Mike Watt first found recognition as bassist with the unique San Pedro punk band the Minutemen and his subsequent project fIREHOSE. Watt's basslines are a rich, roiling mixture of rock, funk, and jazz, and he's worked with a broad range of artists, from Sonic Youth to Kelly Clarkson. Watt's solo albums are conceptual affairs, with a dominant theme uniting the songs (his father's experiences in the Navy informed 1997's Contemplating the Engine Room, and a near-fatal illness inspired 2004's The Secondman's Middle Stand). He's also willing to join ad-hoc projects (such as Dos, Spielgusher, and Unknown Instructors) and sit in with established bands (Porno for Pyros, the Stooges, and the Cutthroat Brothers). Wherever his muse takes him, Watt is guided by his philosophy of Econo, taking the boundaries imposed by a limited budget and using them as a path toward simplicity and creative self-reliance.