Members of the influential punk band fiREHOSE have announced that they will reunite for their first tour dates since 1994, including a performance at Coachella. Formed by legendary bassist Mike Watt in the wake of the dissolution of the Minutemen, another legendary band that ended after the death of guitarist D. Boon in a 1985 accident, fiREHOSE is a band that was Flyin' the Flannel before grunge grabbed the look, and this will be a tour to see.
Subsequent years have found Watt recording solo releases and playing with bands like Porno For Pyros, Dinosaur Jr. and most recently as a member of the Stooges. He is widely regarded as a powerhouse on bass and a seriously influential punk pioneer.
I got the opportunity to meet Watt briefly after a fiREHOSE show about 20 years ago and what still sticks in my head is what a cool guy he was. He didn't want to talk music - we talked flannel shirts, and he outlined his philosophy on the "true" flannel shirt. It has nothing to do with the plaids - the sign of a "true" flannel shirt is that the print on the pocket lies in a 45-degree angle to the rest of the shirt, allowing you to look down and find your smokes quickly. It's a bit of advice that sticks with me, and something I always find myself glancing at when I see a flannel.
Along with the historic tour, the band will be releasing lowFLOWs: the Columbia anthology ('91 - '93), a soon-to-be essential two-disc collection of the band's work, compiling the two original fIREHOSE albums on Columbia Records(1991's Flyin' the Flannel and 1993's Mr. Machinery Operator) plus 15 tracks of out-of-print and previously unreleased recordings. Even if you're not able to catch one of these shows, this compilation will be one of 2012's "must have" releases. It's available for preorder here.
The tour kicks off April 5 in Sacramento, CA. Tour dates are listed below.
fiREHOSE 2012 Reunion Tour Dates
4/5 - Sacramento, CA - Harlow's Night Club
4/6 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
4/7 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
4/9 - Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo House of Music
4/10 - Eugene, OR - WOW Hall
4/11 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
4/12 - Santa Cruz, CA - Coconut Grove Ballroom
4/13 - Fresno, CA - Fulton 55
4/14 - Indio, CA - Coachella Music Festival
4/16 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
4/17 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
4/18 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum Theatre
4/19 - Tucson, AZ - Plush
4/20 - Indio, CA - Coachella Music Festival
Cover Art - Sony Legacy
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