SLCene Suggests: Mike Watt at The Urban Lounge

MIKE WATT & THE MISSINGMEN, THE URBAN LOUNGE, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 9 p.m., $12

Mike Watt is one of the best bass players on the planet, and throwing such an accolade his way still sells the man short in terms of what he’s meant to punk and indie-rock fans through the years. He’s an endlessly entertaining thinker, constantly exploring new ideas (both musical and philosophical) on the songs he’s written for his old bands the Minutemen and fIREHOSE, and on four solo albums he’s made since 1995. The most recent, Hyphenated Man, is Watt’s third rock-opera, and in case that label scares you, you should know that the songs on Hyphenated Man average about two minutes in length–this ain’t no prog-rock opera! He’ll be playing the opera in its entirety, along with select other tunes from his long career, and his once-ever-show cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “The Red and the Black,” in honor of his best friend D. Boon, the Minutemen guitar player who died in 1985. If you’ve never seen Watt play live on one of his numerous trips to Salt Lake City, it’s time. Do it. Lite opens the show.