Interview with Tommy-May 19 2011 Talk of new album

[mrrogersnghbor]

http://www.startribune.com/entertainmen ... 40094.html

It's the first thing he did when the Replacements split up in 1991, so it's no surprise that Tommy Stinson said he would like to be a full-time frontman if he could. As it is, though, Friday's First Avenue show will be the Minneapolis rock legend's first time leading a band in about five years.

"It's been too long," he said. "The cool thing about where I'm at now, though, is I get the opportunity to do a lot of different things -- all of which pay."

The paying gigs, of course, include his stint playing bass in Axl Rose's revamped Guns N' Roses (now going on 12 years) and his other bassist job with his pals in Soul Asylum (with whom he's finishing up a new record). His last solo album, 2006's underrated "Village Gorilla Head," also paid off by landing him a job scoring the Jennifer Garner romantic comedy "Catch and Release."

Stinson has a new record, "One Man Mutiny," tentatively set for August release. The disc includes a little contribution from his old 'Mats running buddy Paul Westerberg on one song, coincidentally titled "Match Made in Hell." He finished the album a couple of months ago before relocating with his wife and second daughter to Hudson, N.Y., where we phoned him last week.

On his new album: "It's a little more rootsy than the last record, and more upbeat. I did most of it in L.A. and Philadelphia over the last couple years, piecemeal between Guns N' Roses tours. I just work on it when I can. Hopefully, I'll move quicker now. One of the goals of moving up here to Hudson was to have my own place with my own studio."

On his post-'Mats bands Bash & Pop and Perfect: "Bash & Pop was interesting because it was my first foray into leading a band. Some things about that record didn't really work, but considering I did it 20 years ago, I'm still pretty proud of it. The problem I had right off the bat -- which I'm facing again -- was it's hard to start a band. It's hard to get the right gigs and get people paid. In Bash & Pop, that was all on me. In Perfect, it was more of a group effort, but then that got to be hard, too. A lot of work and a lot of effort went into just getting screwed again."

On future Replacements endeavors: "I think the last round was scraping the bottom of the barrel as far as reissues go. I'm not sure about a live album. I don't know if there was ever a live recording made that was worth a crap. I could be wrong, but I don't remember any."

"I don't know if Paul or Chris [Mars] have completely shut the door on it, but I've always thought of it as an open door. If we wanted to go play some shows, we'd just go do it, no big deal. After all these years, we've all kind of grown up and lived quite different lives, but we left a good thing behind and have some good music that'd be OK to revisit."

On Soul Asylum's record: "We still have a few things to finish up. Just last week, I was working on a couple things. Hopefully we'll get it out by the end of the year. It's a little hard because we are spread across different states, but we've been really working hard on it."

And GNR: "We have dates in October, November, and then I'm still waiting to get the 411 on what will happen next year. I think the next thing is really going to have to be someone trying to organize a record and getting it together. I think there's a really good band there to do it. But, you know, the thought of it is more daunting than a 'Mats or a Soul Asylum record combined."

[zany]

"
On Soul Asylum's record: "We still have a few things to finish up. Just last week, I was working on a couple things. Hopefully we'll get it out by the end of the year. It's a little hard because we are spread across different states, but we've been really working hard on it."
"

'hopefully' 'end of year' ?? UGHHHHH i think 1 year ago we were hearing the same thing why was i so optimistic!? i should have listened to you cynical folks. !!

[Closer]

'hopefully' 'end of year' ?? UGHHHHH i think 1 year ago we were hearing the same thing why was i so optimistic!? i should have listened to you cynical folks. !!

Haha... yeah, unfortunately you learn to become cynical about stuff like this when you've been a Soul Asylum fan for a long time.

[Carl Rombauts]

"
On Soul Asylum's record: "We still have a few things to finish up. Just last week, I was working on a couple things. Hopefully we'll get it out by the end of the year. It's a little hard because we are spread across different states, but we've been really working hard on it."
"

'hopefully' 'end of year' ?? UGHHHHH i think 1 year ago we were hearing the same thing why was i so optimistic!? i should have listened to you cynical folks. !!

I'm new, let me take over your roll as the new optimistic
Yeah, a new record at the end of the year !!
For my birthday tomorrow I can ask their latest album of 2006 (missed a few years of music because of my job and the lack of time). I can work with that till the end of the year

[philipgar]

"
On Soul Asylum's record: "We still have a few things to finish up. Just last week, I was working on a couple things. Hopefully we'll get it out by the end of the year. It's a little hard because we are spread across different states, but we've been really working hard on it."
"

'hopefully' 'end of year' ?? UGHHHHH i think 1 year ago we were hearing the same thing why was i so optimistic!? i should have listened to you cynical folks. !!

I'm new, let me take over your roll as the new optimistic
Yeah, a new record at the end of the year !!
For my birthday tomorrow I can ask their latest album of 2006 (missed a few years of music because of my job and the lack of time). I can work with that till the end of the year

As the board pessimist, I'd be amazed if there is a release date announced by this time next year.

Phil

[Carl Rombauts]

"
On Soul Asylum's record: "We still have a few things to finish up. Just last week, I was working on a couple things. Hopefully we'll get it out by the end of the year. It's a little hard because we are spread across different states, but we've been really working hard on it."
"

'hopefully' 'end of year' ?? UGHHHHH i think 1 year ago we were hearing the same thing why was i so optimistic!? i should have listened to you cynical folks. !!

I'm new, let me take over your roll as the new optimistic
Yeah, a new record at the end of the year !!
For my birthday tomorrow I can ask their latest album of 2006 (missed a few years of music because of my job and the lack of time). I can work with that till the end of the year

As the board pessimist, I'd be amazed if there is a release date announced by this time next year.

Phil

Now all we need is a realist for the exact time

[njsoul]

Hi everyone, newbie here.
Dave said in April's Rolling Stone that he figured the new album would be out in 6 months. Figuring the interview was probably done in March that would mean Sept. Then Dan said he thought it would be a Fall release. OK, close. Then Tommy said hopefully before year end. Are you guys coonfident in a Fall release?
I make a mix for my friends every year of songs that aren't popular but should be known and after hearing the live version of "Gravity" I refuse to make this year's mix until I have the studio version. LOL

[philipgar]

Hi everyone, newbie here.
Dave said in April's Rolling Stone that he figured the new album would be out in 6 months. Figuring the interview was probably done in March that would mean Sept. Then Dan said he thought it would be a Fall release. OK, close. Then Tommy said hopefully before year end. Are you guys coonfident in a Fall release?
I make a mix for my friends every year of songs that aren't popular but should be known and after hearing the live version of "Gravity" I refuse to make this year's mix until I have the studio version. LOL

LOL, knowing how this band promises albums will be ready, and then "delivers" on them, I'll be happy if a new album is released before the end of 2012. I'd be even more surprised of the three new songs that have been played actually make the new album. By that point dave will be onto some other new songs that he likes, and Gravity, The Streets, and Into the light may have been forgotten (I doubt all three songs will be dropped, but I'd be shocked if all three make a new album).

Saddly, this same thing has hit some of SA's best songs over the years, and I don't see this trend changing.

Phil

[AlyssaJones]

I can be a bit too optimistic sometimes, seeing as though I believed them the last two times they said "April", but in all honesty I think a fall release isn't terribly unrealistic. I think it will definitely be out by early 2012. Every time they've been asked about it since the start of the year they've been using the word "finishing". I don't know how long it's going to take to "finish" it, but as far as the number of steps go, I think they're close to the end. Sure, so far they've said a couple different dates that have come to pass without the album coming out, but finally they're actually saying it's almost done which they weren't last year or the year before. I just think that that's a good sign.

Besides, I don't think Dave would lie or bullshit to Rolling Stone about it. If he says six months, then he means six months and he honestly thinks it'll be done by then. And if we get to the end of the year without it coming out, then it just means they were wrong and it took even longer than they expected. Oh well! Things don't always go the way you plan. I just think it's a little arrogant to say that you absolutely do not believe them when they give a tentative release time, because obviously no one knows better than they do (it's their damn album, isn't it?).

I'm sure our resident ultra-pessimist is rolling his eyes and thinking I'm stupid, but I seriously think it'll be done and released in less than a year. (And if I end up being wrong I won't really care; I'll just be happy when the album finally comes out )

[njsoul]

I'm sure having the band spread out around the country has played a part in them spending so much time on the next cd. Do you guys think they're using this time on the road together to make some headway on the songs?