Columbus Dispatch
On Watershed’s new album, The Fifth of July, the band has mastered a craft - the craft of creating so-catchy-it should-be-illegal power pop. The Fifth of July is the Kinks with muscle, the Ramones with better voices and Green Day with bigger brains.

Like a four-headed Hemingway with musical instruments rather than writing tools, singer guitarist Colin Gawel, bassist Joe Oestreich, drummer Dave Massica and guitarist Mark Booror get in, get out and leave permanent marks in the listener’s memory banks. An epic song length for the Columbus band is 3:46, and epics are the exceptions. The first three songs - Obvious, The Habit and The Fifth of July - clock in at a combined 6:52.

But Watershed says more poignant things about neverending summers, dead-end jobs and drinks to go to sleep and to wake up than a more longwinded outfit ever would. (Aaron Beck)

Detroit Metro Times
Ever since their joint efforts with ’90s hometown rock heroes Hoarse, Watershed has been a favorite here at Night & Day. Due in no small part to frontman Joe Oestreich’s spotless vocals and “all rock, no filler” sensibilities, the band’s latest release, The Fifth of July, on Idol Records, deserves two Sissy Hankshaw-caliber thumbs up. On Saturday, the Columbus, Ohio, foursome returns to the D for an intimate show at everyone’s favorite DIY venue, 313.Jac. (Editor’s note: A little birdie told us that Oestreich recently lent his high-end trillmaster skills to the highly anticipated new Fags album. Props to any rock band that has the balls to do pop and do it well.) 624 Brush St., Detroit; 313-962-7067. Diatribe master, Jimmy Doom to open.

Night Times – St. Louis, MO
“It’s totally obvious,” sings Watershed as the guitars crunch and drums pound from your speakers (or headphones). Revealing a vigorous deference of 70s power pop – Badfinger/Raspberries/Cheap Trick – Watershed do not attempt to obscure where it is coming from--that sweet spot between heart and soul. The opening “Obvious” sets the tone well with its intense vocals, its unrelenting beat and robust performance. The rest of The Fifth of July follows this well trodden path

Impact Press – Orlando, FL
The Columbus, Ohio quartet Watershed return with their latest effort, The Fifth of July. The rock and roll veterans, once signed to a major-label during the mid-90's, have picked up a number of tricks along the way. With a sound that indebted to both Cheap Trick and the Kinks, Watershed plays some catchy power pop with big guitars and big hooks. Somebody get these guys on the radio. (CL)

Outburn Magazine
Watershed's latest disc may have cover artwork nearly identical to Godflesh's 2001 swan song Hymns, but fans of industrial metal shouldn't let that fool them. This Columbus, OH quartet has more in common with the Gin Blossoms and Counting Crows than the brutal stylings of Justin Broderick. Watershed writes the sort of hook driven pop you've heard a million times on rock radio, even if they are a bit grittier in the lyrical department. (Sample verse: "Back to your place after the bars close and I'm feeling strangely turned on at the sight of your dirty clothes." Nevertheless, the songs on The Fifth of July do exactly what they are supposed to do-they lodge themselves into your brain and dare you to try and suppress them. One can almost see the boys at the amphitheatre pumping their fist between sips of beer as brigades on 20-something women on a girls night out, flip their hair and giggle at how cute Watershed's lead singer is. The secret to the success of bands like this is that even the roughest, most jaded tough guys indulge themselves in this sort of guilty pleasure every once in awhile-after their friends have gone home, of course. (Shawn Macomber)

Amplifier Magazine
Watershed’s sound hasn’t changed much since Twister, its 1995 major-label debut for Epic; they’ve changed labels, swapped drummers and added a fourth member, but they’re still grinding out the same brand of potent Replacements/Outfield-styled rock, chronicling the day-to-day frustrations of life on the run in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio. “Obvious” (my nomination for single of the year thus far) pummels a relationship grown self-conscious, where passion is now redundancy: “Back to your place after the bars close/And I’m feeling strangely turned on by the sight of your dirty clothes/Critiquing your refrigerator magnet poetry/Smelling the latest issue of Seventeen/Wondering how all this will read in you diary/Together we’re somehow alone/We go on/This is totally obvious.” “Small Doses” laments a women’s threshold of boredom with her lover, while “The Habit”, “New Depression”, and “Going Through the Motions” are about as blasé as their titles suggest. What saves The Fifth of July from becoming the total gloom-fest lyrically implied is the fact the music remains joyously raucous, as if the band still believes at this stage of its career that salvation is potentially a mere power chord away. Will success spoil the muse? Here’s hoping Watershed finds out. (Brad Harvey)

Abercrombie and Fitch
Haven’t heard of Watershed yet? Well, get out of your hole and plug into the incredible sound of these four guys from Columbus, Ohio. In their first album in three years, Colin, Joe, Dave, and Mark deliver the mail and more with a powerful punch of pop, rock, and a lot of heart. “Obvious,” our featured track, is undeniably catchy with a memorable hook, perfectly pounding guitars, and vocals so fine you won’t believe your ears. So, what are you waiting for? Put these guys on your playlist already.

NotLame
Watershed was on Epic in the mid 90`s, was dropped and has trudged on forward since. And better for the wear, Watershed play like a Cheap Trick inspired band of youths who have listened to a few Kiss and hard rock records along the way. An undeniably hard hitting pop album that rocks with big power with its pop and would sound right at home next to the best the Goo Goo Dolls and Cheap Trick now can dish out. The songs are compact 2 to 4 minute songs that are straight ahead rock with the emphasis on a strong chorus. "n Watershed`s new album, The Fifth of July, the band has mastered a craft - the craft of creating so-catchy-it should-be-illegal power pop. The Fifth of July is the Kinks with muscle, the Ramones with better voices and Green Day with bigger brains. Like a four-headed Hemingway with musical instruments rather than writing tools, singer guitarist Colin Gawel, bassist Joe Oestreich, drummer Dave Massica and guitarist Mark Booror get in, get out and leave permanent marks in the listener`s memory banks. An epic song length for the Columbus band is 3:46, and epics are the exceptions. The first three songs - Obvious, The Habit and The Fifth of July - clock in at a combined 6:52. But Watershed says more poignant things about neverending summers, dead-end jobs and drinks to go to sleep and to wake up than a more longwinded outfit ever would."-Dispatch.com. Well, not sure where you hear any Kinks in here and, frankly, The Ramones` vocals were fine and worked perfectly, but the Green Day comment is dead on. This album, for my ears, is on a higher level than "American Idiot". Very Highly Recommended!

PopBang
Simply put, this CD rocks! Columbus, Ohio's Watershed releases a brand new CD on the marvelous Idol Records label. It's hard to believe that this band has been releasing records as long as the Foo Fighters have, with a quality that is equal to Dave Grohl's Hall of Fame bound band, and yet are still not a household name.

Hopefully with the release of "The 5th of July", that is about to change. Perfectly produced buy The Fag's Tim Patalan, this CD is chock full of crunchy guitars, memorable hooks, and high quality vocals.

Absolutely, without question, this will be one of the Top 5 albums of 2005 on my list (and most likely many many others).

RoughEdge.com
Watershed's "The Fifth of July" is the perfect merger of disposable pop punk and durable '70s arena rock, as the 11 hook-laden tracks here from these Columbus, OH natives combine the cheekiness of Fountains of Wayne with the timeless melodies of Cheap Trick.

Tracks like the secretary rock feel of "Small Doses" are palatable for folks 8 - 80, while the singable chorus on "My Lucky Day" is reminiscent of bands like Better Than Ezra and Gin Blossoms.

Still, despite "The Fifth of July" being a solid offering, Watershed's meat and potatoes delivery rarely rises above the standard bar band fare, making songs like "Going Through the Motions" a bit more revealing than expected.

Fufkin.com
Listening to Watershed's The 5th of July is to take a stroll down relationship memory lane using the band's record collections as a map. The boy-meets-girl-then-boy-usually-screws-it-up story is told several times on this disc and, to the band's credit, it is usually done so without resorting to the clichés of sickening sentimentality or hurtful bitterness. Relationships come and go, you learn, you move on. Most of the confessions are along the lines of those in the excellent "The Habit" where the narrator figures, "I gotta stop hitting on your friends and hoping you ain't looking." There's no time for any of this Dashboard Confessional weepy crap when there's still cold beer to drink and Marshall amps to crank.

Musically, while Cheap Trick's brand of guitar pop has always left its stamp on Watershed, this record is probably their Trick-iest. The similarities come from the smooth two-part vocal harmonies and guitar worship. But mostly, the two bands share an undeniable ability to insert a highly memorable hook into each and every song. It may come from a quick guitar riff. A lot of times it hides in the pre-chorus or bridge. There are even cases, like on "Slowly Then Suddenly," where it comes from the meter in which bassist Joe Oestrich sings the song. He rolls and rambles along with a percussive style (and virtually no pauses) complemented by his Thunderbass playing.

There are other musical influences sprinkled liberally throughout the disc. "Small Doses" is comfortably in the vein of Tom Petty's "Even the Losers." "Laundromat" could have appeared on The Goo Goo Dolls' Superstar Carwash. "New Depression," sung in Colin Gawel's raspy twang, feels like a Kevn Kinney track. And each of those comparisons are positive things.

The only true stumbling block on the record for me is "Going Through The Motions," a slow, country-tinged track filled with guitar feedback, harmonica, mallet drum rolls, and vocal effects that just doesn't offer enough of any of those things to make it interesting. But, fortunately, they bounce right back with the optimistic album closer, "The Best is Yet To Come," which has more in common with The Kinks' "Better Things" than just their names.

Like most good power pop records, this one checks in at just over the half-hour mark, leaving the listener wanting more. Those who have followed Watershed over the years will be pleased by the return of the band's sound, this time stepped up a notch in the production and playing levels. Those who are just discovering Watershed (dare I say, national radio programmers?) will welcome the new, catchy, and instantly familiar tunes.

Independents Only
Watershed easily has what it takes to be the next big thing on stereos across the country. The disc opens with the track “Obvious” and sets the tone for a collage of great rock songs one after the other. On first listen you get the idea that Watershed would be one of the loudest bands you ever heard. With a wall of guitar sound providing the perfect mix of pop sensibility, the rough garage sound is reminiscent of The Stooges or The Kinks.

Cincinnati City Beat
From Columbus comes Watershed, a quartet that specializes in sparkly Pop songs that could conceivably (and should) serve as the soundtrack for driving around on a warm summer evening trying to pick up girls (or guys) at the drive-in. Watershed -- Colin Gawel (guitar/vocals), Joel Ostrich (bass/vocals), Mark "Poochie" Borror (guitar) and Dave Masica (drums) -- idolize Give The People What They Want-era Kinks, and in my book, that's a good thing. When you're looking to offer shiny Pop baubles with a heart and soul to the public, you can't go wrong by following Ray Davies' example. And what shiny Pop baubles they have to offer indeed. The band's music really does remind you of summer with carefree, pleasing melodies and guitar-driven hooks. And since their just-released disc is titled The Fifth of July, it's hardly a coincidence. Gawel's radio-ready tunes sit on your porch swing on a sultry night, crack open a beer and spin economic tales of love and life in between yelling at their friends in cars as they pass by. The two standout tracks are the title cut (which I'll call an homage to the melody of The Cars' hit "Just What I Needed" rather than a direct grab of it, because Watershed does different and interesting things with the song's framework) and the why-isn't-this-in-heavy-rotation-somewhere? "Small Doses." Get a little summer in your life -- go see Watershed. (DJ)

Bite Me Zine
It's been so long since I've heard an amazing record from start to finish (and even longer since the Bite Me chicks GAVE me a good record) that I can't remember if I rate albums on a 4 star or 5 star basis. (Hey, you should hear some of the crap that we get baby. – BM) So hell, I'll give them 5 stars because if I was rating on 4 stars I'd likely give them the extra star for being that good. The Columbus-based group writes power pop so solid that each song is a winner. A joy from start to finish, this is the way songwriting should sound and great guitar power pop should be. It never outstays its welcome (only 32 minutes) and produces sing-along perfection that just has to make you smile. It won't suit you metalheads out there, but it will certainly make Buffalo Tom and Soul Asylum fans ecstatic. Count me as one of those. –Repojay

Roctober Magazine – Chicago, IL
This is like Cheap Chick without ironically trying to be like Cheap
Trick. They just genuinely get what makes Cheap Trick Cheap Trick. And though this band doesn't sound that much like Cheap Trick, I managed to write "Cheap Trick" seven times in the review. Cheap Trick. Eight.

Splendid Zine 6/20/2005
If the slightly twangy, post-grunge pop advanced by groups like Everclear or The Old 97's is your thing, then Fifth of July is for you. I'm secure enough in my masculinity to admit that this kind of Springsteen-fueled All-American rawk gives me hives. However, the instrumentation and vocals are completely in the pocket for the style. The hooks are rock-solid, and the lyrics are just poetic enough to make some A&R guy with 8" woofers in his M Class dream of adding a deck to the beach house in time for the kid's graduation party. Song subjects include reminiscing about one-night stands, Dilbert-esque office misery and general post-collegiate angst. They also give a shout-out to Busch beer and everyone at XM Satellite radio, presumably because these are the types of people who need Watershed's support. All I can say is, if you miss the days when The Goo Goo Dolls were hot hot hot and the Vans Warped tour was just a twinkle in some future MBA's eye, run -- don't walk -- to the nearest Tower Records and pick your copy up today.

Some Austrailian Dude
Fans of powerful pop (note: not powerpop, which is something else altogether and often quite horrible) should get on the web and get hold of this record as soon as their ‘lightning fast downloads’ allow them. Once again, Dallas label Idol Records has come up trumps with a release that, somewhat ludicrously you can’t buy here- but you have to own. And then glorious summer strutters like the title track and ‘Slowly Then Suddenly’ will be yours to treasure for the rest of your otherwise painful lives. Records like this, discs that make you feel fifteen again, don’t come along too often. It’s your duty to buy them when they do. Hair raising

Daily Herald - Arlington Heights, Ill.
By Evan Thorne

Watershed is a rare breed. The group is as equally comfortable playing jangle-ridden Byrds-esque pop as thrashy garage rock that would impress the Donnas. Their sound is best described as timeless, catchy, and so good it's absolutely unfair.

On their new disc, "The Fifth of July," Colin Gawel's raw, crisp vocals lend an urgency lacking in much of rock music today. The first two tracks, "Obvious" and the title cut, are prime examples of what rock radio should sound like - alive, energetic, edgy and real. "My Lucky Day" is effervescent pop rock, while "The Habit" is a shot of pure Hives punk energy. The entire album is permeated by an ethos not unlike the Velvet Underground's attitude of innovation and artfulness, even to the extent of borrowing a lyric from Lou Reed here and there.

The production occasionally leaves listeners wanting. The electric guitars are a bit overdriven, the acoustics a bit too subdued. The bass is just a texture rather than a discernable instrument, and the backup vocals are sometimes almost inaudible. But the songcraft is definitely here, the musicianship is definitely here, and the energy is unmistakably here. For anyone feeling that rock radio has been utterly lifeless for the past few years, fear not - your salvation is at hand.

- Evan Thorne is a freshman at Northern Illinois University. He reviews music of interest to young readers.