2014.07.16 - Delmarva Now - Tommy Stinson To Play Dewey Beach

Tommy Stinson to play Dewey Beach

By Roger Hillis

Tommy Stinson is one of the busiest men in rock n’ roll. As a bassist, he currently juggles touring duties with two legendary bands — Guns N’ Roses and a reformed version of his old band The Replacements. When he learned he had some time off this summer, Stinson promptly booked a solo tour opening for his pals The Old 97’s.

The tour will include a Wednesday, July 23, stop at the Bottle & Cork nightclub in Dewey Beach. Calling from his home in Hudson, New York, where he was preparing for an afternoon rehearsal for the tour, Stinson looked back on his first encounter with Rhett Miller of The Old 97’s.

“I met Rhett at a benefit show at World Cafe Live in Philly about five or six years ago. We hit it off and we’ve been friends ever since,” Stinson recalled. “There was whiskey involved. That’s another thing we have in common.”

A more recent night on the town for the pair ended with Miller injuring his elbow prior to a recording session the following day, temporarily quelling his rhythm guitar skills. This resulted in Stinson guesting on the new album by The Old 97’s, “Most Messed Up.”

“I played some guitar on their record. It was only meant to be a song or two, but I ended up playing on a bunch of things,” Stinson said.

Stinson’s most recent batch of unreleased solo tunes are the main reason for this summer swing, which is a duo act with pianist Tony Kieraildo.

“I have a bunch of new songs that I want to try out in front of people. They need to be road tested,” Stinson said. “Tony has kind of a ragtime, old rock n’ roll style of piano playing, kind of like Ian McLagen of The Faces. It really fits in with these new songs.”

The club shows are a far cry from the outdoor festivals dates Stinson has played this year with both of his other bands. The latest Guns N’ Roses tour resulted in a concert DVD released earlier this month called “Appetite for Democracy 3D.” Midway through the concert, Axl Rose yields the lead microphone spot to Stinson, who sings a solo song called “Motivation.”

“They included ‘Motivation’ on there? I didn’t know that,” Stinson said. “I haven’t even seen it yet.”

Scheduling sporadic shows with The Replacements can be tricky. The recent concerts have become major events for alternative rock fans who waited two decades for Stinson and songsmith Paul Westerberg to reunite.

Duff McKagen, who Stinson replaced in Guns N’ Roses 16 years ago, agreed to fill in on bass at a batch of recent G N’ R shows.

“I just book stuff and go with it. Things usually work out,” Stinson said. “Guns does seem to be on a hiatus now. We’ve been working a lot the last couple of years, so it seems like the next logical step for Guns would probably be to go back into the studio and do some recording before we hit the road again.”

The Replacements have been playing to a mix of older fans and youngsters who weren’t even born during their glory days.

“Coachella was probably the trickiest, and I guess it was a little awkward,” Stinson said. “They didn’t announce the lineup until tickets had gone on sale, so a lot of our fans didn’t know about it in time. All of the other shows have been great. We’re playing a show in New York with the Hold Steady and Deertick in September, which should be fun.”

Fans are waiting to see what follows that Sept. 19 show at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens — specifically what will come of recent studio sessions.

“Paul (Westerberg) and I have done some stuff. Not a lot,” he said. “Who knows? We keep that door open. That way we always have the option of kicking it in.”

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IF YOU GO

TOMMY STINSON

When: 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 23

Where: Bottle & Cork, Dewey Beach

Cost: $25

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