The Way Things Work (album)
Encyclopedia
The Way Things Work is the debut album
by American
improvisational band Unknown Instructors
, featuring Mike Watt
(Minutemen
, fIREHOSE
, The Stooges
, Dos
, Banyan
), George Hurley
(Minutemen, fIREHOSE, Red Krayola
), Joe Baiza
(Saccharine Trust
, Universal Congress Of), Jack Brewer
(Saccharine Trust), and poet Dan McGuire.
The album was created and recorded on the spot in one day in 2003 at Karma Studio in San Pedro, CA. Watt would record his third solo album The Secondman's Middle Stand
in the same studio five months later.
One notable track, Punk (is Whatever We Made It to Be) features interpolated lyrics from several songs from Minutemen's classic album Double Nickels on the Dime
.
All songs written and composed by Joe Baiza, George Hurley, Dan McGuire and Mike Watt, ©2005 Prestidigitation Music (BMI), except "Punk (is Whatever We Made It to Be)", composed by Joe Baiza, D. Boon
, Jack Brewer, Chuck Dukowski
, George Hurley and Mike Watt, © 1984 tHUNDERsPIELS (BMI).
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
improvisational band 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...
, featuring 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...
(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...
, fIREHOSE
FIREHOSE
Firehose was an alternative rock band consisting of Mike Watt , Ed Crawford , and George Hurley .-History:...
, 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...
, Dos
Dos (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."...
, Banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
), 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...
(Minutemen, fIREHOSE, 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...
), Joe Baiza
Joe Baiza
Joe Baiza is a punk rock and jazz guitarist whom Eugene Chadbourne cites as one of the most noteworthy guitarists to emerge from the Southern California punk rock milieu. Baiza is a founding member of the bands Saccharine Trust, Universal Congress Of, and The Mecolodiacs...
(Saccharine Trust
Saccharine Trust
Saccharine Trust is a post-hardcore band from California that was started in 1980 by singer Jack Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza.The band would frequently perform with SST labelmates Minutemen and Black Flag. Drummer Rob Holzman appeared on their 1981 debut Paganicons but left the band to play in...
, Universal Congress Of), Jack Brewer
Jack Brewer
Jack Brewer is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Arizona Cardinals.-College career:...
(Saccharine Trust), and poet Dan McGuire.
The album was created and recorded on the spot in one day in 2003 at Karma Studio in San Pedro, CA. Watt would record his third solo album The Secondman's Middle Stand
The Secondman's Middle Stand
The Secondman's Middle Stand was Mike Watt's third solo album and the first full-length recording that he had made under his own name since the release of Contemplating The Engine Room in 1997....
in the same studio five months later.
One notable track, Punk (is Whatever We Made It to Be) features interpolated lyrics from several songs from Minutemen's classic album Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime is the third studio album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the Californian independent record label SST Records in 1984...
.
Track listing
- "I'll Show You Everything"
- "Where You Find It"
- "Punk (is Whatever We Made It to Be)"
- "Something Eternal"
- "Starving Artists"
- "The New Bluesman"
- "Punch Out *The Layoff* Gratuity"
- "Walk with Me"
- "Creature Comforts"
- "An Evening In Hell"
- "Scansion"
- "Adam's Apple"
- "Turf Songs"
- "I Think"
- "Lost and Found"
All songs written and composed by Joe Baiza, George Hurley, Dan McGuire and Mike Watt, ©2005 Prestidigitation Music (BMI), except "Punk (is Whatever We Made It to Be)", composed by Joe Baiza, D. Boon
D. 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...
, Jack Brewer, Chuck Dukowski
Chuck Dukowski
Chuck Dukowski is an American punk rock musician, best known as a founding member and bass player for Black Flag. Dukowski wrote some of Black Flag's most popular songs, including "My War," "What I See," "I've Heard It Before" and "Spray Paint." He left the band before the release of My War, and...
, George Hurley and Mike Watt, © 1984 tHUNDERsPIELS (BMI).
Musical personnel
- Mike WattMike WattMichael 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 - George HurleyGeorge HurleyGeorge 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 - Joe BaizaJoe BaizaJoe Baiza is a punk rock and jazz guitarist whom Eugene Chadbourne cites as one of the most noteworthy guitarists to emerge from the Southern California punk rock milieu. Baiza is a founding member of the bands Saccharine Trust, Universal Congress Of, and The Mecolodiacs...
- guitar; vocals on tr. 6 - Dan McGuire - vocals (except where noted); saxophone on 6
- Jack BrewerJack BrewerJack Brewer is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Arizona Cardinals.-College career:...
- vocals on tr. 2, 6, 11, 14; maracas and tarine on 6