fIREHOSE

Following the tragic demise of D. Boon, which brought an end to Indie Rock/Punk favorites the Minutemen, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley planned to retire from music. Fortunately, a young man named Ed fROMOHIO (a.k.a. Ed Crawford) convinced the two to carry on. As fIREHOSE, they proceeded to kick out some seriously twisted and jittery gems. Ragin' Full On (1986) does exactly what the title implies. Roaring forward with the opener "Brave Captain," the trio proves that there will be no mincing. fIREHOSE showed a willingness to flesh out their songs more than the Minutemen ever did (there are a few tracks over three minutes!), while continuing to explore intriguing regions of Punk, jazz and folk. Over time, their songs became more relaxed and coherent, even as the lyrics became more metaphorical and strange (e.g. "Making the freeway safe for the freeway"). But like many fiercely independent groups (see Jesus Lizard, Cop Shoot Cop, Jawbreaker), a move to the majors didn't help fIREHOSE. They disbanded in 1993 after releasing the J Mascis-produced Mr. Machinery Operator.