Mike Watt - On And Off Bass

Mike Watt touring is always a good thing, not just for the music end of things, but also for his extensive tour diaries. Watt will never be accused of being a man at loss for words, and hearing the firsthand insights of a man in his fourth decade as a touring musician offers rare insight into the man and his worldview. Word had come down the pike that the diaries would be published in book form as Mike Watt: On And Off Bass, prompting much rejoicing at the JS-NYC corporate offices and I made haste to grab a copy of  at the at Le Poisson Rouge release show.

To the collective shock of no one, I'm sure, I was slightly wrong as to what would comprise the content of Mike Watt: On And Off Bass. While tour diaries do appear in excerpted form, they are juxtaposed against Watt's photography. The Watt aesthetic of Pedaling, Paddling and Plucking has allowed him to capture images all around the world, but all of the photos in On And Off Bass capture the fourth P in his life: Pedro, more specifically his hometown of San Pedro, CA. Mike Watt: On And Off Bass captures the internal and external World of Watt with images as powerful as the Watt-speak that it's paired with. Buy it here from the good folk of Three Rooms Press. Keep track of Watt here.

R

Live: Hellride East with Appomattox @ Mike Watt: On and Off Bass book release party @ Le Poisson Rouge 5.2.12

Watt had mentioned that there was going to be a collection of his tour diaries that had some of his photos incorporated coming out. Turns out that is the case. The book is called Off And On Bass and as such, a book release party/show dubbed Mayday 2 was organized by publisher Three Rooms Press at Le Poisson Rouge featuring a live Watt interview by Forced Exposure dude Byron Coley as well as a Hellride set featuring Watt and J. Mascis and Murph backing a rotating roster of microphone wielders.

After sorting out some lifestyle driven ticket issues, I posted up at LPR what I thought was early to find I had missed Dead Trend. I did catch all of the Appomattox set and was pretty impressed. A Brooklyn three-piece featuring one hell of a drummer, the trio made quite a racket, combining The Minutemen, Wire, Pop Group and a gang of other post-punk influences to generally positive results.

Byron Coley came up and interviewed Watt about On and Off Bass for fifteen minutes (look for YouTube of it) before Watt and Co. got things underway for a royal rumble of Stooges covers. A gang of people took the mike for the proceeding, a lot that included the expected (Don Fleming, Thurston, John Petrovich) combined with some new school eyebrow raisers (Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten). It certainly made for a pretty hip room for a bit.

This was a great night for a great man that ended early. This I like, although it was nice to be the young guy at a show for once. Watt is evidently going to make another run through the Northeast this Fall behind the most recent opera, but in the interim pick up Mike Watt: On and Off Bass here from Three Rooms Press. Look for a review soonest and keep track of Watt in the interim at the hootpage here.

R