Listen while you read! Spotify Playlists - Rumba Side A / Rumba Side B

With a long-awaited (at least by us) release of the new Watershed LP Blow It Up Before It Breaks, we knew we had to do something special to celebrate. But once it became apparent we wouldn’t have enough leftover Kickstarter funds to finance a 10-day band trip to an “adult” resort in Cabo San Lucas, we decided to do the next best thing and play two nights at the Rumba Cafe in our hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Why the Rumba? We know it’s not as conveniently located or as spacious as other clubs that could have fit the bill, but we cut our teeth at clubs like Stache’s, 7th Street Entry and CBGB‘s and we were in the mood for something sweaty and loud. And it is a great sounding room.

Why two nights? Well, the venue isn’t huge but we happen to be huge rock n roll fans. We imagined…..what if…..The Replacements or Cheap Trick or Nada Surf or The Smithereens or (fill in your favorite band here…..) played two nights in a row with completely different set lists? I don’t mean just sub in a few different songs. I mean no repeats. At all. How cool would that be? For a proper fan review, click here to read JCE’s weekend recap.

So that is what we did. We only had three days to rehearse but we had two aces up our sleeves. Ace number One: We had two drummers, and I don’t mean Molly Hatchet-style double-drumming either. Herb Schupp and Dave Masica could each play drums on the songs they recorded on the albums & CD’s. That makes it so much easier.

Ace number Deux is that, despite appearances, Watershed has never stopped playing. We may not play out very often, but we get together to record and play songs together in the basement or at The Loft in Saline, MI on a semi-regular basis. I have never felt rusty playing in Watershed. Ok, let’s do this.

Night One / Side A - 6/14/24

Pre-show song - We came out unannounced and played I-65 around 7:20 just for the people that got there early. We thought that would be a nice treat.

The show started at 9:15

Sensational Things (Blow It Up Before It Breaks) - One of the last songs to make the record. It made more sense once we had the other songs in place. Original opening line was “Manhattan skyline was second on my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking of you.” Changed to “I went home without a waitress the way I always do.”

Star Vehicle (Star Vehicle)

If That’s How You Want It (Twister/Star Vehicle) We have never played this song third in a set.

Just Let Go (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

Night one was billed as Side A. As in, we would be playing every song from side A of the latest record this evening. This was the first live performance of “Just Let Go.”

We get together and demo all songs as a full band before committing to recording anything. We need to feel the hair on our arms go up when we play it live. GarageBand e-mails only get you so far. We need to feel it live and loud. Once in the studio, Tim Patalan really pushed me to bring some different guitar flavor to the track. And the song is better off for it. I think it is my favorite cut on the album.

But live, it has less fancy chords and more power chords. In my mind, it’s a low-rent Sugar vibe. And that is a cool neighborhood in which to rent an apartment.

Blow It Up Before It Breaks (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

The first song we worked on and finished. Title track. Watershed doesn’t have the best album titles but they aren’t the worst. Not everyone can be as clever as the New Bomb Turks, ya know. Ranking the Watershed album titles…..not the music or the art, just the titles.

1) Star Vehicle

2) Brick and Mortar

3) Blow It Up Before It Breaks

4) The More It Hurts, The More It Works

5) The Fifth of July

6) The Carpet Cliff

7) Twister

Twister is the only one that is kinda lame. Goes to show, a quarter million dollars of Sony money cannot buy a cool album title.

Super Stressed (Star Vehicle)

Consolation Prize (Star Vehicle)

Youth Is Confusion (Twister)

These lyrics age surprisingly well considering the title and that we wrote them before we were old enough to legally rent a car. Bonus Chuck Berry points for the line “Youth is, not knowing who you is.”

Another Night in the Ruts (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

Some pure power-pop backed up with an MTV Video Vanguard contender from Mr. Biggie. Lots to love here. Oh, and Biggie decorated the entire Rumba Cafe as a Watershed modern art exhibition. Hilarious. Check out the pictures on the Watershed Facebook page. As for the video…..

Twister (Twister)

This was fun to play.

Give a Little Bit (Star Vehicle)

Opener Ricki (“the atists formerly known as Erica Blinn”) came out and blew some harp and sang some lead vox. She is a real rock star. I’m jealous.

We Don’t Get Hurt (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

Here we have the biggest discrepancy between the album and live version. Hell, I got bumped from the record with the talented Aubrey Ray singing all the vocals with Joe O instead of yours truly. But it’s really cool and we all loved it. Like our heroes Cheap Trick, we don’t feel the need to recreate everything live exactly as it was recorded and vice-versa. It was fun to get my harmony job back even if I forgot half of Joe’s really smart lyrics.

Hero of a Tragedy (The Carpet Cliff)

Side A was definitely leaning old school out of the gate with Herb starting out on drums and playing the majority of the set. This was the deepest cut we have played since….The Reverend Todd Baker caught a snippet.. Watch This!

Five For Two (unreleased)

By FAR, the most requested song we never play live. We finally did it, so shut up already.

How Do You Feel? (Twister)

Herb leaves.

Romantic Noise (The More It Hurts)

I play solo so Dave Masica can get behind the kit

Hey Lydia (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

That wraps up songs from Side A of Blow It Up.

New Life (The More It Hurts)

Suckerpunch (The 5th of July)

5th of July (Duh)

The Best Is Yet To Come (The Fifth of July)

Black Concert T-Shirt (Star Vehicle)

I’ve Been Looking Everywhere (The More It Hurts)

Herb took lead vocals on this. The train came off the tracks but a quick restart got things moving in the right direction. I guess we should have rehearsed this instead of just talking about it backstage before the show. Watch This!

Born To Run (The More It Hurts)

No, we did not write another song called “Born To Run.” It is the Bruce tune and it actually is a hidden track at the end of The More It Hurts. Did we get permission to do this? Is this legal? Hmm…..as our attorney Tim Patalan once told us, “A lawsuit about royalties is better than no lawsuit about royalties.”

End of set; roadie Ricki C. begs for the encore. We ain’t too proud to beg.

Sad Drive (Twister)

I play solo again so Herb can get back behind the kit.

You Need Me (Twister)

We have never played this song as an encore so we thought this would be a nice surprise. VHS Bootleg. Watch This!

She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult)

First time we have played this in about 20 years. Along with “Long Live Rock” and “It’s A Long Way To The Top,” this is a song that we would play around last call at the end of a two or even three set bar show. Truly three chords and a cloud of dust (and beer spray).

Night 2 / Side B - 6/15/24

Sweet Kisses Bitter Scars (unreleased, except “Single Series”)

As well-known in Watershed circles, this was the song we opened sets with for years claiming it would be the first song on our new record. And then it didn’t even make the cut on that record. It got bumped for “Good Day” on The More It Hurts. It is the Hitless Wonder of Watershed songs.

Obvious (Fifth of July)

The Habit (Fifth of July)

If you are wondering what’s up with all the Spotify plays on this one, it’s used as a theme song on a TV show called The Dudesons in Norway. Or Sweden. Or some country with long winter nights.

Best Worst Night (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

A rock song about the concept of rocking. But not literally rocking, more like actually rocking. Some might find these lyrics simpleminded. Others might suggest that taken in context to the musical landscape of 2024, they are complex and misunderstood. Either way, the guitars are loud and this track is soaked in beer.

Small Doses (The Fifth of July) I do not think it’s outrageous to suggest this song would be the single on most band’s albums. Not 5th.

Lucky Day (The Fifth of July)

New Depression (The Fifth of July)

Really fun to break this out and hear everyone singing. In fact, everyone was singing a lot this night. Bands might bitch about how much Spotify pays its “artists,” but do they factor in the value of people singing along to a deep cut they might have never heard? If that isn’t worth an additional $1.72 in royalties I don’t know what is.

Laundromat (The Fifth of July)

Perhaps P4P is my favorite song to play live.

Broken (Brick and Mortar)

First time played in a long time. No reason.

Over Too Soon (The More It Hurts)

I wonder if Celine Dion covered this song would it sound like a “bear attack in a library”? (Quote from 60 Songs That Explained The 90’s. Awesome book and podcast, from Rob Harvilla) Click here for an episode with some Watershed love.

Swingin’ Party (cover, The Replacements)

Kinda dropped this in. If you haven’t read the amazing book Trouble Boys by Bob Mehr do it ASAP. In related news, as I am writing this, Watershed announced our first show in Minneapolis in 20 years. As luck would have it, this will be our 20th show in the Twin Cities.

Our first was the day after Thanksgiving at The Uptown bar in 1994. We drove all the way there from Columbus just to open a show because we loved The Replacements so much we had to make the pilgrimage. We got hooked and kept going back. So many good memories.

Little Mistakes (Brick and Mortar)

Reach Out (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

Only our third cover ever recorded and first properly credited on an actual release. I mentioned “Born To Run,” do you know the other?

At the very last minute we halted production on this record because 11 songs seemed weird. Humans like round numbers for some reason. We had never cut a Cheap Trick song even though we can play 40 off hand. Thought about doing “Downed” or “You Drive I’ll Steer” but finally landed on “Reach Out.” Adding this one song delayed the album release for 12 months. Or what some may call “a year.”

Oh - and of course, Marcy Mays (Scrawl), my Cheap Trick sister from another mother got up to sing this one with us. We sure do sing a lot of Cheap Trick songs together. It can happen anytime, anywhere. No one is safe. You aren’t safe.

Glide On (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

At soundcheck, I turned to the guys after we finished a thunderous version to an empty Rumba and said, “That was great. Kind of depressing to think we may only play it live one more time. Tonight.”

It’s all good. Just the reality of rock n roll at this stage in our lives. I’m thankful we got to play it even one time.

Cracking Up (unreleased)

Joe plays a deep cut solo while Herb takes over drums from Dave.

Wallflower Child (The More It Hurts)

Joe and myself perform bar-room singalong version while Herb gets set on drums.

Bleeding On The Blank Page (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

Ok, maybe this is my favorite song to play live.

Nightshade (Twister)

Half of Me (Star Vehicle)

People seemed to really be digging this Terry Anderson-inspired knock-off. Also appears on The League Bowlers Some Balls Deluxe release.

Self-Motivated (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

No song improved more in the days leading up to the show than this one. It went from being acceptable to a killer in 24 hours. Like a hurricane blowing up over the Gulf of Mexico.

We fooled around with the tempo a bit and Herb really leaned into a Joey Kramer / Rats in the Cellar vibe during the extended mid-section. Also didn’t hurt that Ricki came out and played some harmonica with us again. Did I mention she is a rock star? Her record is amazing and I cannot wait for the whole thing to be released.

In related news, this is the most streamed song on the new record. Go figure.

American Muscle (Brick and Mortar)

I’d Be A Liar (Star Vehicle)

The set is kind of going in all directions at this point. If I were watching us I would be freaking out.

Resonate (Blow It Up Before It Breaks)

If this is the last song on the last Watershed record it’s not a bad way to go out.

A Long Runway (Extended Player)

Played this for Quinn Fallon.

Dad Can’t Help You Now (Colin Gawel - Superior)

It was Father’s Day weekend so this seemed appropriate while Dave took drums back over from Herb.

Also Mark “Pooch” Borror sat in for Rick Kinsinger for the next three tunes. Everyone is always excited to see Pooch.

Slowly Then Suddenly (The Fifth of July)