Stinson bashes and pops again

Tommy Stinson with the Replacements in Seattle in August 2014. (Andy photo)

When we saw the Replacements clumsily tear it up at Bumbershoot in Seattle in August 2014, bassist Tommy Stinson was having a blast on stage. He was making faces at Paul Westerberg and giving the stage a workout by stomping up a storm. He must have had holes in his shoes afterward.

So, after the ‘Mats called it a day after their reunion tour in June 2015, Stinson kept playing solo and with a band — and pretty soon we’ll have another Bash & Pop record to cram onto our music shelves.

Fat Possum Records will release the band’s sophomore album in early 2017, and Sire/Reprise will recharge the band’s 1993 debut album, “Friday Night Is Killing Me,” with a first-ever vinyl offering in January 2017.

Stinson unleashed a very animated message on the Fat Possum website today:

“You’re hearing it here first: A new Bash & Pop record is coming! Yep, that’s right! No shit! Since recording my last two solo records in a rather piecemeal way, I found myself longing to make a record in the same way that we made the early Replacements records: live, in the studio, as a band. The last record I really did that on was called Friday Night Is Killing Me.

Recording live with a band is the only way I know this to be done. As the life of this project developed, the elements of what make a band a BAND started to appear: The spontaneity, the solidarity, the piss, the vinegar, the good times and the angst. These are all of the things that I think make for a great rock n’ roll record; like a car careening helplessly off the road, only to be spared catastrophe at the very last second.”

Here’s a list of Stinson’s friends that have helped shape the new album:

Chip Roberts (one-400’s)
Steve “Sleeve” Selvidge (The Hold Steady, Big Ass Truck)
Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars, The Word)
Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses)
Joe “The Kid” Sirois (The Mighty Mighty BossToneS, Roll The Tanks)
Cat Popper (Jack White, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Jesse Malin, Winning Instagram)
Justin “Carl” Perkins (Screeching Weasel, Obsoletes)
Tony “Tone Tone” Kieraldo (Played at The White House twice!)
Ryder Cooley

By pre-ordering the record via PledgeMusic, listeners become a part of the record-making process. People can buy the new record and purchase one-of-a-kind items, merchandise and experiences only available for a limited time. The cool trinkets include high-quality vinyl, cassettes, CDs and MP3s to instruments, lyric sheets, posters, framed photographs, and more.

“You can see our first show as Bash & Pop at the historic 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, and I could even crash your wedding and flaunt my ordained status to officiate it!” Stinson added.

Also, a portion of the proceeds of this campaign will benefit the Timkatec trade schools in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

“As you may know, there is still a dire need for us to help these great young people learn how to rebuild their fractured nation,” Stinson continued. “They desperately need any help that any of us can give, no matter the monetary amount. I chose this school after visiting their graduation in 2011 and seeing for myself what a big part of the long-term solution it is for the people and infrastructure of Haiti.”