Just back from 21 Grand to hear Dos (Watt, ex-Minutemen and Kira, ex-Black Flag) jamming bass duets. They’ve been at this for 20+ years, through thick and thin, and play like it. Kind of humorous to watch Kira scamper and pogo as if drummer were present, and she’s a very good bass player, but stoic Watt is the amazing, fluid virtuoso. Not quite like anything you’ve heard before (if you’re thinking punk rock, stop). Watt:
dos (spanish for two, as in uno, dos, tres…) is kira … on bass/singing and watt on bass. that’s it – just two basses and her voice. sometimes watt’s voice too but not much. we’ve been together since the fall of 1985, this is my longest running band. I really dig playing w/dos. it started as an experiment w/making what’s commonly believed a backup instrument up front and paired off w/a twin, using pingpong-like arrangements to create a special space which is pretty much close to the deck but not smothered by competition. what we try to do is develop converstations between our two basses and create a landscape of low-end dynamic. in dos there is no hiding. this is both the challenge and the reward.
Standing room only, short show. Someone called nina put up a Flickr set of the evening.