Minutemen (band)

Minutemen
The band posing and smiling
Minutemen posing in 1982; left to right: Watt, Boon and Hurley
Background information
OriginSan Pedro, California, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyMinutemen discography
Years active1980–1985
Labels
Spinoffs
Spinoff ofThe Reactionaries
Past membersD. Boon
Mike Watt
George Hurley
Frank Tonche

Minutemen were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California, in 1980. Composed of guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in 1985; the band broke up shortly thereafter. They were noted in the California punk community for a philosophy of "jamming econo"—a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and short, tight songs, and for their eclectic style, drawing on hardcore punk, funk, jazz, and other sources.

The group's early recordings (up until their 1985 12" EP Project: Mersh) were recorded as "econo" (Pedro slang for inexpensive, short for "economical") as possible—the group would book studio time after midnight at cut rates, tech their own shows, practice the songs before going into the studio, record on less-expensive used tape, and record the songs in the order they intended to have them on the record rather than waste time editing the master tape during the sequencing phase. In fact, contrary to standard practice even in indie rock, Minutemen sometimes saw records as a way to promote their tours, not the other way around. Minutemen toured frequently, but usually for only a few weeks at a time—they all held down day jobs. Their "econo" practices helped ensure that their tours were generally profitable.[citation needed]

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference calvert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Goldberg, Michael (July 18, 1985). "Black Flag, Husker Du and the Replacements Lead Punk's New Wave". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 3, 2022.