''Unwilling to Explain'' is the fourth album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

improvisational Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

band

Unknown Instructors Unknown Instructors are an all-star improvisational rock outfit that features the former rhythm section of Minutemen and fIREHOSE, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley; Saccharine Trust members, guitarist Joe Baiza and vocalist Jack Brewe ...

, featuring

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ca ...

( The Minutemen, fIREHOSE),

George Hurley George Hurley (born September 4, 1958) is a drummer noted for his work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Music career Early years Originally from the East Coast, Hurley and his family moved to San Pedro, California, when he was six years old. ...

(Minutemen, fIREHOSE),

J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist a ...

(

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, the band was forced to change their name because of legal issues. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter) ...

), and Dan McGuire. It was the first Unknown Instructors album that wasn't improvised and the first to feature Mascis on guitar instead of Baiza. The recording took quite some time with Watt recording bass tracks in 2011 and Hurley laying down the drums the following year. Mascis' guitar work was recorded three years after that with Dan McGuire's vocals following.

Reception

David Arnson of ''

Music Connection ''Music Connection'' is a United States–based monthly music trade magazine that began publication in 1977. The magazine caters to career-minded musicians, songwriters, recording artists, and assorted music industry supporting personnel. Init ...

'' called it "truly interesting" but warned "Your mileage may vary on the Tom Waits- and Bukowski-influenced bop narration. The real take- away is Mascis’ fluid and expressive guitar work." ''

Razorcake Razorcake is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that publishes the ''Razorcake'' fanzine, a DIY punk rock fanzine published bi-monthly out of Los Angeles, California. It was co-founded by Todd Taylor (former '' Flipside'' managing editor) and S ...

's'' Michael T. Fournier praised it saying it "hangs together better than any of the group’s other records I’ve heard." Mark Hughson of ''Jersey Beat'' said "If you’re into on-the-fly jazz rock you’ll be hard pressed to find better indie star power."

Personnel

- bass *

- drums *

- guitar * Dan McGuire - vocals *

Joe Baiza Joe Baiza (born January 11, 1952) is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Most of Baiza's music touches on a fusion of punk rock and jazz. Eugene Chadbourne cites Baiza as one of the most noteworthy guitarists to emerge from the South ...

- vocals *Stephen Haluska - harp *Leah Jenssen - cello *Dan Wenninger - saxophone ;Production *Dave Gardner - Mastering *Mike Watt - Producer *Dan McGuire - Producer

References

External links

''Unwilling to Explain''
at

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

{{Authority control Unknown Instructors albums 2019 albums