Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE, Stooges)

Courtesy of Mike Watt Com

By Thomas Semioli

 

Witness the continual evolution of this astonishingly prolific and diverse bass icon: Michael David Watt. You never know where this cat is coming from – he can play farther out than any other bassist I’ve heard, or he can groove in the pocket akin to the studio icons of yore.

The tones Mike conjures from his instrument range from no lows to no highs to midrange perfection to fuzzed out madness and variations thereof.

With the legendary Minutemen, Mr. Watt was a feverish proponent of punk meets free jazz – and to my ears, his work on the band’s masterpiece Double Nickels on the Dime (1984) evokes comparison to his peer Jamaaladeen Tacuma as heard with (and without) Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time.

In the fIREHOSE trio Mike streamlined his playing to support band-mate Ed Crawford’s pop inclinations along with his own growth as a songwriter as evidenced on such platters as If’n (1987) and Fromohio (1989).

On his  solo bow Ball-Hog or Tugboat (1995), Watt draws the support  “alternative” rock superstars including Eddie Vedder, Flea, Frank Black, Dave Grohl, Henry Rollins, Pat Smear, Evan Dando, Dave Pirner, J. Mascis, and Lee Renaldo.

Watt’s membership in Pornos for Pyros (Good God’s Urge, 1996) and the revamped Stooges on The Weirdness (2007) and Ready to Die (2013), and scores of collaborations and cameos with artists spanning Rickie Lee Jones to Kelly Clarkson to Black Flag to are a testimony to his importance as a player and an innovator.

An actor, author, producer, label owner and entrepreneur, among Watt’s recent collaborations include Big Walnuts Yonder, Hidden Rifles, Mike Watt & The Missing Men, and Jumpstarted Plowhards.

 

Mike Watt Sound & Vision….

Minutemen: “This Ain’t No Picnic” https://youtu.be/UDr25zjd4yM

fIREHOSE:  “Brave Captain” https://youtu.be/VSv8FVJtbAk

Mike Watt: “Big Train” live with Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, and Pat Smear https://youtu.be/4cfQaQO-YD4

The Stooges: Live in Sydney 2013 https://youtu.be/ZMfOGqTwNB4

Pornos for Pyros: “Gods Good Urge” https://youtu.be/g6F0sYsJN04

Big Walnuts Yonder: “Raise the Drawbridges” https://youtu.be/dR1DEVfPQ6Q

Hidden Rifles: “Cranial Escrow” https://youtu.be/a-cTchZ8ejY

Jumpstarted Plowhards: “On The Counter” https://youtu.be/EVTZViFDA_c

 

Martyn LeNoble (Pornos for Pyros, The Cult)

Courtesy of Dave Gahan Com Courtesy of Dave Gahan Com

Courtesy of Dave Gahan Com

Though known to the masses as a Hollywood celebrity husband to …(that’s not what we focus on here at Know Your Bass Player*) … bassist, composer, producer Martyn LeNoble has forged a varied and noble career as a collaborator, side-man, and band member with The Cult, Pornos for Pyros, Jane’s Addiction, Mark Lanegan, Dave Gahan, Tom Morello, and Scott Weiland, to cite a few. Martyn’s usual weapon of choice is the Fender Jazz bass.

In addition to composing for film and television, LeNoble is a dexterous song-player who forged pocket grooves, slaps passages, and melodic counterpoint on some of the most perplexing platters of those aforementioned artists’ careers.

Dig Martyn with Pornos for Pyros “Pets” https://youtu.be/mFkRvF8MeYM

Dig Martyn live with PFP on their signature track https://youtu.be/giPRAcLzNH8

Dig Martyn with WONDERGIRLS with Scott Weiland https://youtu.be/iagKhSJl_LA

Dig Martyn with The Cult https://youtu.be/SWK0E9tWDBs

Dig Martyn with Dave Gahan “Dirty Sticky Floors” https://youtu.be/guB5PHcArLw

Christina Applegate, Martyn LeNoble Christina Applegate, Martyn LeNoble

Christina Applegate, Martyn LeNoble