http://www.thereader.com/createpage.asp?contentID=2641Stinson Goes Solo
Replacement-turned-Guns N? Roses bassist plays Ranch Bowl
by Jesse Stanek
At the ripe young age of 12, Tommy Stinson was recruited by his older brother Bob and two fellow aspiring Minnesotan musicians, Chris Mars and Paul Westerberg, to handle bass duties for what would ultimately be one of the most unforgettable rock acts of all time: The Replacements.
Few modern-day musical historians would refute the enormous influence The ??Mats? had on a burgeoning underground of college musicians, eventually setting the stage for bands like R.E.M. to depart the smoky grime of overpacked clubs and step triumphantly onto the arena stages of the world.
The thrashy garage-punk goodness that characterized their earlier efforts like Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash would eventually be toned down into pure rock edginess, leaving behind a wealth of epic songs and quality albums, including cult classics like Let It Be and Pleased To Meet Me.
The band?s later years are pocked with tales of infighting, jealousy, desertion and onstage debauchery, with Tommy Stinson at one point regrettably having to kick his brother out of the band. Five years after Bob Stinson?s departure, The Mats hung up their touring shoes and called it quits in the early 1990s.
?At that point everyone just wanted out,? Stinson said from San Francisco?s Commodore Hotel. ?We kind of felt like we had done what we could. Paul had a lot of aspirations outside of the band, and I think everyone was OK with that.?
With a career?s worth of musical experience and still below the quarter-century mark (Stinson was 24 when the band broke up), he put down his bass, took up rhythm guitar and formed the Stones-ish Bash & Pop. B&P released one album and toured regularly, but the project was short-lived and soon folded.
After the untimely death of brother-mentor Bob in 1995, a devastated Stinson made every effort to endure and eventually put together an outfit called Perfect, a band whose touring and recording would be quite therapeutic for him.
?I don?t know how much Bob?s passing affected me as a musician,? Stinson offered. ?I think he affected me in general. There?s something about the way he played that will stay with me forever.
?He had a way of twisting the guitar into something it shouldn?t have been,? he added with the reverence a younger brother reserves for his elder siblings.
Working out of Los Angeles at this point, Perfect took the local stages by storm with a sound Stinson referred to as ?poppier? than most of his previous work. Perfect would eventually tour nationally, recording an EP and a full-length, the latter of which was shelved in a classic case of record-label fumbling. Perfect called it quits shortly thereafter.
It wouldn?t be long before Stinson?s trademark ?Mexican-jumping-bean bass? would fill out another legendary band. Josh Friese, a close friend of Stinson?s, was drumming for metal rockers Guns N? Roses, and eventually Stinson was asked to handle four-string duties.
With the band for more than six years, he has found plenty of downtime amid the sometimes chaotic and hectic roller-coaster ride that is GNR. While its well-known frontman Axl Rose has seen his share of bad press and the world continues to wait patiently for the enigmatic Chinese Democracy release, Stinson is quick to praise his time with the band and its leader.
?[Chinese Democracy] is really close to being released,? Stinson said assuredly. ?One of the reasons it has taken so long is because Axl doesn?t come in with a song ready to go. It?s really much more of a collaborative process. He brings everyone together. So, you know, it takes longer, but it?s really a much more gratifying way to do it.
?The press is usually wrong about him,? Stinson stated in defense of the bandana-clad crooner. ?He?s been a pleasure to work with, and he?s real supportive of all of us. I?ve got a lot to be thankful for.?
With some free time, Stinson took the opportunity to release a solo album, Village Gorilla Head. Stinson handles nearly all of the musicianship on the album, resulting in a sound aptly able to spotlight his musical prowess, as well as offering a nod to lyricists like Bob Dylan and former bandmate Westerberg.
Village is a project in which many of Stinson?s influences are worn on the record?s sleeve. The cuts are full of glimpses of The Clash, David Bowie, Big Star, Squeeze, and The Beatles.
His range is appositely documented as well. As Stinson simply puts it, ?I wanted as much different stuff as I could put into one album.?
The CD comes across as a bold adventure on a new sonic soundscape, with artful arrangements and tantalizing lyrics abounding, garnering a fair amount of critical praise.
Backing Stinson on tour is Seattle?s Alien Crime Syndicate, a band he has worked with for years. When asked what folks might expect when the two team up on stage, Stinson casually offered, ?A rock show that starts off quiet and builds to a loud, screaming mess.?
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