The Secondman's Middle Stand | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 24, 2004 | |||
Recorded | January 16—February 16, 2004 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 53:10 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Mike Watt | |||
Mike Watt chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Rolling Stone | (mixed) [2] |
Pitchfork | 7.5/10 [3] |
The Secondman's Middle Stand was Mike Watt's third solo album and the first full-length recording that he had made under his own name since the release of Contemplating The Engine Room in 1997.
The storyline for the nine-track album parallel's Watt's real-life January 2000 bout with a near-fatal infection in his perineum with one of his favorite pieces of literature, Dante's The Divine Comedy . [3] The first three tracks of the album represent the Inferno (Watt's illness up until the time the abscess burst); the second three songs represent the Purgatorio (Watt's surgery and subsequent recovery), and the final three represent the Paradisio (Watt's resuming his everyday life and career). [3]
For the music of ...Middle Stand, Watt chose to do something he had been planning to do before the illness struck - work with a keyboardist instead of a guitarist, as he had done for his entire musical career. To play organ, he enlisted Pete Mazich, who he had played with locally in an infrequent side project, The Madonnabees, which was devoted to reinterpreting the songs of Madonna. For the drum seat, Watt tapped Jerry Trebotic, who had previously toured with Watt in his project band The Jom And Terry Show and played with both Watt and Mazich in The Madonnabes. Both musicians, like Watt, are natives of San Pedro, California, making the group the first all-Pedro band Watt had since the breakup of The Minutemen in 1985. Watt dubbed this new band The Secondmen. The Secondmen did three tours before ever recording a note of the album in the studio. For their first tour in the spring of 2002, the shows opened with the "Inferno" section of the piece. The following tour a year later added the first two songs of the "Purgatorio" section. A third tour later in 2003 mixed opening dates with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in between headlining club dates.
Prior to recording the album and a day before his 46th birthday, Watt had a bicycle accident which injured his left arm (fortunately, without any broken bones or other damage), forcing him to postpone the start of the recording sessions until January 16, 2004. For the first time in his career, Watt recorded in his home town of San Pedro, California at Karma Studio with veteran recording engineer Michael Rich, and recorded for the first time using a full digital audio system (Pro Tools) rather than analog tape.
Watt augmented the basic sound of the Secondmen in the studio with tympani and other percussion borrowed from Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros, Banyan), backing vocals by alt-rock chanteuse Petra Haden, and an extensive array of effect pedals that Watt played his bass through in order to help convey some of the emotions and ideas behind the album.
No singles were released from the album, but a video for "Tied A Reed 'Round My Waist" was filmed in San Pedro by veteran video director Lance Bangs. In the winter of 2005, another Pedro native, director Mike Muscarella, filmed a trilogy of videos involving the original Secondmen lineup (Trebotic had to forego touring with the band because of family-related constraints, replaced on the road by Raul Morales) plus Ms. Haden, for the songs "Burstedman", "Beltsandedman", and "Pelicanman". All three of the videos in this trilogy, plus the video for "Tied A Reed 'Round My Waist", can be streamed at Mr. Muscarella's site, http://www.mikestheater.com. A 2005 European release of the CD includes a DVD with the videos for "Tied A Reed..." and "Beltsandedman". The cover is reminiscent of John Coltrane's album Interstellar Space , of which Watt is a fan.
All songs written by Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo career with the 1994 album Ball-Hog or Tugboat?, he has since released three additional solo albums, most recently in 2010 with Hyphenated-man. He is also the frontman for the supergroup Big Walnuts Yonder (2008–present), a member of the art rock group Banyan (1997–present) and is involved with several other musical projects. From 2003 until 2013, he was the bass guitarist for The Stooges.
Dennes Dale Boon, also known as D. Boon, was an American musician, best known for being a member of the punk rock band The Reactionaries, and later as the guitarist, singer and songwriter of the punk rock trio Minutemen.
That Dog is a Los Angeles-based rock band that formed in 1992 and dissolved in 1997, reuniting in 2011. The band originally consisted of Anna Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Rachel Haden on bass guitar and vocals, her sister Petra Haden on violin and vocals, and Tony Maxwell on drums.
Mike Watt and the Secondmen is the punk rock trio formed by former Minutemen and Firehose bassist Mike Watt to perform and record his third solo album, The Secondman's Middle Stand. Formed in 2002 in Watt's hometown of San Pedro, California, the band first consisted of organist Pete Mazich and drummer Jerry Trebotic, both of whom had played with Watt in a side project, The Madonnabes, that was devoted to reinterpreting the works of Madonna; the three musicians had also previously recorded a song for a Doctors Without Borders benefit album under the name Mike Watt & Masina in 1998, with Mazich's wife Ljil on vocals.
Ball-Hog or Tugboat? is the 1995 debut solo album by American musician Mike Watt, previously known for his work as the bass guitarist and songwriter for the punk rock groups Minutemen and fIREHOSE.
The Black Gang was a rock music trio formed in 1997 by American musician Mike Watt to record and tour behind his second solo album, Contemplating The Engine Room. Of all of the "project" Watt has formed since the disbanding of Firehose in 1994, The Black Gang has gone through the most permutations of any of Watt's backing groups.
Peter Mazich is an American punk rock organist best known for his work with Mike Watt And The Secondmen. A classically trained pianist, Mazich became interested in playing the organ after hearing the classic Deep Purple album Machine Head; he also counts jazz organ pioneer Jimmy Smith as an influence.
Petra Haden is an American musician and singer.
The Missingmen are an American punk rock trio fronted by Minutemen/Firehose/Stooges bassist Mike Watt. The band features Watt, guitarist Tom Watson, and drummer Raul Morales.
The Pair Of Pliers is Mike Watt's second-longest running project band. It consisted of former Slovenly and current Red Krayola guitarist Tom Watson and drummer/saxophonist/harpist Vince Meghrouni as well was Watt himself. All three members shared vocal duties. Watson would also double on drums when Meghrouni would disembark from his drum kit to play saxophone and sing.
Jerry Trebotic is an American drummer, best known for his longtime association with veteran punk bassist/songwriter Mike Watt, with whom he has toured in the project bands The Jom and Terry Show and The Secondmen. As part of the Secondmen, he played on Watt's third solo album, 2004's The Secondman's Middle Stand.
The Jom and Terry Show was the backup band led by American punk legend Mike Watt for tours of the US and Canada in 2001 and 2002. The band, in addition to Watt on vocals and bass, included Tom Watson on guitar and vocals and Jerry Trebotic on drums.
The Way Things Work is the debut album by American improvisational band Unknown Instructors, featuring Mike Watt, George Hurley, Joe Baiza, Jack Brewer, and poet Dan McGuire.
Rachel Haden is an American musician and one of the triplet daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden.
Raul Morales, sometimes known as just "Rawl", has been one of San Pedro's most prolific drummers from the 1990s to present. He is currently the drummer for Killer Dreamer as well as Mike Watt of the Minutemen fame's current projects.
The Blockheads are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. As of March 2023 members included Chaz Jankel, Nathan King (bass), Mick Gallagher, John Turnbull, John Roberts (drums), and Mike Bennett. There is a rolling line-up of saxophonists that includes Gilad Atzmon, Terry Edwards, Dave Lewis, and from time to time, the original sax player, Davey Payne. Between 2000 and 2022, the band's lead vocalist and main lyricist was Derek Hussey.
Minutemen were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California, in 1980. Composed of guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in 1985; the band broke up shortly thereafter. They were noted in the California punk community for a philosophy of "jamming econo"—a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and short, tight songs, and for their eclectic style, drawing on hardcore punk, funk, jazz, and other sources.
Hyphenated-man is the fourth solo album by Mike Watt, and the first full-length recording he made under his own name since parting with Columbia Records in 2005. Initially released in Japan by Parabolica Records in October 2010, the album was released in the rest of the world on clenchedwrench, an independent record label newly founded by Watt. He is accompanied on the album by his Mike Watt + The Missingmen bandmates, guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales.
Dante XXI is the tenth studio album by the Brazilian metal band Sepultura, released in 2006 through SPV Records. It is a concept album based on the three sections of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy; Inferno (hell), Purgatorio (purgatory) and Paradiso (paradise). This is the last album to feature Igor Cavalera on drums.
Jon Sortland is an American musician, record producer and video director, currently playing the drums for indie rock band The Shins. Sortland has also played drums, bass, keyboards and backing vocals in the band Broken Bells. Sortland also writes and performs in his own bands, EV Kain and Cigar. Sortland is endorsed by Paiste and C&C Drums.