CUZ (band)

Last updated

CUZ
CUZ IMG 1046 edit copy compress copy.tif
Sam Dook and Mike Watt
Background information
Origin Brighton, England [1]
Genres Indie rock
Years active2008 (2008)–present
LabelsBleeding heart recordings
Associated acts
Members Sam Dook
Mike Watt

CUZ is an indie rock band formed in 2008 featuring Sam Dook of The Go! Team and Mike Watt of Minutemen and fIREHOSE. [1] Their debut album Tamatebako was released on May 14, 2014. [2]

Contents

History

In 2006, Watt met Sam Dook of The Go! Team at Big Day Out. [1] Watt was intrigued by The Go! Team's use of samples. [3]

I was kind of naïve or something, I wasn’t familiar with that technology, right? I actually didn’t know, I thought they were playing all that stuff. To me, tape recorders—you play music and the tape recorder captures it. But this whole idea of samples…it’s a pretty creative tool and, you know, I wanted to explore it. [3]

Dook and Watt began corresponding via email and decided to form a band. Watt visited Dook in Brighton while The Stooges were in London and they jammed for three days. [4] Watt suggested Dook use pieces of those sessions as samples to create new songs. [4] When Watt returned home to San Pedro he sent more bass tracks to Dook. Eventually, they finished the album over email [5] and named their project "CUZ" based on a zine Richard Hell put out decades earlier. [3]

Their debut album, entitled Tamatebako, was released in 2014 [1] and features guest vocals by Charles Plymell, DJ Scotch Egg, and fellow Go! Team member Kaori Tsuchida. [1] The album title references the mysterious box of Japanese legend. [6]

A tour in 2015 followed. [7] [8]

Discography

Albums

Related Research Articles

Mike Watt American bassist, vocalist and songwriter

Michael David Watt is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter.

Firehose (band) American alternative rock band

Firehose was an American alternative rock band consisting of Mike Watt, Ed Crawford, and George Hurley (drums). They were initially active from 1986 to 1994, and briefly reunited in 2012.

George Hurley is a drummer noted for his work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE.

The Go! Team British band

The Go! Team are an English six-piece band from Brighton, England. They combine indie rock and garage rock with a mixture of funk and Bollywood soundtracks, double Dutch chants, old school hip hop and distorted guitars. Their songs are a mix of live instrumentation and samples from various sources. The band's vocals vary between performances: while live vocals are handled mostly by Ninja, vocals on record also feature sampled and guest voices.

<i>Ball-Hog or Tugboat?</i> 1995 studio album by Mike Watt

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.

dos is an American rock group composed of Mike Watt and Kira Roessler, who both sing and play bass guitar. Critic Greg Prato describes their unusual instrumentation as "a haunting yet intriguing and original sound."

Cuz may refer to:

The Missingmen are a punk rock trio fronted by Minutemen/Firehose/Stooges bassist Mike Watt. The band features Watt, guitarist Tom Watson, and drummer Raul Morales.

Unknown Instructors are an all-star improvisational rock outfit that features the former rhythm section of Minutemen and fIREHOSE, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley; Saccharine Trust members, guitarist Joe Baiza and vocalist Jack Brewer; and vocalist/saxophonist Dan McGuire. They have been described as "an all-star reunion of alumni from the SST stable of yore" and Henry Rollins called it a dream lineup.

<i>The Way Things Work</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Unknown Instructors

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.

<i>Ifn</i> 1987 studio album by Firehose

If'n is the second album by the American alternative rock band fIREHOSE, released in 1987.

<i>The Masters Voice</i> 2007 studio album by Unknown Instructors

The Master's Voice is the second album by American improvisational band Unknown Instructors. The core quartet of Mike Watt, George Hurley, Joe Baiza, and poet/saxophonist Dan McGuire reconvene on the album, with guest vocals on three tracks by David Thomas and on another track by artist Raymond Pettibon. In addition, Watt also contributes a vocal of his own. The album was recorded at Total Access Studio in Redondo Beach, California, the same studio where Black Flag recorded many of their classic mid-80's album releases and where Watt and Hurley's The Minutemen had recorded Project: Mersh in 1985.

<i>Ragin, Full-On</i> 1986 studio album by fIREHOSE

Ragin', Full-On is the first album by American alternative rock band fIREHOSE. It was released after the breakup of the influential punk rock band Minutemen due to the death of the guitarist D. Boon. Like all fIREHOSE albums, Ragin', Full-On is dedicated to Boon.

Charles Edward Crawford, known as ed fROMOHIO, is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for Firehose, an alternative rock band he formed in 1986 with former Minutemen members Mike Watt and George Hurley (drums).

Minutemen (band) Punk rock band from San Pedro, California

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 tragic 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 presentation—while their eclectic and experimental attitude was instrumental in pioneering alternative rock and post-hardcore.

<i>Funland</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Unknown Instructors

Funland is the third album by American improvisational band Unknown Instructors, featuring Mike Watt, George Hurley, Joe Baiza, poet/saxophonist Dan McGuire. The album features guest vocals by David Thomas and artist Raymond Pettibon.

<i>"Ring Spiel" Tour 95</i> 2016 live album by Mike Watt

"Ring Spiel" Tour '95 is a live album by former Minutemen and fIREHOSE bassist, songwriter and vocalist Mike Watt. The album material is from the tour to accompany Watt's first solo album, Ball-Hog or Tugboat?.

Floored by Four is the debut album by experimental music band Floored by Four. The band consists of Mike Watt on bass and vocals, Nels Cline (Wilco) on guitar, Yuka Honda on keyboard, bass, and glockenspiel, and Dougie Bowne on drums.

<i>Unwilling to Explain</i> 2019 studio album by Unknown Instructors

Unwilling to Explain is the fourth album by American improvisational band Unknown Instructors, featuring Mike Watt, George Hurley, J Mascis, and Dan McGuire.

FITTED is an alternative rock band featuring Mike Watt, Graham Lewis (Wire), Matthew Simms (Wire), and Bob Lee. Graham Lewis' Wire was one of the influences for Mike Watt's Minutemen.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pollard, Vincent (12 May 2014). "Mike Watt Explains the Origins of His CUZ Collaboration with the Go! Team's Sam Dook". Exclaim! . Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  2. Skey, Jamie (7 May 2014). "LISTEN: Stream Cuz's Debut LP In Full". The Quietus . Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Taylor, Tom (24 August 2015). "Interview: Mike Watt tours new project Cuz". FCK LDN. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 Manchester, Guy (22 April 2014). "Louder Than War Interview: Mike Watt – ex Minutemen / fIREHOSE bassist and current bassist with The Stooges, Cuz and many, many more". Louder Than War . Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  5. Stires, Bob (8 September 2014). "cuz: tamatebako". Mike Watt's Hoot Page. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  6. Hudson, Alex (5 March 2014). "Mike Watt and the Go! Team's Sam Dook Team Up as CUZ". Exclaim! . Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  7. Watt, Mike. "cuz 2015 tour". Mike Watt's Hoot Page. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  8. Manchester, Guy (8 September 2015). "CUZ: Thinkin' 'Bout Thinkin' – With Mike Watt And Sam Dook's Band Halfway Thru Their Tour Here's A New Video". Louder Than War . Retrieved 15 April 2019.