FIREHOSE
Encyclopedia
Firehose was an alternative rock
band consisting of Mike Watt
(bass, vocals), Ed Crawford
(guitar, vocals), and George Hurley
(drums).
brought an end to Watt and Hurley's previous band, Minutemen
. Crawford, a then 21-year-old Ohio State student and Minutemen fan was invited up on the roof of the Camper Van Beethoven
van in Columbus, Ohio. The members of Camper Van Beethoven told Crawford a false rumor that Watt and Hurley were auditioning guitarists for the band. Crawford, having found Watt's phone number in the phone book, called him up and expressed his desire to come out to California and play with them. Still mourning the loss of his friend Boon, Watt initially was not interested and in fact had lost much of his desire to play music, however Crawford's persistence eventually paid off when he showed up unannounced in San Pedro and asked Watt for the chance to come over and play for him. Watt eventually agreed and the two met with Crawford "auditioning" for Watt by playing him The Who
's, "I'm One
" as well as a few Minutemen songs. Impressed with Crawford's passion and enthusiasm, Watt and Hurley agreed to give the inexperienced "kid" from Ohio a shot and the band was formed. Crawford quickly relocated to San Pedro where he became known as Ed Fromohio and spent nine months sleeping under a desk in Watt's one bedroom apartment. The name of the band was taken from a short film of Bob Dylan
doing "Subterranean Homesick Blues
" as Watt thought it was funny when Dylan held up a cue card for the lyric that said "firehose".
The band played their first gig in June 1986 and by the end of the year released their debut album, 'Ragin', Full On
' via the independent label, SST
. That same year, they also supported Sonic Youth
on their "Flaming Telepaths Tour". The band quickly gained a loyal fanbase especially among the underground skateboarding crowd thanks in part to the inclusion of some of the their early material in several key skateboarding videos from the late 1980s. "Brave Captain" from Ragin', Full On
, as well as "Sometimes", "Hear Me", and "Windmilling" from their sophomore release, If'n
were all featured in the Santa Cruz Skateboards video series, "Streets on Fire".
Over the course of seven and a half years, the band developed their own musical identity apart from the Minutemen while still maintaining the same dynamic synthesis of punk, funk, and free jazz. They toured non-stop and consistently played to packed audiences. All in all, Firehose played 980 gigs, released five full-length albums and two EPs before disbanding in 1994. They played their final gig on February 12, 1994 at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California.
(with ex-Black Flag
bassist and wife, Kira Roessler
), Banyan
(with Jane's Addiction
drummer, Stephen Perkins
), the Stooges
and the Unknown Instructors
(along with George Hurley). He also hosts a regular internet radio show aptly entitled, the Watt From Pedro Show. Mike Watt, a San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
resident since 1967, still resides there.
George Hurley has been involved in several musical projects and bands as well including Vida (with ex-Black Flag member, Dez Cadena
), Red Krayola
and Tripod (both with Tom Watson) and the Unknown Instructors
. Like Watt, George Hurley also resides in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
Ed Crawford has also been involved in a handful of musical projects including fronting the North Carolina trio, Grand National (not to be confused with the UK band) and playing guitar and touring with the now defunct alt-country band, Whiskeytown
. He currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and fronts the Ed Crawford Trio.
In an interview with The Village Voice, Mike Watt left open the possibility of working with Ed Crawford and George Hurley once again.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band consisting of Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
(bass, vocals), Ed Crawford
Ed Crawford
Charles Edward Crawford, aka ed fROMOHIO, is an American 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 .-Biography:In 1985, Minutemen vocalist and guitarist D. Boon was killed in a van...
(guitar, vocals), and George Hurley
George Hurley
George Hurley is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE.Even though he went to the same high school as D. Boon and Mike Watt he did not meet them until around 1978. That same year, Hurley formed The Reactionaries with Boon, Watt, and Martin Tamburovich...
(drums).
History
Firehose was formed in the spring of 1986 shortly after the accidental death of D. BoonD. Boon
d. Boon born Dennes Dale Boon, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Active between 1978, when he joined The Reactionaries, and 1985, when he was killed in a van accident, Boon was best known as the guitarist and vocalist of the Californian punk rock trio Minutemen.-Youth:Dennes Boon...
brought an end to Watt and Hurley's previous band, Minutemen
Minutemen (band)
Minutemen were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985...
. Crawford, a then 21-year-old Ohio State student and Minutemen fan was invited up on the roof of the Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven is an American alternative rock group formed in Redlands, California in 1983.An eclectic band, Camper Van Beethoven mixes elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk and alternative country, as well as various types of world music. Their aggressive musical pluralism created a...
van in Columbus, Ohio. The members of Camper Van Beethoven told Crawford a false rumor that Watt and Hurley were auditioning guitarists for the band. Crawford, having found Watt's phone number in the phone book, called him up and expressed his desire to come out to California and play with them. Still mourning the loss of his friend Boon, Watt initially was not interested and in fact had lost much of his desire to play music, however Crawford's persistence eventually paid off when he showed up unannounced in San Pedro and asked Watt for the chance to come over and play for him. Watt eventually agreed and the two met with Crawford "auditioning" for Watt by playing him The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's, "I'm One
I'm One
"I'm One" is a song by The Who. It was released on the group's 1973 rock opera album Quadrophenia. Written and sung by Pete Townshend, it is one of the main moments of introspection spread throughout the narrative and also a sign that Jimmy may not be as Mod as he appears, given the way he asks a...
" as well as a few Minutemen songs. Impressed with Crawford's passion and enthusiasm, Watt and Hurley agreed to give the inexperienced "kid" from Ohio a shot and the band was formed. Crawford quickly relocated to San Pedro where he became known as Ed Fromohio and spent nine months sleeping under a desk in Watt's one bedroom apartment. The name of the band was taken from a short film of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
doing "Subterranean Homesick Blues
Subterranean Homesick Blues
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" is a song by Bob Dylan, originally released in 1965 as a single on Columbia Records, catalogue 43242. It appeared 19 days later as the lead track to the album Bringing It All Back Home. It was Dylan's first Top 40 hit, peaking at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also...
" as Watt thought it was funny when Dylan held up a cue card for the lyric that said "firehose".
The band played their first gig in June 1986 and by the end of the year released their debut album, 'Ragin', Full On
Ragin', Full On
Ragin', Full-On is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Firehose. It was released after the breakup of the influential punk rock band Minutemen due to the death of guitarist D...
' via the independent label, SST
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
. That same year, they also supported Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
on their "Flaming Telepaths Tour". The band quickly gained a loyal fanbase especially among the underground skateboarding crowd thanks in part to the inclusion of some of the their early material in several key skateboarding videos from the late 1980s. "Brave Captain" from Ragin', Full On
Ragin', Full On
Ragin', Full-On is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Firehose. It was released after the breakup of the influential punk rock band Minutemen due to the death of guitarist D...
, as well as "Sometimes", "Hear Me", and "Windmilling" from their sophomore release, If'n
If'n
If'n is the second album by the American alternative rock band Firehose, released in 1987.The sound on the album is less incendiary than Ragin', Full On, moving away from the harder-edged Minutemen style to a mellower, funk-driven, humorous, "good-time rock'n'roll" direction...
were all featured in the Santa Cruz Skateboards video series, "Streets on Fire".
Over the course of seven and a half years, the band developed their own musical identity apart from the Minutemen while still maintaining the same dynamic synthesis of punk, funk, and free jazz. They toured non-stop and consistently played to packed audiences. All in all, Firehose played 980 gigs, released five full-length albums and two EPs before disbanding in 1994. They played their final gig on February 12, 1994 at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California.
After Firehose
Since disbanding, Mike Watt has released four solo albums and been involved in numerous musical projects including the longstanding bass duo, DosDos (band)
Dos is an American punk 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."...
(with ex-Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
bassist and wife, Kira Roessler
Kira Roessler
Kira Roessler is an American bass guitarist, singer and Emmy award-winning dialogue editor. She is best known for her membership in the punk rock group Black Flag.-Biography:...
), Banyan
Banyan (band)
Banyan is an art rock/alternative rock band with heavy jazz, funk, and punk influence, based in Los Angeles, California.The leader and co-founder is Stephen Perkins, who first played drums for Jane's Addiction , and then for Porno for Pyros. He co-founded the group with David Turin...
(with Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
drummer, Stephen Perkins
Stephen Perkins
Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....
), the Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
and the Unknown Instructors
Unknown Instructors
The Unknown Instructors are an all-star improvisational rock outfit that features the former rhythm section of The 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.Their...
(along with George Hurley). He also hosts a regular internet radio show aptly entitled, the Watt From Pedro Show. Mike Watt, a San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
resident since 1967, still resides there.
George Hurley has been involved in several musical projects and bands as well including Vida (with ex-Black Flag member, Dez Cadena
Dez Cadena
Dez Paul Cadena is an American punk rock singer and guitarist. He was the third vocalist and later rhythm guitarist for hardcore punk band Black Flag. Since 2001 Cadena has played guitar with the Misfits...
), Red Krayola
Red Krayola
Red Krayola was a psychedelic, avant-garde rock band from Houston, Texas, formed by art students at the University of St. Thomas in 1966. The band was led by singer/guitarist and visual artist Mayo Thompson, along with drummer Frederick Barthelme and Steve Cunningham...
and Tripod (both with Tom Watson) and the Unknown Instructors
Unknown Instructors
The Unknown Instructors are an all-star improvisational rock outfit that features the former rhythm section of The 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.Their...
. Like Watt, George Hurley also resides in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
Ed Crawford has also been involved in a handful of musical projects including fronting the North Carolina trio, Grand National (not to be confused with the UK band) and playing guitar and touring with the now defunct alt-country band, Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown was an alternative country band formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1994. Fronted by Ryan Adams, other members included Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000, with Adams leaving to pursue his solo career...
. He currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and fronts the Ed Crawford Trio.
In an interview with The Village Voice, Mike Watt left open the possibility of working with Ed Crawford and George Hurley once again.
Studio albums
- Ragin', Full OnRagin', Full OnRagin', Full-On is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Firehose. It was released after the breakup of the influential punk rock band Minutemen due to the death of guitarist D...
(1986, SSTSST RecordsSST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
) - If'nIf'nIf'n is the second album by the American alternative rock band Firehose, released in 1987.The sound on the album is less incendiary than Ragin', Full On, moving away from the harder-edged Minutemen style to a mellower, funk-driven, humorous, "good-time rock'n'roll" direction...
(1987, SST) - FromohioFromohioFromohio is the third album by the American alternative rock band Firehose, released in 1989. It is regarded as one of the biggest highlights of their career. The album marked a change in the bands sound, where If'n left off...
(1989, SST) - Flyin' the FlannelFlyin' the FlannelFlyin' the Flannel is the fourth album by the American alternative rock band Firehose, released in 1991. This was the first album the band released after signing with the major label Columbia Records, and is considerably different in sound from its predecessor, Fromohio.-Track listing:# "Down with...
(1991, ColumbiaSony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
) - Mr. Machinery OperatorMr. Machinery OperatorMr. Machinery Operator is the fifth and last album by the American alternative rock band Firehose. It is also their second album to be released on the major label, Columbia Records.-Track listing:# "Formal Introduction"# "Blaze"# "Herded into Pools"...
(1993, Columbia)
EPs and singles
- Sometimes (EP, 1988, SST)
- "Time With You" (promo single, 1989, SST) #26 Billboard Modern Rock TracksModern Rock TracksAlternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
- Live Totem PoleLive Totem PoleLive Totem Pole is a live EP released in 1992 by Firehose. It consists of seven tracks, five of which are covers. The cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "The Red and the Black" had been previously recorded by the Minutemen and released on 3-Way Tie ...
(EP, 1992, Columbia) - "Big Bottom Pow WowBig Bottom Pow WowBig Bottom Pow Wow is a promo album by the indie rock/punk rock group, Firehose.The album includes several 'spiels' about Bass Guitarists, the Bass Guitar and its place in music...
" (promo single, 1993, Columbia) - "Red & Black" (live, single, 1995, SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
)
External links
- [| Allmusic biography]
- Firehose collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - Firehose discography by John Relph
- Mike Watt's Hoot Page