Watershed (Columbus Ohio band)
Encyclopedia
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, 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.
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. 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
.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band based in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, consisting of Colin Gawel
Colin Gawel
Colin Gawel is co-founder, lead singer and guitarist of the American rock band WatershedColin also has a solo career both with and without his backing band - Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones. The first EP Chemotherapy was released in 2009. The second EP "Superior" was released in February 2010...
(guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
), Joe Oestreich (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
), Joe Peppercorn (piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, guitar), Dave Masica (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
). Watershed was once hailed as "Rock & Roll's Last Hope." Their songs have appeared in many television shows, 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
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...
. 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
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
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
Thomas O'Keefe
Thomas O'Keefe born January 22, 1964 in New Haven, CT is a North Carolina musician best known for his work with Antiseen and Train.-Early years:O'Keefe lived in Connecticut until the age of 14....
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.
Dead Schembechlers
A side-project, based on the Ohio State-Michigan football game and rivalry, of two of the original Watershed members, Colin GawelColin Gawel
Colin Gawel is co-founder, lead singer and guitarist of the American rock band WatershedColin also has a solo career both with and without his backing band - Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones. The first EP Chemotherapy was released in 2009. The second EP "Superior" was released in February 2010...
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
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
. The name was a lighthearted jab at Michigan coach Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
, who upon hearing about the band name was reportedly quite amused. 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
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
.
The band plays many anti-Wolverine
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
songs, at the tune of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
"legends" - such as Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
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
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
. 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
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
." The band played two live concerts in 2008; their Cleveland show was their first to be scheduled outside of Columbus.
Studio albums
- Watershed (1991)
- The Carpet Cliff (1992)
- Twister & Other Low Budget Storms (1993)
- TwisterTwister (album)Twister is the third album by the Rock band Watershed.-Tracklist:# "You Need Me" - 4:37# "Nightshade" - 3:18# "How Do You Feel" - 4:53# "If That's How You Want It" - 4:07# "Twister" - 5:11# "Youth is Confusion" - 3:33...
(1995) (Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
) - Star VehicleStar Vehicle (album)Star Vehicle is the fifth album, released two years after Twister, by the rock band Watershed, and is the final studio album featuring Herb Schupp on drums. As with most other Watershed albums, Star Vehicle was recorded in "The Barn."-Star Vehicle '98:...
(1997, Re-released in 1998 as Star Vehicle '98) - The More It Hurts, The More It WorksThe More It Hurts, The More It WorksThe More It Hurts, The More It Works is the sixth album, released five years after Star Vehicle, by the rock band Watershed. This was the first Watershed album released with Dave Masica on drums, following the departure of Herb Schupp...
(2002) (Idol RecordsIdol RecordsIdol Records is a Dallas, Texas-based record label and publishing company founded in 1993 by Erv Karwelis who serves as President of the label. Its roster currently consists of bands such as The O's, The Crash That Took Me, Here Holy Spain, Sponge, Watershed, Flickerstick, and PPT...
) - The Fifth of JulyThe Fifth of JulyThe Fifth of July is the seventh album by the Power pop band Watershed. The songs on the album have been featured on MTV's Date My Mom, Made, and Laguna Beach. In addition, they've been in rotations from South Carolina to Seattle. This album was also the first to feature Mark "Poochie" Borror...
(2005) (Idol RecordsIdol RecordsIdol Records is a Dallas, Texas-based record label and publishing company founded in 1993 by Erv Karwelis who serves as President of the label. Its roster currently consists of bands such as The O's, The Crash That Took Me, Here Holy Spain, Sponge, Watershed, Flickerstick, and PPT...
) - Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust II (2007) (Idol RecordsIdol RecordsIdol Records is a Dallas, Texas-based record label and publishing company founded in 1993 by Erv Karwelis who serves as President of the label. Its roster currently consists of bands such as The O's, The Crash That Took Me, Here Holy Spain, Sponge, Watershed, Flickerstick, and PPT...
) - As Yet Untitled (June, 2012)
EPs
- First Time Around (1987, Released under The Wire)
- '89 (1989, Released under The Wire)
- Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust (1994) (Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
) - Watershed / Hoarse Split (1997) (Idol RecordsIdol RecordsIdol Records is a Dallas, Texas-based record label and publishing company founded in 1993 by Erv Karwelis who serves as President of the label. Its roster currently consists of bands such as The O's, The Crash That Took Me, Here Holy Spain, Sponge, Watershed, Flickerstick, and PPT...
) - Still Love X-mas (1998)
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)