Some bands go on tour. Other bands really go on tour. mssv falls in the latter category. In 2025, their 69-date trip was crammed into about that many days, as the trio traveled tirelessly from state to state, from continent to continent. But maybe that kind of work ethic is to be expected when you've got the legendary Mike Watt in the ranks. Somehow, in between all that jamming econo, mssv (which also features ace guitarist Mike Baggetta and veteran drummer Stephen Hodges) found time to record their fourth LP at Chris Schlarb's BIG EGO studio in Long Beach, CA. See You Through might be my favorite mssv LP yet; it's lean and mean, scratchy and catchy, sounding at times like the Minutemen attempting a righteous cover of Neil Young's Zuma. As you might expect from a band that tours so hard, the interplay is downright telepathic, changing moods and grooves at will, locking in and wilding out.
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mssv is now on its third album, the jazz-punk-funk-beat-poetry trio back for another round of difficult-to-classify anarchy. The groupās most famous member is Mike Watt, but he takes a fairly low profile, with only āBoat Songā sung in his unmistakable growl, and the bass not especially prominent. Instead, Mike Baggetta is the focal point. He wrote most of the songs and sings lead on all but one, and thereās plenty of guitar mayhem on hand. The third principal, Stephen Hodge, is best known as Tom Waitsā drummer, but thereās little of that bandās junkyard, warped Americana ethos; he churns up free-improv explosions and martial snare cadences to bolster Baggettaās variegated compositions.
The disc starts with its most fluid entry, the title track, which follows a laid-back jazz-adjacent vibe as airy and unencumbered as The Sea and Cake. Like other songs on the album, this one cuts back to make room for Baggettaās free-associative spoken word. The effect is post-rock crossed with 1960s beat poetry, Tortoise wearing black berets and snapping fingers. āDespair & Hilarityā is more loosely constructed out of snare drum rolls and sporadic, intersecting flurries of guitar and bass notes. Baggetta intones lyrics by frequent collaborator Steve Gigante over cavernous abstractions, spitting out surreal lines such as, āI took my dog/across your walk of fame/and I had him S-I-T/on your starry-eyed name.ā
āOn Its Faceā swerves jazz-ward, its shimmer of late night noir sound evoking other poetically minded performance artists, Lydia Lunch in particular. It also reminds you of the Minutemenās jazziest cuts, like āThis Aināt No Picnicā from Double Nickles on the Dime, though the flavor is more lounge than free improv here.
Like Human Reaction, which Dusted reviewed in 2023 (āĀ touches punk, funk, noise and jazz without fully aligning with any of themā), On and On was recorded remotely, with each member submitting their parts separately. Baggetta then edited and combined these components into the mix you hear here. However, since Human Reaction, MSSV has toured extensively. They worked out the contours of these songs live, together, in front of an audience, and as a result, On and On feels more organic and less piecemeal than its predecessor. It may be time to think of mssv not as a side project or occasional collaboration, but as a full-fledged band.
Back in the beforetimes of 2017, Knoxville guitarist Mike Baggetta teamed up with a legendary rhythm section consisting of Mike Watt & Jim Keltner andĀ Big Ego / Psychic Temple cult leader / producer Chris Schlarb to record what would become Wall of Flowers - a dang kaleidoscope of an album.Ā āThe chemistry is palpable, the vibe is loose, and the songs are all worlds unto themselves.ā says Aquarium Drunkard...but click through and see for yourself.Ā
Keltner doesn't gig much these days, so Baggetta enlisted veteran percussionist / composer Stephen Hodges (Mavis Staples / David Lynch / etc) to tour this material, and a new band was born! The āpost-genreāĀ trio now known as mssv hit the road in March of 2019 in support of āWall of Flowersā but quickly became a monster all its own.Ā
This set splits into two seamless minisuites, each featuring a perfect mix of Baggetta originals, Watt originals and covers.Ā The rhythm section is damn powerful, but what really blows my mind is how both Baggettaās tone and phrasing effortlessly morph throughout.Ā
After a live release last year, mssvās first proper album Main Steam Stop Valve is out now...you guessed it, on Big Ego Records.Ā
mssv
3.26.2019 @ Sleeping Village
Chicago, IL
The Pink Room [David Lynch & Angelo Badalamenti] >
Data Point >
Hospital Song >
No One Says Old Man (To The Old Man) [Mike Watt]
Dirty Smell >
Blue Velvet [Bernie Wayne & Lee Morris] >
Liberty Calls! [Mike Watt] >
Wall Of Flowers
Mike Baggetta - guitar / live processingĀ
Stephen Hodges - drums / live processing
Mike Watt - bass / vocalsĀ
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