band Cibo Matto. Throughout her c ...

and

Lounge Lizards The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a showcase ...

drummer Dougie Boune. The group debuted at Central Park Summerstage on August 1, and recorded their first self-titled album right afterward. The album was released in late September 2010 on

Sean Lennon is an American–British musician, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, The G ...

's Chimera Music label. Honda would later rejoin Watt and Cline for a second Brother's Sister's Daughter tour and album session in Japan (Cline and Honda became romantically involved – and subsequently engaged to be married – during the course of these projects). Watt is interviewed in the 2009 documentary film

Live House A live house (ライブハウス) is a Japanese live music club – a music venue featuring live music. The term is a Japanese coinage ( wasei eigo) and is mainly used in East Asia. It most frequently refers to smaller venues, which may double as ...

, about the underground music scene in Japan. Watt is using his clenchedwrench label to put out some other long-awaited recording projects from the stockpile he has accumulated over the past few years, starting with the fourth Dos album (''Dos y Dos'', released July 16, 2011), followed by the Spielgusher project with

and mi-gu's Shimizu "Shimmy" Hirotaka and Yuko Araki (''Spielgusher'', released January 17, 2012) and two Il Sogno del Marinaio albums. Watt chose to start clenchedwrench after returning from his Japanese ''Hyphenated-man'' tour because "I've got so many proj ct in the pipeline... and I want no hiccups with getting them out, so up goes my own freak flag flying." Firehose's reunion was formally announced as part of the lineup of the 2012

Coachella Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. I ...

. The band underwent a short tour in April centered around both Coachella dates.

Il Sogno del Marinaio

In late November 2009, Watt traveled to Italy to tour and record at the invitation of Italian guitarist Stefano Pilia. The project band, Il Sogno Del Marinaio,(the name is

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for ''The Sailor's Dream'') did a short six-date tour, after which recording for an album (later entitled ''La Busta Gialla'') took place. The band is an

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

trio consisting of Watt on vocals and bass guitar, Stefano Pilla on guitar and vocals, and

Andrea Belfi Andrea Belfi (born 1979) is an Italian electro-acoustic musician and composer. He began playing drums at the age of 14. From 1995 to 1998 he was involved in numerous punk bands. He studied art in Milan, before becoming involved in experimental ...

on drums and vocals. The band has released two studio albums on

clenchedwrench Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ...

: ''La busta gialla'' (2013) and ''Canto Secondo'' (2014).

''Hyphenated-Man''

Watt recorded his first post-Columbia solo album, ''

'', in two sessions 13 months apart, with The Missingmen at Studio G, the New York studio of former

bassist

Tony Maimone Tony Maimone (born September 27, 1952) is a bassist, producer, and recording engineer, who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He was a member of Pere Ubu from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, often playing with drummer Scott Krauss. The duo were dubbe ...

. ''Hypnenated-man'' consists of 30 short songs inspired by the paintings of

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oa ...

. The first session for the album took place during a planned break in Watt's Spring 2009 tour, during which, in a deliberate move, only the drum and guitar tracks were completed. Watt overdubbed his vocal and bass tracks with Maimone in June 2010. The album was released in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

b
Parabolic Records
on October 6, 2010, and Watt undertook his first tour of the country as a solo artist in support of it (before his work with Brother's Sister's Daughter, he previously toured there as a sideman with J Mascis and as one-fifth of The Stooges). A release of the album for the rest of the world took place on Watt's newly established clenchedwrench label on March 1, 2011, with an accompanying 51-date US/Canadian tour occurring between March 10 and April 30.

CUZ

In 2006, Watt met Sam Dook of

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...

. The continued emailing and decided to form a band. They recorded some sessions in 2008 while Watt was touring Europe and finished the album over email. The album, entitled ''Tamatebako'', was released in 2014 under the band name CUZ and features guest vocals by

Charles Plymell Charles Plymell (born April 26, 1935, in Holcomb, Kansas) is a poet, novelist, and small press publisher. Plymell has been published widely, collaborated with, and published many poets, writers, and artists, including principals of the Beat Gene ...

DJ Scotch Egg Shigeru Ishihara, better known by the stage name DJ Scotch Egg, is a Japanese producer of chiptune/ gabba music based in Berlin, Germany. He has released music on the Wrong Music label and Adaadat, and was signed to Load Records after Lightning ...

, and fellow Go! Team member Kaori Tsuchida. The album title references the mysterious box of Japanese legend. A tour in 2015 followed.

The Hand to Man Band

In 2010, Thollem McDonas,

John Dieterich John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, Tim Barnes, and Watt formed an experimental improvisational supergroup. Their debut album, ''You Are Always On Our Minds'', was released in 2012.

The Island

Watt and S. Howe of the band Schooner formed an

project called The Island and released ''Listening to the Warning'' in 2011 and ''Lamia'' in 2018.

Hidden Rifles

In 2014, Watt joined with Mark Shippy ( U.S. Maple), Jim Sykes (Invisible Things), Matthew Wascovich ( Scarcity Of Tanks), and

Norman Westberg Norman Westberg is a guitarist from Detroit best known for his work with Swans. Present through almost the entirety of the band's existence, Westberg was brought on for Swans' debut album ''Filth'' (1983) and appeared on every album through 1991 ...

(

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

) to form the

project band Hidden Rifles. Their debut album, ''Across The Neighborhoods'', was released in October 2017.

Afternoon Freak

Along with keyboardist Matt Mottel and percussionist Danny Frankel, Watt formed the trio Afternoon Freak and released the album ''The Blind Strut'' in 2018. The album was recorded in one day on January 14, 2017, at BIG EGO studios.

Tone Scientists

In 2018, Watt joined with

Bucky Pope Frank Buckley "Bucky" Pope (born March 23, 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers. He is mostly known for his 1964 season and nick ...

John Herndon John Herndon is an American musician and artist. Based in Chicago, he plays drums and percussion, and works as a producer for instrumental hip hop under the name A Grape Dope. Career John Herndon is a member of the bands Tortoise and Isotope 217, ...

, Vince Meghrouni, and

to form the project band Tone Scientists. A 7-inch consisting of a Bucky Pope original entitled "Nuts" and a cover of

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...

's " Tiny Pyramids" was released on Record Store Day 2018 by Org Music.

Jumpstarted Plowhards

In 2019, Watt joined

Todd Congelliere Todd Congelliere is an American musician and label owner. Congelliere's many projects include F.Y.P, Toys That Kill, Underground Railroad to Candyland, and Jumpstarted Plowhards with Mike Watt of Minutemen. Congelliere started the label Rec ...

to form Jumpstarted Plowhards. Their debut album, ''Round One'', was recorded for release on October 4, 2019, with

Recess Records Recess Records is an independent record label founded in 1988. Label founder Todd Congelliere (frontman for F.Y.P and Toys That Kill) initially made 100 cassettes of F.Y.P's songs and sold them at skateboard contests. Two years later, Congel ...

. Drums are handled by a rotating roster including former Minutemen and fIREHOSE bandmate George Hurley,

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...

drummer

Patty Schemel Patricia Theresa Schemel (born April 24, 1967) is an American drummer and musician who rose to prominence as the drummer of alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998. Born in Los Angeles, Schemel was raised in rural Marysville, Washington, ...

The Secondmen Mike Watt and the Secondmen is the punk rock trio formed by former Minutemen and Firehose bassist Mike Watt to perform and record his third solo album, ''The Secondman's Middle Stand''. Formed in 2002 in Watt's hometown of San Pedro, Californi ...

Jerry Trebotic Jerry Trebotic is an American drummer, best known for his longtime association with veteran punk bassist/songwriter Mike Watt, with whom he has toured in the project bands The Jom and Terry Show and The Secondmen. As part of the Secondmen, he p ...

and

The Missingmen The Missingmen are a punk rock trio fronted by Minutemen/ Firehose/ Stooges bassist Mike Watt. The band features Watt, guitarist Tom Watson ( Slovenly, The Pair Of Pliers, The Jom And Terry Show, Red Krayola), and drummer Raul Morales ( FYP ...

Raul Morales Raul Morales, sometimes known as just "Rawl", has been one of San Pedro's most prolific drummers from the 1990s to present. He is currently the drummer for Killer Dreamer as well as Mike Watt of the Minutemen fame's current projects.Lundstrom, ...

. The band plans to record five LPs before playing live.

FITTED

Initially formed as a one-off group for

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

's DRILL festival in Los Angeles, Watt,

Graham Lewis Graham Lewis (born Edward Graham Lewis, 22 February 1953) is an English musician. Lewis is the bassist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, a band formed in 1976. Biography On Wire's first studio album Graham Lewis was credited as ''Lewis''; ...

(

Matthew Simms Matthew Simms is an English guitarist best known for his work with the band Wire. Simms formed the band It Hugs Back with schoolmates Paul Michael, Jack Theedom and Will Blackaby. Their debut album, ''Inside Your Guitar'', was released in 2009 ...

(Wire), and Bob Lee (

The Black Gang The Black Gang was the trio Mike Watt formed in 1997 to record and tour behind his second solo album, ''Contemplating The Engine Room'' (Columbia Records, 1997). Of all of the "project" (semi-temporary) bands that he has formed since the disband ...

) formed FITTED and decided to stay together and record. The debut album, "First Fits", was released in November 2019.

mssv

Watt played bass with guitarist Mike Baggetta and drummer

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...

for Baggetta's '' Wall of Flowers'' album in March 2019. Watt joined Baggetta for a ten date March tour with Stephen Hodges substituting for Keltner. The resulting trio named themselves mssv and recorded a live album entitled ''Live Flowers''. A studio album entitled ''Main Steam Stop Valve'' followed in 2020.

Three-Layer Cake

In 2021, Watt with percussionist Mike Pride and guitarist Brandon Seabrook formed Three-Layer Cake and released an album, ''Stove Top'', on RareNoiseRecords.

Flipper

Mike Watt was recruited by Flipper's Ted Falconi and Stephen DePace to play bass for a 2019 summer European tour with

David Yow David Yow (born August 2, 1960) is an American musician and actor born in Las Vegas, Nevada and best known as the vocalist for the noise rock bands Scratch Acid and the Jesus Lizard. Yow's debut solo album, '' Tonight You Look Like a Spider'', w ...

(

The Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground… hoturned out a series of independent records filled with s ...

Scratch Acid Scratch Acid was an Austin, Texas noise rock group formed in 1982. One of the pioneers of noise rock in the 1980s, the band is best remembered as a stepping stone for its front man David Yow, and bass player David Wm. Sims, both later of The Jesu ...

) substituting for the retired Bruce Loose and the otherwise engaged then-current Flipper bassist, Rachel Theole. The shows were billed as Flipper with You and Watt. In 2022, Flipper announced that they would tour again, with Watt returning on both bass and lead vocals. A European tour was announced, but cancelled due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

concerns. The band then quickly booked an autumn US tour with the same lineup.

Guest appearances

In November 2006, Watt revealed to

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

that he contributed his bass skills to six tracks for ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' singer

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

, a studio assignment that he took at the invitation of his "old friend", producer/engineer

David Kahne David Kahne is an American record producer, musician, composer, and former record company executive. Professional career Kahne started his musical career as a working musician and soon became Director of A&R for America's first punk and new ...

. In 2007, Watt's work appeared on Clarkson's ''

My December ''My December'' is the third studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on June 22, 2007, through RCA Records. Clarkson confirmed the name of the album in her journal on her fanclub website on February 27, 2007. Sin ...

'' album. Watt and drummer

joined violinist

Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States Hou ...

for "Blues for Bukowski" on his Murphy's album ''Luminous''. Hodges had previously worked with Watt on ''Contemplating the Engine Room''. Watt appeared on the track "Moon Burnt Mountain" on ''Anywhere II'' by Anywhere. Watt played bass on two tracks for the Black Flag tribute album '' Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie: Reinterpreting Black Flag'' alongside

Dez Cadena Dez Cadena (born June 2, 1961) is an American punk rock singer and guitarist. He was the third vocalist and later rhythm guitarist for hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1980 to 1983. Cadena played guitar with Misfits from 2001 to 2015, initi ...

and

Keith Morris Keith Morris (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Off!. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the ...

. In 2018,

Black Moth Super Rainbow Black Moth Super Rainbow (occasionally abbreviated as BMSR) is an American psychedelic electronic indie rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. BMSR is a solo music project created by Thomas Fec, who is also known as Tobacco. Fec writes, ...

released a

7-inch In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

with Watt and

covering " Drippy Eye". Watt had earlier appeared on the song "Black Yogurt" on Black Moth Super Rainbow's ''Drippers'' EP in 2008. The same year Watt appeared on Macedonia’s Bernays Propaganda song "Ništo Nema da ne Razdeli" for the ''Songs From Under the Floorboard, Vol. 1'' compilation album put out by DJ Dave Cantrell. The album is a charitable compilation with proceeds going to

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

. Watt also appeared on a split 7-inch with MB Jones playing on the song "Jail for Trees" in April 2018. In October 2018, Watt joined

Abby Travis Abby Travis (born November 10, 1969) is an American musician. In the 1990s, she began working as a touring bass player. She has worked with The Go-Go's, The Eagles of Death Metal, Masters of Reality, The Bangles, KMFDM, Beck, and Elastica. Ab ...

Jennifer Finch Jennifer Finch (born August 5, 1966) is an American musician, designer, and photographer most notable for being the primary bass player of the punk rock band L7. Active in L7 from 1986 to 1996, Finch also wrote music and performed with her band ...

, Chip Kinman and others for a spoken word engagement at the Roxy Theatre entitled ''War Stories: Tales of 70's & 80's Punk Mayhem Told By The Perpetrators Themselves''. In 2019, Watt appeared with Macedonian jazz guitarist

Toni Kitanovski Toni Kitanovski (born 1964 in Skopje, Yugoslavia (now in present-day North Macedonia)) is a Macedonian jazz guitarist. Career Kitanovski started his musical education with Dragan Gjakonovski – Spato in 1979. From 1986–1990 he was the leader of ...

on the track "Nisto nema da ne' razdeli" for

Bernays Propaganda Bernays Propaganda are a Macedonian post-punk band. They took their name from Edward Bernays' book '' Propaganda''. While their lyrical content contains socio-political lyrics, their sound has drawn comparisons to New Order and Tom Tom Club. The ...

's 2019 release, ''Vtora mladost, treta svetska vojna'' (''2nd Youth, 3rd World War'') The track was also donated to ''Songs From Under the Floorboard, Vol. 1'', proceeds of which go to

. Watt has said he generally charges no fee to play on somebody's album saying "All payment is not in the coin...Anytime you play, you're investing in the next time you play."

Literary endeavors

In 2003, Watt's first book, ''Spiels Of A Minuteman'', was released by the

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

book publisher

L'Oie De Cravan L’Oie de Cravan (translated The Goose of Cravan) is a Canadian publishing house based in Montreal, Quebec that specializes in poetry. It was founded in January 1992 by poet and writer . The name is seen as a tribute to the poet-boxer Arthur C ...

. The book, printed in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, contains all of Watt's song

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

from the Minutemen era as well as the tour journal he wrote during the Minutemen's only

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an tour with Black Flag, essays by former SST co-owner

Joe Carducci Joe Carducci is an American writer, record producer, and former A&R executive, formerly most closely associated with the influential record label SST Records. Carducci lived for a time in Chicago before moving to Hollywood in 1976. From 1981 to 19 ...

, Sonic Youth's

, and

lyricist and longtime Watt hero

, and illustrations by

that had been used in all of the Minutemen's album artwork. Watt published his second book in 2012. Entitled ''Mike Watt: On and Off Bass'', the book is a photo memoir featuring photos taken by Watt coupled with excerpts from Watt's Stooges tour diaries mixed with free verse poems. In 2016, Watt contributed a chapter to John Doe's memoir '' Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk''.

James Joyce

Watt has long been a fan of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

having first discovered ''

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

'' while playing with Minutemen on a European tour with Black Flag. He credits reading Joyce with helping him process the loss of D. Boon and he used it as inspiration when writing ''

''. Watt has said that Joyce's

stream-of-consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver in 1840 in ''First Li ...

style directly influenced ''

Double Nickels on the Dime ''Double Nickels on the Dime'' is the third album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the California independent record label SST Records in 1984. A double album containing 45 songs, ''Double Nickels on the Dime'' combines elements of pu ...

'' with songs like "June 16th", which is the date of

Bloomsday Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June, the day his 1922 novel '' Ulysses'' takes place in 1904, the date of his first sexual encounter with his ...

. Watt attended the 2004 Bloomsday celebration in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and claimed that it was the first time he went to a town without having to perform a gig. Watt attended Bloomsday again in 2008 while touring with

. In 2008, Watt was invited to contribute music to an adaptation of Joyce's ''

Chamber Music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

'' released by

Fire Records Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the las ...

In 2017, Watt participated in an international project setting Joyce's ''

'' to music entitled ''

'' It was released on May 4, 2017, to coincide with the 76th anniversary of the book's first publication.

''The Watt from Pedro Show''

When he is not on tour, Watt hosts a regular

internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

show, ''The Watt from Pedro Show'', a continuation of a program Watt had first done on a

low-power FM Low-power broadcasting is broadcasting by a broadcast station at a low transmitter power output to a smaller service area than "full power" stations within the same region. It is often distinguished from "micropower broadcasting" (more commonly " ...

station in the late 1990s. The program debuted on May 19, 2001, and became so popular with Watt's fans that the website's host, Sightworks, temporarily forced the show offline on weekdays until a sponsor or other solution could be found. On January 10, 2006, ''The Watt from Pedro Show'' became available as a

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

Equipment

Watt's first bass was a Kay he purchased for $100. He played a Fender Precision Bass formerly owned by

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

bassist

Derf Scratch Frederick Charles Milner III (October 30, 1951– July 28, 2010), better known by his stage name Derf Scratch, was an American musician, best known as a former member of the punk rock band Fear and its original bass guitarist. Career Scratch pla ...

on ''What Makes A Man Start Fires?'' For most of his fIREHOSE tenure, Watt played a 1956

Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrum ...

. From 1995 until 1999, Watt predominately played a non-reverse

Gibson Thunderbird The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone. Background and introduction The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduct ...

which he altered with a Bartolini pre-amp and

Grover Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was original ...

tuning machines. Following his 2000 illness, Watt switched to short-scale basses for live work. Watt played a 1963

Gibson EB-3 The Gibson EB-3 is an electric bass guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Origins and history The Gibson EB-3 is a bass guitar introduced in 1961 and discontinued in 1979. It was produced at Gibson's plant in Kalamazoo, MI. It ...

until it was stolen while on tour with

. After the theft, Watt was gifted with a 1969 Gibson EB-3 and a

Gibson EB-0 The Gibson EB-0 is a bass guitar that was introduced by Gibson in 1959. When production ceased in 1979, a total of 20,844 instruments had been built. History The EB-0 was first marketed in 1959 in response to the declining sales of Gibson's EB-1 ...

. More recently, Watt plays a signature "Wattplower" bass he designed with

Reverend Musical Instruments Reverend Musical Instruments, commonly known as Reverend Guitars, is an American manufacturer of electric guitars and bass guitar, basses. The company was established in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan by noted guitar and amplifier technician Joe Naylo ...

. In early 2020, it was announced that a "Mark II" iteration of the bass would be released.

Bibliography

* ''Spiels of a minuteman'' by Mike Watt (Montreal:

L'Oie de Cravan L’Oie de Cravan (translated The Goose of Cravan) is a Canadian publishing house based in Montreal, Quebec that specializes in poetry. It was founded in January 1992 by poet and writer . The name is seen as a tribute to the poet-boxer Arthur C ...

, 2003) * ''Mike Watt: On and Off Bass'' by Mike Watt (New York: Three Rooms Press, 2012)

Discography

* Minutemen discography fIREHOSE * fIREHOSE discography

*1986 ''

'' ( New Alliance) *1989 ''Numero Dos'' (12-inch EP) ( New Alliance) *1989 ''Uno Con Dos'' (CD) ( New Alliance) *1996 ''

'' (CD) (

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally known ...

) *2011 ''

dos y dos ''dos y dos'' is an experimental indie album, the fourth by the band dos and the first release in fifteen years by the band. It is a double bass guitar side project for Mike Watt (of the Minutemen and Firehose) and Kira Roessler (from Black Fl ...

'' (CD, LP) (Clenchedwrench) Crimony *1988 ''The Crimony EP'' ( New Alliance)

*2004 ''Live In Detroit'' (DVD) (

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential criti ...

MVD The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; russian: Министерство внутренних дел (МВД), ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia. The MVD is responsible for law enfor ...

) *2005 "You Better Run" on ''The Songs Of Junior Kimbrough'' (

Fat Possum In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple e ...

) *2005 '' Telluric Chaos'' ( Skydog) *2007 ''

'' (

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

) *2011 '' Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans'' (Virgin) *2013 ''

Ready to Die ''Ready to Die'' is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky ...

'' (

)

*2005 ''

'' (

Smog Veil Records Smog Veil Records was a Chicago, IL based independent record label. In addition to standard CD, DVD, and vinyl distribution, Smog Veil also distributed its media via digital channels, including Napster and iTunes. History In business from 1991 u ...

) *2007 ''

'' (

) *2009 ''Funland'' (

) *2019 ''Unwilling To Explain'' (ORG Music)

*2010 ''

'' (Chimera Records) Off With Their Heads *2011 ''Off With Their Heads/Discharge Split 7-inch'' ( Drunken Sailor Records) ;

Steve Mackay Steve Mackay (September 25, 1949 – October 10, 2015) was an American tenor saxophonist best known for his membership in the Stooges. His performances are showcased on three songs on the band's second album, ''Fun House'' (1970). The Stooges ...

*2009 ''Untitled EP'' (as Estel) *2011 ''

Sometimes Like This I Talk ''Sometimes Like This I Talk'' is the second studio album by tenor saxophonist Steve Mackay. It was released on February 22, 2011, on Radon. Most of the songs on the album were done with Stooges bassist Mike Watt. The lead single, "The Prisoner" ...

'' *2011 ''North Beach Jazz''

The Hand to Man Band The Hand to Man Band is an American independent experimental music group formed in 2010. Their music has been described as spanning "psychotropic jazz to konked-out funk to skronked-out dirges to alien transmissions to plaintive nocturnal pleas. ...

*2012 ''You Are Always on Our Minds'' (

Post-Consumer Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

) Anywhere *2012 '' Anywhere'' (

ATP Recordings ATP Recordings is a British independent record label that was started in 2001 by London-based concert promoter Barry Hogan of Foundation/All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival), All Tomorrow's Parties. It was originally created to bring out a c ...

)

Mike Watt + the Missingmen The Missingmen are a punk rock trio fronted by Minutemen/ Firehose/ Stooges bassist Mike Watt. The band features Watt, guitarist Tom Watson ( Slovenly, The Pair Of Pliers, The Jom And Terry Show, Red Krayola), and drummer Raul Morales ( FYP ...

*2013 ''Missing the Minutemen 10-inch'' *2015 ''Missing More of the Minutemen 10-inch''

Il Sogno del Marinaio Il Sogno del Marinaio (Italian for ''The Sailor's Dream'') is an experimental music trio founded in 2009. The band consists of Mike Watt on vocals and bass guitar, Stefano Pilla on guitar and vocals, and Paolo Mongardi on drums. The band has releas ...

*2013 '' La busta gialla'' (Clenchedwrench) *2014 '' Canto Secondo'' (Clenchedwrench) CUZ *2014 ''Tamatebako'' (Bleeding Heart Recordings) Brother's Sister's Daughter *2014 ''BSD''

*2015 ''Shit on Me / Striking Out'' (Org Music **split 7-inch with E V Kain *2016 ''Back In The Microwave'' (Org Music) **split 7-inch with Chronics *2020 ''L.A. to Pedro EP'' (Nomad Eel Records) **split 7-inch with Zig Zags

*2017 ''

'' (

) Hidden Rifles *2017 ''Across The Neighborhoods'' (Total Life Society) Afternoon Freak *2018 ''The Blind Strut'' (

Joyful Noise Recordings Joyful Noise Recordings is an independent record label from Indianapolis, Indiana. The label was founded in 2003 in Bloomington, Indiana by Karl Hofstetter, who also played drums on many of the label's first releases. Joyful Noise maintains an a ...

) Tone Scientists *2018 ''Nuts b/w Tiny Pyramids'' 7-inch (Org Music) Jumpstarted Plowhards *2019 ''Round One'' (

) FITTED *2019 ''First Fits'' (ORG Music) mssv *2019 ''Live Flowers'' (Striped Light Records) *2020 ''Main Steam Stop Valve'' (BIG EGO Records) *2020 ''Media Kittens / When The Hoarding Has Ended'' (7-inch) (Improved Sequence) Three-Layer Cake *2021 ''Stove Top'' ( RareNoiseRecords)

Solo albums

All solo albums were released on Columbia except where noted: *1995 ''

'' *1997 ''

'' *2004 ''

'' *2010/2011 ''

'' (Parabolica Records

apan Apan is a city and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 346.9 km². Overview As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 39,247. It was an important site in the Wa ...

/(clenchedwrench lsewhere **The clenchwrench release uses a different cover artwork than the Japanese issue. *2015 ''Watt: On Bass'' limited edition 5" vinyl *2016 '' "Ring Spiel" Tour ’95'' *2017 ''Contemplating the Engine Room: Live in Long Beach '98''

Guest appearances

Juliana Hatfield Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls (band), Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. She also fronted her own band, The Julia ...

*1992 ''

Hey Babe ''Hey Babe'' is the debut solo album by American musician Juliana Hatfield, released in 1992. Track listing Personnel Credits adapted from CD liner notes. * Juliana Hatfield – vocals (all tracks), guitar (2-11), bass guitar (1-6, 8, 9, 11 ...

'' (Mamouth) Anywhere *2018 ''Anywhere II'' (ORG Music) – "Moon Burnt Mountain"

*2008 ''Drippers'' EP (Moamoo) – "Black Yogurt"

*1986 ''

EVOL Evol may refer to: * ''Evol'' (Sonic Youth album), 1986 * ''Evol'' (Future album), 2016 * EvoL, South Korean girl group * "E.V.O.L.", a song by Marina and the Diamonds * ' Kamen Rider Evol', the main antagonist of a Japanese tokusatsu series, Ka ...

'' (

) – "In the Kingdom #19" King Champion Sounds *2016 ''To Awake In That Heaven Of Freedom'' (Excelsior) - "Smallest Tribe in the World" Scarcity of Tanks *2016 ''Ringleader Lies'' (Total Life Society) *2017 ''Garford Mute'' (Total Life Society) *2019 ''Dissing The Reduction'' (Total Life Society)

*2019 ''Vtora mladost, treta svetska vojna'' (''2nd Youth, 3rd World War'')

Promotional videos

As a solo artist *1995 "Big Train" – directed by

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

*1995 "Piss-Bottle Man" – directed by

Roman Coppola Roman François Coppola (born April 22, 1965) is an American director, screenwriter, producer and the son of Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola. For the 2012 film ''Moonrise Kingdom'', he and co-writer Wes Anderson were nominated for the A ...

*1997 "Liberty Calls" – directed by Spike Jonze *2004 "Tied A Reed 'Round My Waist" – directed by

Lance Bangs Lance Bangs (born September 4, 1972) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He has created videos for Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Neutral Milk Hotel, Green Day, Arcade Fire, The Shins, The Thermals, Belle & Sebastian, Menomena, Yeah Yeah ...

*2004 "Drove up from Pedro" – directed by

Mike Muscarella Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...

*2004 "Beltsandedman" – directed by Mike Muscarella *2004 "Burstedman" – directed by Mike Muscarella *2004 "Pelicanman" – directed by Mike Muscarella with

*1990 " My Friend Goo" – cameo appearance *1991 " 100%" – brief cameo appearance with Sublime *1996 "

Wrong Way Wrong way may refer to: * a traffic sign to warn of wrong-way driving * nickname of Douglas Corrigan (1907–1995), an American aviator who flew east from New York to Ireland instead of west to California in 1938 * nickname of Roy Riegels (1908–1 ...

" – Watt portrays a convenience store clerk with

The Jom and Terry Show The Jom and Terry Show was the backup band led by American punk legend Mike Watt (formerly of The Minutemen and Firehose) for tours of the US and Canada in 2001 and 2002. The band, in addition to Watt on vocals and bass, included Tom Watson ( ...

*2001 ''Mike Watt & The Jom and Terry Show: Eyegifts From Minnesota'' – documentary directed by Bill Draheim with

Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (g ...

*2003 "

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous ''Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'' is an American television series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1995. The show featured the extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes, socialites and magnates. It was hosted by Rob ...

" – Watt portrays a jury foreman with

Cobra Verde (band) Cobra Verde is an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1994, the group has released six albums, including the acclaimed ''Nightlife,'' ''Easy Listening'', and ''Haven't Slept All Year.'' Cobra Verde's music has been featured ...

*2003 "Riot Industry" – Watt as "The Man In The Flannel Bathrobe". *2012 "Thrash Lab" – Watt discusses Punk Roc
Video

Footnotes

References

* Tour journals and interview links fro
Mike Watt's Hoot Page
* Michael Azerrad, ''Our Band Could Be Your Life'' * Mike Watt, ''Spiels Of A Minuteman''

, * Various, ''All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul'', * Rough Guides, ''The Rough Guide to Rock'' (pg. 374),

External links

*

* ttp://www.twfps.com The Watt From Pedro Show {{DEFAULTSORT:Watt, Mike 1957 births American punk rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American male singers American punk rock singers Songwriters from Virginia Dos (band) members Firehose (band) members Porno for Pyros members Minutemen (band) members The Stooges members Unknown Instructors members The Reactionaries members Bootstrappers (band) members Living people Singers from Virginia American podcasters SST Records artists Columbia Records artists Kill Rock Stars artists New Alliance Records artists Musicians from Portsmouth, Virginia People from San Pedro, Los Angeles Guitarists from Virginia 20th-century American guitarists J Mascis + The Fog members Big Walnuts Yonder members 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Tav Falco's Panther Burns members