Rocking

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NEW WATERSHED “BEST OF” ALBUM
AVAILABLE IN AUGUST 2026 AT WATERSHEDCENTRAL.

THE SHORT STORY

When I was in the eighth grade, my friend Colin Gawel talked me into buying a bass guitar. The two of us formed Watershed, the band I’ve played bass and sung in for forty years. 

For the long story see my memoir, Hitless Wonder.

In the meantime, here’s a Watershed primer:

THE BIO

This summer, Watershed will release a special 15th anniversary edition of bassist/singer Joe Oestreich’s cult-classic memoir Hitless Wonder and a 26-track, “Best of” double-vinyl. In combination, the book and the album tell the story of the Columbus institution’s four-decade journey through rock and roll’s trenches. Watershed will support the twin releases with an eight-city tour through the Midwest (dates and information at WatershedCentral).

Originally published in 2012 but out of print since 2016, Hitless Wonder received critical acclaim from NPR, Mix Magazine, The Washington Post, Publisher’s Weekly, and many other outlets.  The special anniversary edition includes a new afterword by Oestreich, a new foreword by The Ringer’s Rob Harvilla (host of the 60 Songs that Explain the 90s podcast and the book by the same name), and new photos and artwork. The book launch will take place Thursday, July 30, at Used Kids Records in Columbus, featuring a reading and book signing by Oestreich and a panel moderated by Harvilla. The event is free and open to the public. Afterward, the paperback, ebook, and audiobook (narrated by legendary WWCD DJ Brian Phillips) will be available everywhere.  

Serving as a soundtrack to the book, the double-disc collection, Hitless Wonder: The Definitive Cuts, 1990-2025 (ColumbusBlood Records) features songs that stretch from the band’s early days recording with Willie Phoenix, to staples from their brief stint on a major label, to tracks that garnered radio airplay and appeared in TV shows like MTV’s Laguna Beach and A&E’s Gene Simmons Family Jewels. Tucked into the package will be a 45 single featuring two brand new songs recorded in 2025 and 2026 with the band’s longtime producer Tim Patalan. The album will be available at Used Kids Records and other Columbus stores, via mail order at watershedcentral.com, and on all streaming services.

Formed in 1985 by Colin Gawel (vocals and guitar), Joe Oestreich (vocals and bass), and Herb Schupp (drums) while they were still in high school, Watershed signed with Epic Records in the early nineties. After the release of a live EP and a studio album (1995’s Twister), Epic dropped the band. Many artists would have broken up at that moment, but Watershed—owing to equal parts optimism and stubbornness—found a new drummer (Dave Masica) and kept plowing forward, producing their best work, including the albums The More it Hurts, The More it Works; Fifth of July; and their most recent studio effort, Blow it Up Before it Breaks. Thanks to significant airplay on WWCD, tracks from these albums cemented the band’s place in the annals of Ohio music.

In the Midwest, Watershed shows are legendary. But Watershed hasn’t stuck it out for forty years to be “legendary” any more than Cool Hand Luke downed all those eggs because he was hungry for breakfast. No, Watershed takes the stages of musty clubs, belting their songs like their lives depend on it because they are one of the last rock bands standing. And that’s what rock bands do.

THE DISCOGRAPHY

Full Lengths

  • Hitless Wonder: The Definitive Cuts, 1990-2025. B Minus Records. 2026.
  • Blow It Up Before It Breaks. B Minus Records. 2024.
  • Brick & Mortar. B Minus Records/Curry House Records. 2012.
  • Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust II. Idol Records. 2007
  • The Fifth of July. Idol Records. 2005
  • The More It Hurts, The More It Works. Idol Records/Carney Records. 2002
  • Star Vehicle ’98. Thunder Creek Records. 1998
  • Star Vehicle. Thunder Creek Records. 1997
  • Twister. Epic Records. 1995
  • Twister & Other Low Budget Storms. B Minus Records. 1993
  • The Carpet Cliff. Palas Records. 1991

EPs

  • Extended Player. B Minus Records. 2020.
  • Still Love X-mas. B Minus Records. 1998
  • Watershed/Hoarse. Idol Records. 1997
  • Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust. Epic Records. 1994
  • Watershed. Bravo Records. 1991
  • ’89 (The Wire). B Minus Records. 1989
  • First Time Around (The Wire). B Minus Records. 1987

CD Singles

  • 5th of July: Single & Video. Idol Records. 2006
  • The Single Series: Volume Three. B Minus Records. 2004
  • The Single Series: Volume Two. B Minus Records. 2001
  • The Single Series: Volume One. B Minus Records. 2001
  • Black Concert T-Shirt. Thunder Creek Records. 1998
  • Star Vehicle. Thunder Creek Records. 1998
  • How Do You Feel. Epic Records. 1995

Digital Singles

  • American Muscle. Curry House Records. 2011
  • Sticky Bomb. Curry House Records. 2011

Cassingles

  • Blow It Up Before It Breaks b/w Another Night in the Ruts. B Minus Records. 2024
  • How Do You Feel b/w Twister. Epic Records. 1995
  • Three Track Sampler. Palas Records. 1992

Wax Singles

  • Twister b/w Atlantic City. B Minus Records. 1993
  • How Do You Feel b/w Give It Away. B Minus Records. 1991
  • Rise b/w Love Passes Underground. Bravo Records. 1990

Compilations

  • Columbusmusic.com Spring Showcase. 2002
  • Andyman’s Fab Five (CD 101 Radio). 2001
  • The Gift. 2001
  • Live from the Community Fest. 1998
  • The Album Network’s Rock Tune Up 180. 1998
  • The Geo Virtual Test Drive. 1995
  • Audio Byways. 1995
  • CMJ New Music (May). 1994
  • Just Wing It (WCBE Radio). 1992
  • Fist Full of Chaos. 1991

Television

  • Gene Simmons Family Jewels (Episode: “Sophie’s Sweet 16”)
  • Laguna Beach (Episode: “314”)
  • Date My Mom (Episode: “314,” “316,” “339”)
  • Ranked (Episode: “Bromances”)
  • Rob and Big (Episode: “202 – Time Travel,” “204”)
  • Next (Episode: “BB Lesbian Prom”)
  • Passports to Great Weekends (Episode: “Myrtle Beach”)
  • Underdog to Wonderdog (Episode: “Joshua”)
  • Teen Cribs (Episode: “240”)
  • Scott Baio is 45 and Single (Episode: “101”)
  • Flipping Out (Episode: “203”)
  • Fashion Television – Canada (Episode: “18V,” “26V”)
  • The Dudesons – Finland (Episodes: A bunch of Finnish words I can’t spell and don’t understand, e.g. “Seuraa Talvijohtajaa”)
  • The Travel Channel’s Extreme Fast Food, Adrenaline Rushes, Miami Hotspots, Playtime, Vegas, and Superstructures.
  • The Alli Show (Episode: “Skills and Thrills: Alli’s All-Star Moments”)
  • Dude, What Would Happen (Episode: “108” and “111”)
  • DiscoverOhio Tourism Commercial. “Ohio: Too Much Fun for One Day.”
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