'Post-genre' trio brings blast of experimental rock to Tallahassee

Experimental rock group mssv (or Main Steam Stop Valve), a self-described “post-genre” power trio is headed for Tallahassee.

The musical project of guitarist Mike Baggetta, drummer Stephen Hodges, and legendary punk bassist Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREhOSE, The Stooges) have embarked on a 58 show tour across the U.S. and Canada and will be performing their dreamy experimental rock at the 926 Bar & Grill on Tharpe Street on Wednesday, Oct. 25, in support of their new album “Human Reaction.”

Guitarist Mike Baggetta has been described in such publications as The New York Times, Slate Magazine, Rolling Stone and Jazz Times as a “genre-blurring guitar hero” of “slippery proficiency” and a “post-Frisselian sonic explorer” whose “wild whammy-bar articulations, ambient looping, vintage twang and rippling arpeggios are full of subversive surprises in service of Americana-meets exploratory Jazz Psych.”

After completing graduate studies in Jazz at Rutgers University, Baggetta spent the next 15 years playing and recording in the New York City avant-jazz scene and around the world alongside musicians such as Jerome Harris, Darcy James Argue, Satoshi Takeishi, David Torn, Donny McCaslin, Dominique Eade and Nels Cline.

mssv came about four years ago when Baggetta, while making a recording for Chris Schlarb's BIG EGO label, invited bassist Mike Watt and veteran drummer Jim Keltner to complete the line-up for the project. Watt and Keltner agreed and together the trio recorded "Wall of Flowers" in 2017, followed by a second recording “Everywhen We Go” in 2021.

Drummer Hodges (who had worked with Tom Waits and David Lynch among others) had previously recorded with Watt on his solo record “Contemplating the Engine Room” and was brought in to replace Keltner when the latter was unable to tour.

The new line-up, christened Main Steam Stop Valve by Watt, played 10 shows across the U.S. in 10 days and a live recording from this tour was released as “Live Flowers” in late 2019. Work began on new music which would soon appear on the new trio’s debut studio album “Main Steam Stop Valve” in 2020. In 2023, the trio of Baggetta, Hodges and Watt released their second studio album “Human Reaction” which features more of an emphasis on vocals than previous recordings.

Baggetta writes the music of mssv thinking about the sound of Watt and Hodges, both from years of playing together and of all the music of theirs that he grew up listening to.

“I try to nudge their playing into some new type of zone they haven't gotten into yet, but always welcome them to change their parts and bring new ideas into the songs," Bagetta says. "The more I play the more I really think about the rhythm. And especially the interaction between drum parts and bass parts, how they can fit together in endless interesting ways by playing in different spots instead of just being in unison.”

For Baggetta, one of the best things about the band is that they are always working on improving their music on the road. “Even the songs that we’ve already recorded have evolved from playing them every night.”

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If you go

What: Experimental rock group mssv with with local rockers Band of Names

When: Doors open at 7 p.m., music at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 25

Where: 926 Bar & Grill, 926 W. Tharpe St.

Tickets: 15 advance, $18 day of show. Advance tickets available at mssv1025.eventbrite.com

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 'Post-genre' trio mssv brings new sound to Tallahassee concert