Biography
Four prominent voices from the indie scene joined forces to form Big Walnuts Yonder, uniting bassist and vocalist Mike Watt, whose résumé includes the Minutemen and the Stooges, guitarist Nels Cline of Wilco, the Geraldine Fibbers, and the Nels Cline Singers, guitarist and singer Nick Reinhart of Tere Melos, and drummer Greg Saunier from Deerhoof. The idea first surfaced during Watt’s 2008 tour of Japan with Tere Melos, when Reinhart and the bassist began talking about recording together. Reinhart later inquired about collaborating with Nels Cline, the lead guitarist on Watt’s 1997 punk opera Contemplating the Engine Room; Watt replied that the quickest way to understand Cline was simply to play with him, and Cline accepted the offer. Cline then asked Reinhart to pick a drummer, and both Cline and Watt welcomed the choice of Greg Saunier, a musician they both admired. Although Watt supplied most of the material and Cline and Saunier each added one composition, the players’ crowded schedules kept them out of the studio until summer 2014, when they assembled at Studio G in Brooklyn, New York, with engineer Tony Maimone, formerly of Pere Ubu. The basic tracks were finished in three days, after which Reinhart and Watt added their lead vocals at home. Sargent House Records issued the self-titled debut album Big Walnuts Yonder in May 2017.
Albums
Singles
