Mike Watt
The son of a career Navy man, Mike Watt figured he was taking a different course in the late '70s when he hit the road as a rock bassist. But after hitches with '80s punk pioneers the Minutemen and fIREHOSE, Watt, now 39, began to see plenty of parallels between his life and his father's years at sea. Inspired, he set to work on a suite of autobiographical songs, using the Navy as a metaphor for the rock and roll life. Ranging from jazzy improvs to full-on punk thrash, Contemplating can be tough sailing, rocked by discordant guitars and Watt's rumbling voice. But as the story unfolds—tied together by nautical sound effects and Watt's propulsive bass—this concept album becomes something larger than musical autobiography: It's a meditation on the meaning of work, friendship and the quest for adventure. (Columbia)
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