New Stinson Article

[stonebird]

http://www.soundspike.com/features/2843-tommy-stinson-news-ex-replacement-tommy-stinson-talks-up-solo-album-ahead-of-guns-n-roses-dates/

Ex-Replacement Tommy Stinson talks up solo album ahead of Guns N' Roses dates

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Tommy Stinson is a true rock 'n' roll survivor. At the age of 13, he joined the Replacements, growing up and throwing up on the road in vans and nightclubs and theaters across America until their split in 1991. Since 1998, he's been one of the few consistent presences in the reconstituted Guns N' Roses, having survived the tortuous experience known as 'Chinese Democracy.' In 2005, he joined Soul Asylum, replacing the late Karl Mueller.

Photo: Steven Cohen

Story by Craig Rosen

SoundSpike Contributor

Published August 30, 2011 10:29 AM

Tommy Stinson is a true rock 'n' roll survivor. At the age of 13, he joined the Replacements, growing up and throwing up on the road in vans and nightclubs and theaters across America until their split in 1991. Since 1998, he's been one of the few consistent presences in the reconstituted Guns N' Roses, having survived the tortuous experience known as "Chinese Democracy." In 2005, he joined Soul Asylum, replacing the late Karl Mueller.

Aside from playing bass alongside Paul Westerberg, Axl Rose and Dave Pirner, Stinson has also made his own music, first in the unsung combos Bash & Pop and Perfect, and now as a solo artist. He recently released his second solo album, "One Man Mutiny," on his own Done To Death Music label, distributed by Redeye Distribution.

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Listen to "Meant to Be" by Tommy Stinson:

Meant to Be (mp3)

To download "Meant to Be" from "One Man Mutiny," right-click on the hyperlink below and save the file to your drive.

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"I figured the time was right," Stinson says of his label. "The record industry is falling apart, so I thought I'd figure it out on my own and make a permanent place for my music."

He's also setting aside a portion of the proceeds from the album for the Timkatec Schools in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. He previously raised more than $40,000 for the school through an online auction.

"One Man Mutiny" began to take shape out of the leftovers of "Village Gorilla Head," Stinson's 2004 solo debut. The song "Come to Hide," helped land Stinson a scoring gig with BT on the 2007 film "Catch and Release." Stinson stumbled into that business by reuniting with Westerberg for the soundtrack of the 2006 animated film "Open Season."

On "One Man Mutiny," "Come to Hide" is revived as a tasteful introspective ballad, accented by Stinson's pal Joan Jones on pocket trumpet. "It's a real sad sounding fucking instrument," Stinson says. That track is a highlight on an album that runs the gamut from rollicking Stones-like rockers such as "It's a Drag" to the countrified slide-guitar-drenched "Zero to Stupid." In a sense, the album is a future family affair with Stinson's fiancee Emily Roberts singing backing vocals on much of the album and singing a duet with him on "Destroy Me." Emily's uncle Chip Roberts' slide guitar is heard on much of the album, while "Match Made in Hell" was co-written by one Paul Westerberg. "I sent it to him and he came up the counter melody and the vocal hook," Stinson says. "It's a little thing that did a lot, so that's why I credited the old fucker."

Although Stinson played on Westerberg's "Open Season" and performed with him at the film's premiere, the two ex-Mats usually don't share or talk music. In fact, Stinson doubts Westerberg has heard "One Man Mutiny." Says Stinson, "We don't really do that. He doesn't send me his music and I don't send him mine." Still, he doesn't rule out joining forces with Westerberg at some time in the future. "I can see us playing together some day," he says. "We'll always have that connection and it's easy to spark up -- just add water."

For now, Stinson is focusing on "One Man Mutiny," which he supported with a series of pre-release gigs on the East Coast. But he'll break from his solo work to rejoin GN'R for rehearsals as the band prepares to bring "Chinese Democracy" to South America, beginning with an appearance at Rock in Rio on October 2.

The title track from "One Man Mutiny" was born while Stinson was on the road with G N' R. "We had a little inner-bus dispute going," Stinson says. "I started writing it on the bus in Ireland and by the time we got to Brussels, I had it written."

Since the band had some time off, Stinson hired Guns mates guitarist Richard Fortus and keyboardist Dizzy Reed to play on it, and then ended up recording the track right then and there. "It was the right spot to do it and it turned out real good. There was even a piano in the hotel restaurant that we used."

While Reed's tenure with Rose goes back to the original line-up of GN'R, it was Stinson who brought Fortus -- who played with Richard Butler in Love Spit Love and a touring version of the Psychedelic Furs -- to the fold. "I don't know if he'll ever forgive me," Stinson jokes. "Hopefully, he'll live through it. We met at a session and became fast friends. We have a lot of things in common and we've been good friends since."

Stinson himself was tipped to the Guns' gig by drummer extraordinaire Josh Freese. "We were chatting and he said they needed a bass player. I kinda thought he was joking, but then I checked it out and they wanted me to do it. I thought maybe it would be a good idea because it came right on the coattails of my band Perfect getting tossed under a bus. We finished our album and then the label didn't want to put it out, so I was about to pull my eyes out. I thought it would be a good opportunity to recover."

The against-all-odds prospect of Axl Rose reviving the Guns name with a whole new cast of characters also appealed to Stinson, because few acts have been able to pull off such a reinvention in the annals of rock history. Stinson's role in Guns stretches beyond merely playing bass, but he balks at the title of musical director. "I do a little corralling of people," he says, "but I wouldn't call me the MD. Don't want that gig, not for me."

While Stinson says the mega-stadium shows with Guns "are a lot of fucking work," he feels no pressure of living up to the band's storied reputation. "I'm the last guy in the world who would ever feel pressure," he says. "I honestly don't care what anyone thinks. I'm just too busy to get bogged down with such thoughts."

And, somehow he's managed to survive the treacherous rock 'n' roll lifestyle that claimed the life of his older brother, original 'Mats guitarist Bob Stinson in 1995 and dogged several former Guns' members. Stinson's never gone to rehab. "Somehow I work my shit out," he says. "I've got my own little program."

As for dealing with the notorious hard to deal with personalities like Westerberg and Axl Rose, Stinson says it's not all that difficult for him. "You just kind of deal with it," he says. "It's not that hard for me to deal with Axl. It's a little harder because I don't see him that often, but we're respectful enough to each other, so it ain't that hard. That's not to say we don't have disagreements. Everyone has those."

Stinson says Guns haven't begun working on a follow-up to "Chinese Democracy," but still have material left over from the last sessions. "We haven't recorded in a while and I don't see us doing so in the near future; we have those upcoming dates."

However, Stinson will be featured on an upcoming release by another band, Soul Asylum. He started playing with his old high school pal Dave Pirner after Karl Mueller's widow asked him to fill in for her late husband on some dates that band had booked prior to his death from throat cancer in 2005, played on their 2006 album "The Silver Lining," and the follow-up that's nearing completion. "Compared to 'The Silver Lining,' it's a little more rock and a little more upbeat," Stinson says. "Dave has really outdone himself on it, lyrically and all that."

In an odd twist of fate, Stinson recently played the Taste of Chicago Festival with Soul Asylum, the same festival where the Replacements played their final gig the Fourth of July in 1991. "That was kinda kooky. I didn't realize it until that day, but it turned out to be a good gig." As for the Replacements' end, Stinson says it wasn't a bitter breakup. "It was like, 'OK, we've taken this as far is it can go. It wasn't a bad relationship, it was just time to move on."

After the GN'R tour, Stinson plans to do some more solo shows, with hopes of hitting the Midwest and possibly the West Coast. For now, Stinson says he's content juggling his solo work with his time with Guns and Soul Asylum. "As long as I can have fun doing them," he says. "If it becomes too much, I can see that coming to an end, but for now, as far as I'm concerned, it's all still workable."

[Pingouino]

that sux.

[SunnyDRE]

told you so.

[Nick85]

that sux.

You do realize that GNR has at least another two albums worth of tracks that can be released whenever Axl & the label come to terms, right?

He said 'no recording', not 'no album'. I'd rather hear that music anyway.

[kyrie]

All he said was "no recording in the near future because we have those dates" (paraphrased).

Umm, you guys are surprised? They'll be on the road, nowhere near a recording studio.

That doesn't mean they can't record after the tour. And as mentioned they have lots of material already done.

[stonebird]

I think the next release will be the remaining tracks from the Chinese sessions... All members of the band have talked about other tracks, and that they've all recorded parts for the songs... so i think we'll hear them at some point.

[trqster]

I'm pretty happy about the coming 4th Chinese Democracy tour.... rock2

[auad]

the article sucks.

tommy sucks too.

[WhazUp]

that sux.

You do realize that GNR has at least another two albums worth of tracks that can be released whenever Axl & the label come to terms, right?

He said 'no recording', not 'no album'. I'd rather hear that music anyway.

While they may have 2 albums worth of tracks, the majority of them will not have Frank on them (Brain was still the main CD drummer at the point when they were recording), Bumble probably doesn't have much on the tracks, and DJ doesn't even have any parts at all recorded.

Thats a good chunk of the current band that is not even on the tracks deemed "ready to go" - to me means they are not ready.

Could GNR release the album with a majority of songs having Bucket, Brain, and even Fink's parts still on them? Its possible, but personally that would be the wrong choice to make, especially if Axl wants to promote the current lineup of Guns over any past lineup. Plus I don't want to hear a "new" album where the vocals were recorded years ago and people who haven't been in the band in years play on a lot of the tracks. I say rework the ideas with the new lineup, write some additional new songs, and get fresh, recent studio recordings of the current band. There is no excuse in keeping 10 year old vocals on what is marketed as a "new" Guns N' Roses record

Edited August 30, 2011 by WhazUp

[Nick85]

It honestly baffles me how some fans would rather the next album be delayed for possibly YEARS more, so that Bumblefoot and DJ Ashba can rework perfectly good songs, that are in the same vein as Chinese Democracy, an album you claim to love.

Like it or not, GNR is the Axl Rose show, and while I can see him adding DJ & Ron's guitar work to the next album, nixing the existing tracks to incorporate the current guitarists more seems...I dunno...insane.

Fortunatly, it doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

[ITW 2012]

This is really good news. Who actually wanted to wait another decade for these guys to try and write and record another album from scratch? Bring on CD II!

It honestly baffles me how some fans would rather the next album be delayed for possibly YEARS more, so that Bumblefoot and DJ Ashba can rework perfectly good songs, that are in the same vein as Chinese Democracy, an album you claim to love.

Like it or not, GNR is the Axl Rose show, and while I can see him adding DJ & Ron's guitar work to the next album, nixing the existing tracks to incorporate the current guitarists more seems...I dunno...insane.

Fortunatly, it doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

Exactly. I hope CD II contains no solos from Bumblefoot.

Edited August 30, 2011 by ITW 2012

[WhazUp]

It honestly baffles me how some fans would rather the next album be delayed for possibly YEARS more, so that Bumblefoot and DJ Ashba can rework perfectly good songs, that are in the same vein as Chinese Democracy, an album you claim to love.

Like it or not, GNR is the Axl Rose show, and while I can see him adding DJ & Ron's guitar work to the next album, nixing the existing tracks to incorporate the current guitarists more seems...I dunno...insane.

Fortunatly, it doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

The album will not be delayed years because of overdubs, and if it does take years then whoever is in control of the legalities behind it should not even hold that job position in the first place

If Axl is going to market it as the "new" Guns N' Roses record, it shouldn't have 10 year old vocal takes and not feature people who are currently in the band.

IMO the right thing to do is take some old material, write some new songs, and record all of them fresh with the new band. Not doing so to me seems insane

Edited August 30, 2011 by WhazUp

[Greg Miller]

Personally, I want to hear the material that's in the vault without having it arbitrarily modified just for the sake of getting another batch of musicians into the credits.

I'd love to see it all released in one big batch. After that, they can start working on new stuff.

[WhazUp]

Personally, I want to hear the material that's in the vault without having it arbitrarily modified just for the sake of getting another batch of musicians into the credits.

I'd love to see it all released in one big batch. After that, they can start working on new stuff.

But that's the thing, why would there be very few credits on a new Guns N' Roses album for people who are actually currently in the band and instead have credits of people who haven't even been in the band in a long time?

I would like to hear the Bucket-era stuff, but if they do release that they should market it as not a "new" album but rather old recordings that are now seeing the light of day. It makes no sense to market an album as new when there are 10 year old vocal takes and half the musicians who play it arent even in the band anymore

Thats not to see that Bucket, Fink, or Brain shouldn't be on the album at all, but the current band should be the main featured musicians

Edited August 30, 2011 by WhazUp

[Apollo]

So is that the main issue then?

Axl has created 20-30 songs over the last decade, but all of them have an assortment of people no long in the band on them? For example, let's say The General is mainly and Axl and Finck song. The song was finished........but what does Axl do with it now, since the main music writer and guitar player (on The General) isn't in the band anymore? You can't re-record it and take out Finck's playing, because Finck wrote all the guitar parts and parts of the rest of the music. Since Finck isn't in the band now, what does Axl do with that song?

I'm thinking that might be the issue on why Axl isn't releasing music now. Maybe he feels like he has created a ton of great material......but they all have touches of Bucket or Finck on them, so now he can't figure out what to do with them? Maybe Finck or Bucket are being pricks and not letting Axl take their parts off the songs, so the new band can record them? Which is somewhat reasonable. If I created a couple kick-ass songs, then left the band, I don't know if I'd want somebody else to play them on an album. I'd have to be heavily compensated, and maybe Axl doesn't want to pay them.

I don't know, it seems plausable.

As for the statement that they aren't working on new songs.

Hasn't DJ and Ron said that they have been working on new songs/ideas with Axl?

I'm as big of a die-hard Axl fan as there is on this site (except for maybe Volcano) and I have to admit......delaying putting out an ablum for a couple more years is just ridiculous. It doesn't take 5 years to write and record 12 songs. It is disheartening that we can't get new music.

Bring in some well respected rock producer and give him all the old material. Let him pick out the best 15 songs, tinker with it a bit and put out that damn record by Christmas. Go on this U.S. tour that is currently being rumored.

Take a couple months off after the tour and then get the band together in some warm, remote place for a few months and record the follow up album.

Pretty friggen simple.

[Naupis]

It's not too hard to understand why we won't be getting new material from the current line-up, follow the money.

Axl has recorded a few albums worth of material that I am sure could be somewhat release ready with a reasonable amount of tweaking if Axl ever decided to get motivated.

Why in God's name would the record company ever agree to give him 1 dime to step back into a studio and start recording when they have sufficient material most likely to release other albums.

The label could give 2 shits who plays on the album as long as Axl is singing, so having him record now is a waste of money on their end.

After the stunt he pulled by disappearing when the album was released, he will be lucky to ever see any advance money of any kind again given his history of failing to complete what he starts more often than not.

Does anyone here really believe that Axl is going to dig into his own pocket and finance what would surely be expensive recording sessions given how he is? Why would he when he has material that is paid for already and just needs to be released.

It sounds great in theory to say the new band should record an album, but someone has to pay for it. Axl's not going to because he knows he would never see it again, and the label's not because they have given Axl all the money they are likely ever going to with the CD fiasco. They have paid for material ready to go, so it would be absurd to turn around and then pay for it a second time when they still can't get the first batch released.

[Naupis]

Very good points, Naupis...

Guess I shouldn't complain, at least we get some interviews from Tommy... well, whenever he's out to promote his work, that is.

I really believe that the finances are the root cause of the stalemate, and why we see Axl showing zero interest in releasing music.

He blew his wad as far as his budget goes with CD, and then signed his own death warrant by refusing to leave the house after it was released.

Getting any money beyond the bare bones minimum was always going to be a challenge after what happened with CD, but he just exacerbated an already bad situation when he did that.

He owes them albums, and probably won't agree to release them without the backing he wants.

The label sees him as a financial black hole that hung them out to dry, so he is never going to get the budget he wants to do anything.

Thus we are in perpetual no mans land where Axl is content to just tour when he needs money, because creating music is probably out of the question short of finishing whatever old stuff is largely close to being done.

[Nick85]

It's not too hard to understand why we won't be getting new material from the current line-up, follow the money.

Axl has recorded a few albums worth of material that I am sure could be somewhat release ready with a reasonable amount of tweaking if Axl ever decided to get motivated.

Why in God's name would the record company ever agree to give him 1 dime to step back into a studio and start recording when they have sufficient material most likely to release other albums.

The label could give 2 shits who plays on the album as long as Axl is singing, so having him record now is a waste of money on their end.

After the stunt he pulled by disappearing when the album was released, he will be lucky to ever see any advance money of any kind again given his history of failing to complete what he starts more often than not.

Does anyone here really believe that Axl is going to dig into his own pocket and finance what would surely be expensive recording sessions given how he is? Why would he when he has material that is paid for already and just needs to be released.

It sounds great in theory to say the new band should record an album, but someone has to pay for it. Axl's not going to because he knows he would never see it again, and the label's not because they have given Axl all the money they are likely ever going to with the CD fiasco. They have paid for material ready to go, so it would be absurd to turn around and then pay for it a second time when they still can't get the first batch released.

Great post. I agree with literally everything in it.

[amacfantasy]

yeah i dont see how this is a bad thing, they havent recorded new stuff because they still have amazing old stuff that still has not been released, and i want all the CD era music before any new stuff

[WhazUp]

Hopefully the new album will have the current members features on it, it would be silly not to do so

Either way I will keep an open mind (and open ears) and hope that whatever does get released is awesome stuff

[The Wicked Hand]

Great points naupis.

What baffles me is that Axl is willing to spend endless amounts of money on

LAWYERS. One would think he would be willing to finance getting his MUSIC out?

That is a bit of a speculative stretch, but with his music it would definatlely fatten his pockets and the bands catalouge and image as GNR.

Who knows if a judge is gonna award you the case.

[Georgy Zhukov]

I'd rather hear all the CD material before they start recording freshly written music with Bucket, Brain and Finck. I agree there are currently 8 talented musicians not recording anything, maybe some writing here and there is a waste, but right now they want to go on touring. You'd think by now they will threaten to leave the band if they don't record new music by now. They are all hell bent on touring.

[Chris 55]

You'd think by now they will threaten to leave the band if they don't record new music by now. They are all hell bent on touring.

Nah. They're getting paid well. They're not going to leave if they don't write/record. The GNR name gets them a lot of attention they wouldn't normally get on their own plus they get paid to play. Why leave?

[Rovim]

You'd think by now they will threaten to leave the band if they don't record new music by now. They are all hell bent on touring.

Nah. They're getting paid well. They're not going to leave if they don't write/record. The GNR name gets them a lot of attention they wouldn't normally get on their own plus they get paid to play. Why leave?

Tell that to Bucket and Robin. Money may be a big factor but it's not the only thing important to a true musician.

Edited August 31, 2011 by Rovim

[SoulMonster]

I don't know about you but I'm getting sick of this. Yes, I also live my life and listen to different music but... Just look at that interview, you gotta ask yourself... just... W...T...F?!

I know, I've followed this train wreck since 2004, I guess I should expect this.

But god, how lazy is this band? This is just pure laziness, plain and simple.

8 fucking talented musicians just sitting and doing nothing (Gn'R-wise). Why, why?! Such an amazing waste of talent.

Why? Because they can't do anything unless Axl decides it. Axl needs to be part of it. And Axl has been busy with the court case and just chillin'.