WATT POWER with Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE, dos, Il Sogno Del Marinaio, mssv, and a million other groups)

You didn’t think we were gonna get through this season without a dispatch from the man in the van with a bass in his hand, did you? Coming to us live and shirtless from his home base of San Pedro, CA, Mike opines on the 40th anniversary of post-punk magna carta “Double Nickels on the Dime,” how he learned new ways to collaborate in the wake of bandmate D. Boon’s untimely death, the ins and outs of his gear (including his signature Reverend bass) and who and what continue to inspire him today. Minutemen (https://open.spotify.com/artist/0z6zRFzl5njXWLVAisXQBz?si=tZiLxjmWTByyEnhgEpureQ) fIREHOSE (https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MIbrfpc9aH6gsEl2yep68?si=oNFImAltS_qfBOTWMB-S5Q) dos (https://dossanpedro.bandcamp.com/album/justamente-tres) Il Sogno Del Marinaio (https://www.facebook.com/IlSognoDelMarinaio/) mssv (https://mainsteamstopvalve.com/) Mike Bagetta / Jim Keltner / Mike Watt (https://mikebaggetta.bandcamp.com/album/everywhen-we-go) - my go-to dinner party music Mike Watt’s hoot page (http://hootpage.com/) - everything he’s doing at any given moment Reverend Guitars Mike Watt Wattplower Mark II Bass (https://reverendguitars.com/basses/mike-watt-wattplower-mark-ii/) - Reverend’s best-selling bass! This episode is brought to you by "The Bastard Instrument: A Cultural History of the Electric Bass," the essential new book that illuminates the origins and impact of our beloved instrument in all its glory. An amazing read. Buy it at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Bastard-Instrument-Cultural-Electric-Tracking/dp/0472056816/) or your favorite book slinger. And check out author Brian F. Wright's website (https://www.brianfwright.com/) for unreleased content from the book and more of his writing. We have a short interview snip with Brian - listen in for a chance to win your OWN copy of the book, too - but you have to answer a trivia question to enter.

Om Podcasten

"Four Strings and the Truth: The Bassists Who Changed Music" features intimate conversations with players who have changed the course of the music that came after them, and continue to do so. We'll uncover their four-string mindset - their influences, approach, artistic practice, and how they go about practicing, playing, composing songs, being in a band and living their lives. Host Sandy Smallens, an indie- and major label-recording artist and bassist of 40-plus years, shines a light on the sometimes unsung (or at least under-sung) heroes who continue to redefine the bass's role in contemporary music, channeling his experience as a music writer and founder of Spotify's original content department. Check out the official pod playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2NJT1Dpc6eGi09uJOuQWKs?si=4d76eeff2b5c4615. Theme music by Surface Wound. "Four Strings and the Truth" is an Audiation Original production.