Mike Watt

One of the most influential figures in West Coast punk rock, Mike Watt first found recognition as the bassist with the unique San Pedro punk band the Minutemen (best heard on their 1984 masterpiece Double Nickels on the Dime) and his subsequent project fIREHOSE (typified on 1987's If'n). While Watt was a superb bassist, he's just as well known for how he does things as how he plays. Musically, Watt's basslines are a rich mixture of rock, funk, and jazz influences, powerfully fusing rhythm and melody, and he's worked with a broad range of collaborators, from Sonic Youth to Kelly Clarkson. Watt's solo albums are usually conceptual affairs, with a dominant theme uniting the songs (his father's experiences in the Navy informing 1997's Contemplating the Engine Room, and a near-fatal illness inspiring 2004's The Secondman's Middle Stand), with the bassist guiding by example but never dominating his fellow musicians. He also participates in ad-hoc projects with favored collaborators (such as Dos, Spielgusher, and Unknown Instructors) and sits in with established bands (he handled the bass on Porno for Pyros' Good God's Urge, the Stooges' The Weirdness, and the Cutthroat Brothers' The King Is Dead). Wherever his muse takes him, Watt is always guided by his philosophy of Econo, taking the boundaries imposed by working on a limited budget and using them as a path towards simplicity and creative self-reliance.

From 🇺🇸 United States