Pitchfork

As inspiring as the Minutemen lyric is, if Mike Watt were in a group today who said, "Our band could be your life," the real question would be, "Which band?" Between his time spent on tour with the Stooges (and writing about it here) and various records and shows with side projects like the Missingmen, Unknown Instructors, and Dos, Watt's 2007 is shaping up to be a typically busy year. And that's not even including his contribution to the previously reported Guilt by Association compilation or his weekly radio show, "The Watt From Pedro Show".

It is in the spirit of Dos, his two-bass duo with former Black Flag bassist Kira Roessler, that Watt has added even more to his plate in the form of two new duos.

The first is Pelicanman, with Watt's longtime friend and collaborator Petra Haden, who is working on a record of a cappella songs from movies in her own free time. Pelicanman started when Haden asked Watt to play with her at an upcoming benefit on May 6 for the Society for the Activation of Social Space Through Art and Sound (SASSAS). From there, Watt gave her a handful of songs he had written, and now they practice every day in preparation for the benefit. They hope to record at some point, but right now, they're working mostly on adding original, collaborative songs to their repertoire.

Watt's contribution to the Guilt by Association comp featured Haden as well as Nels Cline (Wilco guitarist), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer), and "Money Mark" Nishita (one of a few "fourth Beastie Boy"s). It's a super-fun cover of Blue Oyster Cult's "Burnin' for You", and you can download it via the link below. Haden also contributed to the GbA comp with her own cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'".

The second of Watt's new duos is with Go! Team guitarist Kaori Tsuchida. Going under the name Funanori (Japanese for "shipman," a nod to Watt's sailor father), the duo features Watt on bass and Tsuchida on vocals, flutes, drums, and an Okinawan stringed instrument called the sanshin. Funanori will make their debut on a forthcoming Transduction Records split EP with Tokyo quartet LITE. The EP doesn't yet have a title or a specific release date, but Watt informed Pitchfork that Funanori's songs for it are due at the end of May.

Finally (if that's even possible to say with Mike Watt), Watt and Kira Roessler will release the fourth Dos album soon, and he also has plenty of tour dates to keep him busy through the spring and the summer.

Maximum Wattage:

05-05 Memphis, TN - Beale St. Festival (with the Stooges)
05-06 Brentwood, CA - private residence (with Pelicanman)
05-16 Sacramento, CA - The Blue Lamp (with the Missingmen) *
05-20 Los Angeles, CA - The Smell (with Dos)
05-27 Landgraaf, Netherlands - Pinkpop (with the Stooges)
06-01 Neuchatel, Switzerland - Neuchatel Open Air Festival (with the Stooges)
06-24 Wroclaw, Poland - Olympic Stadium (with the Stooges)
06-30 Borlänge, Sweden - Peace and Love 2007 (with the Stooges)
07-03 Paris, France - Le Palait des Sports (Paris XV) (with the Stooges)
07-19 Valencia, Spain - FIB Festival (with the Stooges)
07-21 Tromsø, Norway - Bukta - Tromsø Open Air Festival (with the Stooges)
09-07 Fredrikstad, Norway - Månefestivalen (with the Stooges)

* with Melt Banana