Mike Watt
Ring Spiel Tour ’95
(Columbia)
Watt’s first solo album, Ball-Hog or Tugboat?, came out in 1995, and featured a handful of household names (Vedder, Flea, Mike D, Ad-Rock) alongside plenty of underground heroes like J Mascis and Rollins on the album. The following tour, captured here on May 6 of 1995 at The Metro in Chicago, features Vedder, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear and William Goldsmith (Sunny Day Real Estate, Foo Fighters) as Watt’s band, and promoters were reportedly told not to advertise this all star assembly playing under Watt.
The line up sounds as spectacular as one would imagine, as they reconstruct punk and country in an erratic yet carefully delivered fashion, as the ensemble often switch instruments and vocal duties between songs. Watt sounds confident, assured and fully immersed in punk rock, with his gravely voice and chunky bass guiding the thundering, innovative set. At a time when grunge was on its way out, Watt’s unconventional and difficult to pinpoint sound probably didn’t help sell many records, but the album did well with a couple strong singles, which are played here, as well as covers from Daniel Johnston, Pearl Jam, Blue Oyster Cult, Madonna and Watt’s seminal outfit, Minutemen.
While many of his peers are repackaging and reissuing old albums, Watt is unearthing recordings we all wish we saw in person.
Purchase Ring Spiel Tour ’95 here: iTunes | Amazon
