Watershed (American band)
| Watershed | |
|---|---|
 Watershed 2002. L to R: Colin Gawel, Dave Masica, Joe Oestreich (Not Pictured: Joe Peppercorn) |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Columbus, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | Power pop, Rock |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Idol, Carney, Thunder Creek, Epic, B Minus, Palas, Bravo |
| Associated acts | Twin Cam, The League Bowlers, Dead Schembechlers |
| Website | http://waterpukes.squarespace.com/, http://www.watershedcentral.com, http://www.colingawel.com, http://www.joeoestreich.com |
| Members | |
| Colin Gawel Joe Oestreich Dave Masica Joe Peppercorn |
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| Past members | |
| Herb Schupp Mark "Poochie" Borror |
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Watershed is an American rock band based in Columbus, Ohio, consisting of Colin Gawel (guitar, vocals), Joe Oestreich (bass, vocals), Joe Peppercorn (piano, guitar), Dave Masica (drums). Watershed was once hailed as "Rock & Roll's Last Hope." Their songs have appeared in many television shows,[1] including Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Laguna Beach, and The Dudesons, and they are a featured act on a Paper Jamz toy guitar.
In addition to Watershed, the members have numerous side projects. Joe Oestreich is a professor of English at Coastal Carolina University. He has published essays in magazines such as Esquire and Sports Illustrated and in the literary journals Ninth Letter and Fourth Genre. Several of his essays have been shortlisted for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Best American Essays series. Oestreich's memoir about Watershed, entitled Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll, is forthcoming from Lyons Press in June 2012.
Colin Gawel has released a series of EP-CD's and touring both as a solo acoustic act and with his backing band Colin Gawel & the Lonely Bones. His first EP-CD "Chemotherapy" was released in May 2009, and the second, "Superior", was released on February 5, 2010. Gawel owns a coffee shop in Columbus, Ohio called Colin's Coffee.
Gawel and Oestreich also participate in the Dead Schembechlers. Mark "Poochie" Borror was concurrently in a band called Twin Cam (now broken up), which was another Ohio based Power Pop band. Watershed is managed by Thomas O'Keefe who is a long time fan of the band.
A lyric from Watershed's song "Black Concert T-Shirt" provides the title for Pulitzer Prize finalist Lee Martin's novel, Break the Skin. The band also makes an appearance in the book itself.
Contents |
[edit] Dead Schembechlers
A side-project, based on the Ohio State-Michigan football game and rivalry, of two of the original Watershed members, Colin Gawel and Joe Oestreich, teaming with vocalist Lou Brutus, and Twin Cam guitarist Mike Sammons on drums to form the band Dead Schembechlers, a play on the name of the punk band the Dead Kennedys. The name was a lighthearted jab at Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, who upon hearing about the band name was reportedly quite amused.[2] Following Schembechler's passing on November 17, 2006, the Dead Schembechlers changed their name to the "Bastard Sons of Woody", a reference to former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes.[3] The band plays many anti-Wolverine songs, at the tune of rock "legends" - such as Kiss and The Ramones. A long running joke on the official Dead Schembechlers website claims they originally wrote the tunes and other bands just stole the riffs. Also on their website the band claims to have released numerous singles and albums throughout the years, but in reality they only released two albums. In 2004 the album Rocket to Ann Arbor was released and soon after re-released as Wolverine Destroyer with a new tracks and alternate versions of existing songs.
The band "reunited" under the Dead Schembechlers name in 2008, and released a new EP, entitled "Rodriguez to Ruin," which poked fun at Wolverines head football coach Rich Rodriguez. Singles from the new release included "Rodriguez is a Weasel" (which the band claims was used as inspiration for the Toledo Rockets' upset of Michigan); and "I'm So Bored with the SEC." The band played two live concerts in 2008; their Cleveland show was their first to be scheduled outside of Columbus.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Watershed (1991)
- The Carpet Cliff (1992)
- Twister & Other Low Budget Storms (1993)
- Twister (1995) (Epic Records)
- Star Vehicle (1997, Re-released in 1998 as Star Vehicle '98)
- The More It Hurts, The More It Works (2002) (Idol Records)
- The Fifth of July (2005) (Idol Records)
- Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust II (2007) (Idol Records)
- As Yet Untitled (June, 2012)
[edit] EPs
- First Time Around (1987, Released under The Wire)
- '89 (1989, Released under The Wire)
- Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust (1994) (Epic Records)
- Watershed / Hoarse Split (1997) (Idol Records)
- Still Love X-mas (1998)
[edit] Singles
- Twister b/w Atlantic City (1993)
- The Single Series: Volume One (2001)
- The Single Series: Volume Two (2001)
- The Single Series: Volume Three (2004)
- 5th of July: Single & Video (2006)
[edit] References
- ^ "Joe Oestreich's web page". http://joeoestreich.com/rocking/.
- ^ The Columbus Dispatch - Local/State
- ^ "Dead Schembechlers get a new name". Detroit News. 2007-01-03. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/SPORTS02/701030396/1004/SPORTS.
