Dos is a curious yet interesting double bass guitar side project for
Mike Watt (of
the Minutemen and
fIREHOSE) and his former wife, Kira Roessler (from
Black Flag). Formed as a vehicle to take the bass beyond its perceived background role and into the forefront of a band,
Dos (named for the Spanish "two," not some operating system) also became a therapeutic experience in the wake of Roessler's departure from
Black Flag and, more tragically,
Minutemen D. Boon's sudden death on December 22, 1985. After exchanging demos for the better part of 1986 (Roessler had moved to Connecticut), the duo reconvened to record their self-titled debut late in the year, subsequently releasing it on
Watt's own New Alliance Records.
Because it continued to share attention with the pair's many other musical concerns,
Dos have undertaken a sporadic touring (essentially when Roessler occasionally flew in to open select
fIREHOSE dates) and unhurried recording schedule. These have included 1989's Numero Dos EP, a 7" single called The Bob Lawton EP for
Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label in 1991, and a second LP,
Justamente Tres, released a full decade after the first. Despite such infrequent activity, it should be noted that
Dos has now become the longest-running band project of
Watt's career, as well as the main one in Roessler's. ~ John Bush & Ed Rivadavia