Mike Watt

Resonating bass notes open Contemplating the Engine Room, the second solo LP from Mike
Watt. It's an appropriate herald for a bass legend like Watt, whose punk-funk escapades
with '80s hardcore iconoclasts the Minutemen and their spinoff group, fIREHOSE, can be
heard in the music of everyone from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Primus. Watt's solo debut,
1995's Ball-Hog or Tugboat?, was an all-star affair featuring members of Pearl Jam... More >

Credwise, Watt's got it all. He was the fulcrum of a great band, he's serious with a sense of humor about it, he's got not just politics but class consciousness, he talks a great game, and, oh yeah, he networks like crazy. The only thing he isn't is a compelling artist. He can't sing at all, can't write much, and still pretends the bass solo is a viable musical form. Like fIREHOSE (sic), like his name-dropping solo debut, this "punk rock opera" ("I just hate the words 'concept record.' That's f*cking tired-ass, where opera's funny") looks great on paper and hasn't been played for a year by anyone it impressed. It will prove a valuable resource for the numerous forthcoming doctoral dissertations on the alternative rock subculture. (Grade: C+)