2005.01.20 - St. Paul Pioneer Press - Tommy Stinson Sticks To His Guns

TOMMY STINSON STICKS TO HIS GUNS

By ROSS RAIHALA

So Tommy Stinson is back in town for a show Saturday night at the Uptown Bar. He's doing a two-man acoustic/rock sort of thing -- more on that later.

But there's one thing I really want to know, and I suspect I'm not alone. When, exactly, is the new Guns N' Roses album going to come out? For real?

"The record is being finished as we speak," Stinson said earlier this week on the phone from his home in Burbank, Calif.

What could possibly be left to finish on a record that has been at least, oh, a decade in the works? Some vocal parts and mixes, Stinson said, adding that once the band decides what songs make the final cut, GNR will, oh yes, tour.

"You know, it'll come out probably sooner than later, I can just about assure you," he said. "I've been told as much, anyway. Without giving a date, it'll be sooner than hell freezing over."

In the meantime -- and there's been plenty of meantime for Stinson, who joined GNR back in 1999 -- the one-time Replacement is on tour again to support his solo debut, "Village Gorilla Head."

On his last tour, the Seattle rock band Alien Crime Syndicate backed him up. This time around, he's joined by Dave Phillips (from Frank Black's backing band, the Catholics). The pair played some dates together last year.

"The response I got from the duo was really cool," Stinson said. "I like to switch it up and do things differently."

Any surprises planned for his hometown crowd?

"Nah. I might come up with a card trick or two. Or maybe a balancing act."

After the current tour, Stinson goes back to GNR -- assuming that album actually comes out -- and hopes to produce some new bands and maybe stretch out into film scoring.

"My goal this year is to do everything better," he said. "And to do a lot more of it."