Unknown Instructors Funland

The Unknown Instructors are one seemingly dozens of Mike Watt side projects that he has maintained this decade, but as far as Mike Watt side projects go, this one may be the most underrated.  Funland is the third album by the Unknown Instructors, and any side projet that produces three albums is nothing to sneeze at. Joining forces with fellow surviving Minutemen member George Hurley with old SST chums Joe Baiza (Saccharine Trust) and Dan McGuire, the band has put out some incredible records in recent years that, while still primarily appealing to Minutemen/fIREHOSE fans, combine punk funk and jazz in a way only Watt, Hurley, and Baiza can. 2005’s The Way Things Work and 2006 The Master’s Voice both let Watt show off his true talents in a way he never could with the Stooges, and with Ron Asheton’s death throwing the future of the Stooges in question, Watt may be able to once again devote himself to projects where he is the star of the show.

Abstract by Ethan Stanislawski