dos (from the Spanish word for "two") is an American rock group composed of Mike Watt and Kira Roessler, who both sing and play bass guitar. Critic Greg Prato[1] describes their unusual instrumentation as "a haunting yet intriguing and original sound."
Watt and Roessler met not long after Roessler replaced Chuck Dukowski as the bassist of Black Flag in 1983.
The actual origin of dos came about in the fall of 1985 when Watt and Kira, who were already dating, began improvising two-bass jams in their free time, sometimes recording these results into Watt's four-track recording machine.[3]
The sudden death of Minutemen guitarist and lead singer D. Boon in a van accident on December 22, 1985, led to the end of the Minutemen and left Watt deeply depressed. Kira had parted company with Black Flag not long beforehand and moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to attend Yale University. Watt considered abandoning music altogether. But intending to keep him playing after Boon's death, Kira and Watt began collaborating via four-track cassettes sent back and forth in the mail.[3] The activity led to Kira flying back to California to formally work on dos in September 1986.[3]
They recorded their first album, an all-instrumental affair save for Kira's closing track, "Taking Away the Fire", almost immediately, and made their performing debut as dos opening for ex-Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn's instrumental group Gone that same week. Watt released dos' self-titled first album, dos on New Alliance Records, the label he had formed with D. Boon in 1981. Around the same time, Watt formed Firehose; many of the songs on Firehose's first album Ragin', Full On, are actually dos songs with lyrics added (by either Watt or Kira) and rearranged for a power trio format.
In 1987, Watt and Roessler married, but they divorced seven years later around the time that Firehose broke up.
In 1989, dos recorded a six-song EP, Numero Dos. This release, which featured three vocals by Kira and one by Watt, would be combined with the 1986 LP to become the uno con dos CD almost immediately afterward.
Dos rarely tour extensively, owing to both Watt's other commitments, and to Kira's decision to work full-time, first as a computer programmer and then, currently as a movie sound designer and foley artist. Most dos "tours" have been short, three-to-five-day affairs that would either see Kira flying to meet Watt on the road where they would sometimes open for Firehose, or, less frequently, on their own.
Dos' recorded and live repertoire consists of both original instrumentals (some of which would later have lyrics added to them to become Firehose or Watt solo songs), some original vocal pieces, and cover versions sung primarily by Kira and rearranged for their two basses. Songs by Billie Holiday ("Don't Explain", "Down in the Dumps"), Patsy Cline ("Imagine That", "I Fall to Pieces"), Sonic Youth ("Pacific Coast Highway"), Selena ("No Me Quedo Mas"), and even the Minutemen (a rearranged "Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth?" from their classic Double Nickels on the Dime album) have found their way into dos' back catalog and live set list.
Watt and Kira's marriage ended amicably in 1994, around the same time Firehose disbanded. The two remained friends and subsequently, chose to continue with dos. They began writing and recording their third album, Justamente Tres, not long afterward; it would be released in 1996 in between Watt's first two solo albums.
In 2003, Watt set up a Pro Tools recording setup in his apartment that he nicknamed Studio Thunderpants, primarily for the purpose of recording his own song demos. Watt and Kira began recording the fourth dos album there at this time, in between Watt's professional commitments as a solo artist and member of Iggy Pop & the Stooges and Banyan, and Kira's day job as a dialogue editor for television and feature films.
In June 2004, dos did their first mini-tour in several years, doing three gigs at jazz festivals in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada, right before Watt had to fly to Europe for a tour with the reunited Stooges.
The fourth Dos album, dos y dos, was recorded at different sessions between 2002 and 2005 at Watt's own home studio, Studio Thunderpants, and later mixed by Yuka Honda. It became the second release on Watt's clenchedwrench label in 2011.[4]
Kira Roessler is an American musician and dialogue editor who has won Oscar and Emmy awards for her work editing films and television. She is best known as the bass guitarist for the influential hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1983 to 1985. Since the mid-1980s, she has been a member of the rock duo Dos with her ex-husband Mike Watt as well as other collaborations and solo musical work, but has focused primarily on dialogue editing.
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.
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.
Minuteflag was an experimental jam band collaboration between members of the American punk bands Minutemen and Black Flag. Their only release, an EP, consists entirely of instrumentals with the exception of "Fetch the Water" which features D. Boon on lead vocals.
J Mascis + The Fog was an American rock band formed by J Mascis in 2000, following the break-up of Dinosaur Jr. The project released two albums; 2000's More Light and 2002's Free So Free.
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 the trio Mike Watt formed in 1997 to record and tour behind his second solo album, Contemplating The Engine Room. Of all of the "project" (semi-temporary) bands that he 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.
The Whitey Album is an album by Ciccone Youth, a side project of Sonic Youth members Steve Shelley, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore, featuring contributions from Minutemen/Firehose member Mike Watt and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.
New Alliance Records was an independent record label founded by American musicians D. Boon and Mike Watt and longtime friend and associate Martin Tamburovich. They were inspired by the example of their friends in southern California band Black Flag who had earlier formed SST Records. The existence of SST led Watt to understand, according to a 1987 interview he gave to Musician magazine, how easy it was to get a record made: "All you had to do was pay the record plant man."
"Ballot Result" is a posthumous live album by Minutemen.
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.
3-Way Tie is the fourth and final full-length album recorded by the American punk band Minutemen. It is notable for featuring several covers of songs by bands such as the Urinals, Meat Puppets, Blue Öyster Cult, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Roky Erickson. The last song, a cover of Erickson's "Bermuda," was sung over the phone by Mike Watt.
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.
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).
Our Band Could Be Your Life: A Tribute to D Boon and the Minutemen was a tribute album for the band The Minutemen released in 1996. It contains 35 tracks of alternative bands covering songs by The Minutemen.
dos was the debut album recorded by the band dos. It is a double bass guitar side project for Mike Watt and his then-girlfriend, Kira Roessler. Formed as a vehicle to take the bass beyond its perceived background role and into the forefront of a band, Dos also became a therapeutic experience in the wake of Roessler's departure from Black Flag and the sudden death of Minutemen's D. Boon's on December 22, 1985. After exchanging demos for the better part of 1986, the duo reconvened to record their self-titled debut late in the year, subsequently releasing it on Watt's own New Alliance Records.
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 as well as their eclectic style drawing on hardcore punk, funk, jazz, and other sources.
dos y dos is an experimental indie album, the fourth by the band dos and the first release in fifteen years by the band. It is a double bass guitar side project for Mike Watt and Kira Roessler. The two were married from 1987–1994.
justamente tres is an experimental indie album, the third by the band dos featuring Mike Watt (Minutemen) and Kira Roessler.
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