FRIDAY, July 9 — Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire tour is just another feather in the cap of a legendary rock ‘n’ roll pioneer with a laundry list of plaudits.
Back in 1979, along with his late brother guitarist Bob Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars, The Replacements were founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Soon after, vocalist/guitarist Paul Westerberg joined and the rest is alt-rock history. After drunkenly rising from the underground music scene in the early ’80s, the band recorded some of the most influential music of its era. To this day, the band’s sonic DNA still lingers heavily in scads of new bands.
By 1991, The Replacements dissolved, but Stinson never stopped. His solo cannon is stacked with acclaimed records with his projects like Bash and Pop. From the late-’90s through 2014, he also grabbed his bass guitar and joined Guns N’ Roses, including many dates on the iconic band’s Chinese Democracy Tour.
These days, he’s living in upstate New York, raising a family and recording new music that’s just as relevant as the records he cut as a teenager with The Replacements. In the wake of COVID, he and his longtime collaborator, Chip Roberts, are touring the country as a duo playing stripped-down backyard shows. Sticking with acoustic guitars, the Cowboys in the Campfire shows are a Stinson fan’s dream come true. No humming feedback or obnoxious crowd noise — just well-crafted songs performed acoustically and intimately. Stinson chatted with City Pulse, here’s what he had to say.
What sparked the idea for you and Chip to book shows in peoples’ backyards as a duo?
Tommy Stinson: With COVID-19 and all that stuff, a lot of the clubs that were the right size for us were closed down. We decided it’d be smart to just get out and do the social distancing stuff that we could. We wanted to get out and play shows, but be smart about it. We don’t want to be a super-spreader event or anything like that. We’re doing it this way, for now, because it’s summer and beautiful out.
It’s just you two? No other backing members?
It’s just me and Chip Roberts. We’re a duo. We’ve been writing together for about 13 years. We wrote songs that are on my “One Man Mutiny” album and “Anything Could Happen,” the Bash and Pop record. This will be a combination of a bunch of those songs we’ve compiled and wrote over the last few years. We just want to get out and play them. We will hopefully put out a new Cowboys and the Campfire record in the late summer or early fall, too.
Will the album be a recording of these live shows?
No. We’ve already recorded the album at my studio in New York.
Bash and Pop is amazing stuff, as well. Will there be a new LP for that project soon?
Probably will be in the new year. We could tour, too. It could happen, but I have to finish this up first before I know what’ll happen next.
How did you choose the setlist for this tour?
We start with things that Chip and I wrote together, with a cover or two here and there and some other things from my past. For the most part, we’re sticking to things we wrote together over the years.
These days, do you write new tunes on your electric or acoustic guitar?
Mostly on acoustic. All of my electric stuff is at my studio, which is a different place from where I live. Every couple days, I’m over there. Sometimes for days on end.
What inspires you to sit down and write songs these days?
I have to be pretty solitary and alone, be in the booth with the guitar in my hand. It can come any time of the day or night. Sometimes I’ll wake up really early in the morning, or it could be in the middle of the night, and I’ll grab my guitar and start hacking songs out.
During COVID, did you keep up with songwriting?
For a good portion of it we were working on our stuff, but other than that I was kind of dormant. I was in a bit of a cocoon waiting for the spring to come. It’s been hard on everyone … Depression. Being confined while everyone tried to stay healthy was kind of a nightmare. Not so inspirational, if you know what I mean. We did what we could. Chip and I played a couple of socially distanced shows in the middle of it, but we were just hunkered down.
Back in the late ’70s, you started going to punk shows. Is that what sparked your desire to play in a band?
Partially. I enjoyed playing. Music was something I did with my brother that kept me out of trouble, so it had two purposes.
Do you live in New York City these days?
No, upstate New York, in Hudson. I chose Hudson because I just liked the city. I’d been visiting there with my ex-wife’s uncle, who is also Chip Roberts. We were up there helping their great uncle with some art projects. Went up there and liked it. I figured it was a good spot to stop off and raise a kid.
How old is your kid? Is she into rock ‘n’ roll, like you?
Where do you buy and discover music these days?
I hear about stuff and I buy it off Apple or whatever. My last turntable got wrecked by the kids, so I haven’t gotten around to getting back into that yet. I keep meaning to because I’ve got a stereo and all this cool, old vintage crap in my storage space, but since they tried to play Legos on my turntable I kind of gave up on it.
You’ve played in so many bands, including Guns N’ Roses. Looking back, what band had the most rewarding moments — the most “Holy shit, that was amazing” moments?
That sort of thought process would definitely go along with The Replacements, or even Bash and Pop for that matter.
Speaking of The Replacements, how was that reunion tour a few years back? How did that feel?
It was good. It was fun. I think the only complaint I had was that we probably did it too much. We did it longer than we should have. We can handle each other in short spurts and then it gets like, “Ok, it’s time to move on again!” (laughs)
Of course, The Replacements’ history was amazingly documented in “Trouble Boys,” the New York Times Bestseller written by Bob Mehr. How was it having your band so heavily chronicled? Did you have any strong feelings about it either way?
Not really. I know he did a good job, but to be honest with you, I never read it because I helped write it — with my anecdotes and all that and I know Paul’s anecdotes. I knew the story. Everyone I know that I trust said it’s a good read. He did a great job on it.
Did you talk with Paul about the book when Bob was writing it, or did you two just roll with it?
We just rolled with it. Paul and I chatted a little about it, but not much.
Bob Mehr has also been reissuing the old Replacements’ recordings on some deluxe packages. Do you like that sort of thing? Any new reissues on the way?
If there’s a want for it, I’m glad we have something to offer the fans. I guess it’s because we’re still somewhat relevant because of what we left in our wake. As long as people want that stuff, it’s cool to put it out, but there is nothing new or miraculous coming out soon that I know of.
Looking forward, will this Cowboys in the Campfire tour get extended?
For the most part, right now, we’ll stick to the East, South and Midwest through the summer. When the temperature cools off, we might head down South. That kind of deal. It’ll go on as long as it makes sense. We’re still dipping our toes in the pool to see how it’s going to go. We’ll probably add stuff as we go.
UPCOMING DATES: Cowboys in the Campfire
Rochester, NY – July 13
Buffalo, NY – July 14
Cleveland, OH – July 15
Ypsilanti, MI — July 16
Charlotte, MI – July 17
Chicago, IL – July 18
Indianapolis, IN – July 20
Secret Studio in Columbus, OH – July 21
Pittsburgh, PA – July 22
Rock Hall Show: Union Home Mortgage Plaza in Cleveland, OH – Aug. 20
All tickets: www.tommystinson.com
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