Last Saturday at Bowery Poetry Club, the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Minutemen’s masterpiece Double Nickels on the Dime was a mixed affair of music, spoken word and storytelling. The highlights of the evening were the three excellent bands, all of whom offered their own versions of Minutemen songs with musical dexterity and enthusiasm, and the special guest finale — the appearance of Mike Watt who was genuinely profoundly moved by the spirit of the event.
Watt performed three solo numbers on bass and vocals, and then spoke for approximately twenty minutes. While he read portions of Minutemen lyrics, the complex mix of humor, passion and enthusiasm in the words often overwhelmed him. Although its been nearly 25 years since the tragic death of his best friend D. Boon, the event must have brought back vivid memories. Watt’s hesitant and sometimes-overwhelmed manner during his spoken word indicated the depth and poignancy of the moment. Nevertheless, when the event was over Watt sat on a bench outside the venue and met and greeted fans for a lengthy period of time. His unselfish and gregarious approach towards the fans speaks well for the legacy of the Minutemen and their 25-years-removed masterpiece Double Nickels on the Dime.
The existence of three bands, one each from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey, prepared to travel these distances to perform brief sets of Minutemen music in tribute at this event also speaks well for the influence of the Minutemen. Corndogs offered an energetic and authentic approach to the material, while Tweede Kamer provided intelligence and musical proficiency — particularly the outstanding fret work of their talented bass player. The last of the three bands, Pillow Man from Worcester MA, were striking in their resemblance to the Minutemen, as each member of the band actually looked like their counterpart and the song performances were quite faithful to the original material.
We recorded from very close to the main PA, about 15 feet from the stage. As Bowery Poetry is a small venue with a bar, we attempted to avoid the ambient noise — the bar, its patrons, the air ducts and the sound of a club upstairs. During the musical performance, we were completely successful, but during the spoken word pieces (particularly during off-mic moments) the venue noise is quite distracting. As a result, this post offers only the musical performances, each of which is an absolutely outstanding capture. Enjoy!
Direct download of the Sets from this Show:
Mike Watt [MP3] [FLAC]
Pillowman [MP3] [FLAC]
Tweede Kamer [MP3] [FLAC]
Corndogs [MP3] [FLAC]
Double Nickels on the Dime 25th Anniversary Celebration
2009-07-25
Bowery Poetry Club
New York, NY USA
Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Upfront – 15 Feet from the Stage
Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac
Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2009-08-01
Mike Watt Setlist:
[Total Time 7:15]
01 Anxious Mofo
02 Themselves
03 Do You Want New Wave Or Do You Want The Truth
Corndogs Setlist:
[Total Time 4:41]
01 Party With Me Punker
02 #1 Hit Song
03 Cut
Tweede Kamer Setlist:
[Total Time 16:24]
01 Its Expected I’m Gone
02 Maybe Partying Will Help
03 Toadies
04 Corona
05 The Glory of Man
06 Jesus and Tequila
07 West Germany
Pillow Man Setlist:
[Total Time 14:20]
01 [introduction]
02 No Exchange
03 I Felt Like a Gringo
04 Ack Ack Ack Ack (The Urinals)
05 The Anchor
06 Joe McCarthy’s Ghost
07 This Ain’t No Picnic
08 Little Man With A Gun In His Hand
If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT these bands, visit their websites, Mike Watt, Tweede Kamer, Pillow Man, and Corndogs, and purchase their official releases where available.
Recent Comments