Following 22 years of nothing but static, one of the greatest influences on American rock, The Replacements have announced they will be returning to the live stage, scheduling in three festival performances at Riot Fest over the summer.
Frontman Paul Westerberg may have his work cut out for him getting the band back together. Since their heyday, Replacements lead guitarist Bobby Stinson lost his battle with addiction in 1995. His brother and the band’s bassist, Tommy Stinson, has been touring with Axl Rose and Guns ‘N Roses for 15 years now. Their ring-in guitarist, Slim Dunlap, has since had a stroke.
Westerberg and the surviving Stinson regrouped last year to record a benefit EP in Dunlaps honour, laying down four tracks but the bands original drummer Chris Mars, now an accomplished visual artist, “didn’t want any part of [it]”, which casts a shadow over his return this time.
Hopefully it can all be sorted out by festival season, which quickly approaches. The band has so far confirmed performances at the Toronto, Chicago and Denver legs of Riot Festival which takes place late August through to late September.
Having formed in 1979, it was The Replacements who did the heavy lifting for the post-punk movement, clearing the way for bands such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Soul Asylum and of course Nirvana. Though out their lifespan, the band never quiet managed to crack the charts but left a serious impression everywhere else. In 1991, just as their inheritors began to take off The Replacements called it quits, seeing one of the promising bands of American rock completely shut down.
Their music, however, remains timeless. Their 1984 album Let It Be continues to be a bench mark for guitar work. Other releases including Hootenanny and Don’t Tell A Soul are still well received by fans as some of the best works to come from the era.
(Via L.A Times)
