The story of “econo” and the punk rock band Minutemen

Imagine this: it’s 1983 and you’re at this small hardcore punk show in Los Angeles. The venue is most likely a small bar, someone’s house or even maybe a garage. The expectations of what this show will be like are clear: a lot of moshing (or “slam-dancing,” as it was referred to back then), fast and ear-splitting buzzsaw guitars and people screaming, i.e. an intense and cathartic experience. You watch a guy with curly hair flopping like a cat’s tail sit at the drum kit as the bass player donned in flannel joins him. Finally, a burly man with semi-long curly hair, a beard and worker’s boots steps up to the microphone. The crowd of hardcore kids immediately start booing them: “What kind of punk band wears flannel?” Then they begin to play, and it’s absolutely electric. The drummer is playing at a million miles an hour and the bass player starts playing intricate funk licks overtop the rapid-fire guitar playing of the guy singing. Each song they play is over about a minute after it starts, and they sprinkle in their sets with covers of bands that punks hated (Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), Van Halen and Steely Dan for example). At the end of the set, the bass player signs off by saying, “We’re the Minutemen and we jam Econo!” You leave the venue confused about what you just witnessed. “Who are the Minutemen and what does ‘econo’ mean?”

The Minutemen were a punk band from San Pedro, Calif. and were birthed through the childhood friendship of bassist Mike Watt and guitar player D. Boon. As they started gigging, their friend, drummer George Hurley, joined the band, thereby solidifying the lineup. Although they were a “punk” band, their style was mostly a blend of other genres which made their sound completely singular. Their main musical influences reflected what was heard around their respective houses growing up, such as classic rock, swamp rock and country to name a few. The band members came fromworking class backgrounds and worked blue collar day jobs while in the band, which gave rise to their philosophy known as “Econo.”

“Econo,” which is San Pedro slang for “economical,” is the principal philosophy under which the Minutemen operated and was present in every facet in which the group conducted themselves. The tenants of “Econo” can be boiled down to achieving some kind of goal in the cheapest and most efficient manner possible. This could be in how they wrote “jams” (Minutemen terminology for a song), how they dressed, how they recorded albums and how they toured. Each of their songs were about one to two minutes of fast and concise playing containing either a single profound thought, Boon and Watt making fun of each other or satirizing something or a combination of both. Their recording process was very swift and deliberate, reflecting the essence of “Econo.” The recording process for a typical band would usually last a few weeks, doing multiple takes of the same song until it’s perfect. In contrast, the Minutemen would record one or two takes of their songs and finish an entire album in a couple of hours. Thus is the efficiency of “Econo.” On their tours, they borrowed another band’s van and they were their own roadies, loading and unloading all their gear as they toured the entire US and in Europe as well. “Jamming Econo” was not merely a form of music, recording or touring, but rather a complete way of life. If someone lives their life in a fiercely independent and self-reliant way, that’s “Jamming Econo.”

On their track “History Lesson Part II,” D. Boon speaks candidly about the history of their band—their “creed” in a way. Boon talks about how “Punk Rock changed our lives” and about how their band is “scientist rock,” mixing a solution with the influences of “E. Bloom, Richard Hell, Joe Strummer and John Doe,” a tongue-in-cheek nod to their blend of genres. While this song is a funny and nostalgic trip through their history, the first line states to the listener that “Econo” is a lifestyle: “Our band could be your life.” I could imagine that folks who went and saw this practice in person had their lives changed as well.