paul westerberg

I Have Always Loved You

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Portland set list.

Portland set list.


It’s been a while.

By now, you’ve probably accepted the fact that the boys are not recording, nor even touring again.

Like many of you, I was bummed for a while there, too.

To replace The Replacements, I resigned myself to YouTube. I found old live ’Mats footage, soaked up rare B-sides and tried to watch every interview I hadn’t seen before.

None of it filled the void.

You see, there’s something about a live show. The wait, the anticipation, the crowd, the NOISE. Anything can happen.

So when a friend offered to take me to see Stiff Little Fingers in late July, I said, “OK, they’re not the ’Mats, but what the hell.” I’ve always loved Inflammable Material, and “Alternative Ulster” still knocks me out.

My friend and I hadn’t seen each other since March—before my birthday and the ’Mats Portland show, both in April. So we caught up before the show at her place.

“Oh, I’ve got something for you,” she said. “A belated birthday gift, hang on.” She leaves the living room then returns with a small canvas bag. “Here you go, happy belated birthday!”

I smile as she hands it to me (the bag has a cat face and the words “Cat Lady” printed on it). “See, it reminded me of you! Open it!” She looks at her boyfriend across the room, who shoots her a big smile.

I unzip the pouch. A folded piece of paper is inside. It’s quite wrinkled, longer than letter size. As I unfold it, I notice the paper is edged with really thick black tape all around. Something small and square falls to the floor. I pick it up.

Completely unfolded now, I look at the white duct tape-edged paper…

“Within Reach.”

“Bastards.”

“Portland.”

… then the square thing… and it hits me…

“IT’S THE SET LIST!” I screamed. “AND A VIP PASS FROM THE PORTLAND SHOW!!!!!”

I instantly felt like that 15-year-old girl who saw The Replacements for the first time. I couldn’t stop looking at the set list—I just stared at it, then back at my friends.

Everyone started laughing.

“Yeah, I saw your Instagram a while after the show, about how you loved the band since high school and thought you should have it,” her boyfriend said. He was a tech that night for the venue, Crystal Ballroom. “It was Paul Westerberg’s set list.”

I couldn’t stop saying thank you.

Why?

Kindness. Generosity. Authenticity.

I see these qualities in the ’Mats fans I know personally, and those I’ve become friends with online. They’re real people who help each other out. It’s just what you do, right?

So while we may not have another Replacements tour, or a new album, we do have each other.

Here’s to a great band AND a great group of fans.

“The daughters and the sons!”

Back to that same ’ole place, Sweet Home Chicago

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Paul Westerberg and Slim Dunlap perform during The Replacements’ last show, Taste of Chicago 1991. Photo courtesy of Bob Ingrassia
Tommy Stinson and Steve Foley during the Replacements’ last show in 1991. Photo courtesy of Bob Ingrassia.
The band during a rainy Riot Fest Chicago 2013 soundcheck. Photo courtesy of paulwesterberg.net
Tommy and Paul during Riot Fest Chicago 2013. Photo courtesy of Eric Hess.

Flannel shirts. Skunky, shitty beer. The blues. A bit of folk. A bit of country twang. Mismatched used car salesmen suits. Honesty. Attitude.

The Replacements are a Midwest band — there’s no denying it. So it’s probably no surprise that one of The Mats’ largest fan bases lies roughly 400 miles southeast of Minneapolis in the City of Big Shoulders — my hometown — Chicago. As The ’Mats gear up for a two-night stint at The Riviera — their first club show in Chicago since the early ’90s — let’s look at the boys’ connection to the Windy City:

  • Chicago was the first major city to catch on to The ’Mats’ infectious blend of punk, rock, country and the blues (New York came second, my friends).
  • Just-slightly-left-of-the-dial Chicago radio station WXRT (93.1FM) was one of the first US radio stations to actively play The Replacements. Their long-standing, late-night show The Big Beat was where I first heard The ’Mats on the radio. No coincidence then that ’XRT is sponsoring the 2015 shows at the Riv!
  • Chicago is the birthplace of the electric blues, home to Chess Records. As Paul Westerberg said in a ’96 interview: “I approach my rock and roll or pop music the way someone else would approach blues. I try to keep it as bare, simple and real to life as possible. Because my true desire, my dream in life—which I have never before revealed—is to be the greatest blues guitar player in the world. There, I said it.”
  • The band essentially broke up in 1991 after their Taste of Chicago gig. See below.

Listen to this live Chicago shit:

The Replacements 1984 at the Cubby Bear Lounge
Why you should listen: Their blistering, bluesy version of “Take Me Down to the Hospital.”



The Replacements Chicago Radio Interview 1987
Why you should listen: The DJ indulges the band by playing Sonny Boy Williamson’s epic Little Village.



The Replacements “last” show in 1991 at the Taste of Chicago
Why you should listen: Their roadies close out the set! The band breaks up.

The words I thought, I brought…

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A 1987 issue of Musician featuring an article on “The Real Replacements.”

A 1987 issue of Musician featuring an article on “The Real Replacements.”

Opening spread of 1987 article on The Replacements.

Opening spread of 1987 article on The Replacements.

Digging through my archives, I found a July 1987 issue of Musician magazine, featuring an article on our beloved ’Mats by Bill Flanagan. I wanted to share the damn thing because it’s been collecting dust AND it marks some key changes for the band:

  • The release of Pleased to Meet Me: “The Replacements’ shot at the big time,” says Flanagan.
  • Bob’s departure: “It’s tough,” Westerberg concedes. “Tommy wanted to see Bob straighten up, but he wasn’t and he wouldn’t and he’s gone.”
  • Slim joining the band: “The reason I wanted Slim in the band was to replace my brother. We couldn’t have some guy from L.A. with hair down to his butt come in. It had to be someone I liked,” says Tommy.

Flanagan visited the ’Mats in Minneapolis, just after they infamously threw the Twin/Tone tapes of their early albums in the Mississippi River. The overall tone of the article is intimate, a little dark, but also funny and raucous. Hey, kinda like the band themselves!

Download a PDF of the sidebar, in which the boys talk guitars and amps etc.

If there’s enough interest in this article, I’ll get off my ass and fix my scanner and post the whole article. Or, as I just discovered, you can buy the magazine on eBay. I’ll never let my copy go!

“The words I thought I brought I left behind, so NEVERMIND!”

Once around the weekend…

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skim-cover

How sweet are these? A Slim pick AND a Songs FROM Slim adapter.

How sweet are these? A Slim pick AND a Songs FROM Slim adapter.

mats-ep-cover

My, what a busy weekend! On Record Store Day (RSD), we saw the release of two ’Mats-related records and on Sunday, the good people of Denver got one big dose of thunder from the ’Mats at the Fillmore.

The Replacements’ RSD release is a reissue of a four-song 1987 EP, featuring “Alex Chilton,” “Nightclub Jitters” and two B-sides. For the first time ever on vinyl, we can also enjoy Slim Dunlap’s first two albums: “The Old New Me” and “Times Like This.”

I’d already heard all the songs on the Mats’ EP, but it’s a great addition to any vinyl collection (gotta love the cover image). If nothing else, it will remind you what a fucking rocker “Alex Chilton” really is. And “Nightclub Jitters,” well, is always a gem.

The Dunlap RSD release though, is really something special.

Bob “Slim” Dunlap joined The Replacements in 1987 as lead guitarist. I’ll admit as a 15-year-old girl seeing them live for the first time in ’89, I knew nothing of his work—I just loved The Replacements. But I was instantly intrigued by this “slim” dude who seemed to effortlessly play anything and everything. He was laid-back and loose. He reminded me of a younger Keith Richards (I was raised on the Stones).

A Minneapolis rock legend, Dunlap was handpicked by Paul Westerberg for his solid, versatile playing. He’s been dubbed, “one of the last old-school cool guitar players,” according to PopMatters. One listen and I think you’ll agree. Standout tracks on “The Old New Me” include heartbreakers like “Taken on the Chin” and “Love Lost.” On “Times Like This,” Slim takes us back home on “Hate This Town.” Flip the record and the guitar tone on “Cooler Then” is just devastating, the lyrics too.

I really can’t say anything else other than, order the Dunlap reissue now. Kudos to New West Records! All proceeds from the reissue go to the Slim Dunlap Fund.

Follow Songs for Slim on Facebook.

Also, this happened over the weekend:



What the folks in Denver are saying about the recent Fillmore show:

The Replacements at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver (photos, review)

The ’Mats owe us nothing

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Wow. Watching all the shows for the Back By Unpopular Demand tour unfold—or rather EXPLODE—proves that truly, The Replacements owe us nothing.

It’s probably not a coincidence then that The ’Mats played I.O.U for their second encore at the Portland show. Note the little smile from Paul at the end of the video above. In fact, they closed many of their 2013 fest shows with that rocker, too.

If recent fan and critic reports coming out of their two-night stint at L.A.’s Hollywood Palladium are any indication, the train kept a rollin’! “You could feel and see the room swell with energy and joy, both on stage and in the wildly dancing, lyrics-shouting crowd – which didn’t, and nearly wouldn’t, go home when the Replacements were done,” said Peter Larsen of the Orange County Register.

Long-time fan Heather Chakiris attended both nights at the Palladium. Her thoughts on the second night; “I can’t even find the words. JESUS, WHAT A SHOW. WHAT A NIGHT. WHAT A BAND. Closed with I.O.U. THIS BAND IS A FREIGHT TRAIN.”

Paul Westerberg throws his SG to guitar tech during second night of L.A. show. Photo courtesy of @joshfreese on Instagram.

Paul Westerberg throws his SG to guitar tech during second night of L.A. show. Photo courtesy of @joshfreese on Instagram.

Look out Denver!

“Want it in writing, I owe you nothin’.”

Well, here you have it, boys, in writing.

Here are some other folks who agree:

Live Review: The Replacements Still Beautifully Ramshackle at the Masonic
Live Review: The Replacements at Crystal Ballroom, 4/10 
Consequence of Sound review of Seattle show

Die Within Your Reach

Video | Posted on by lova33b

“Older, cleaner, still fun.” “Self-destructive…unruly as ever.” “Beautifully ramshackle.” These are just some of the recent media headlines coming out of the ’Mats show in San Francisco. My vote: the last one. Spot on! Of course, I still can’t get the Portland show outta my…

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Playin’ at the Talent Show

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It took a good day to recover and post this little retrospective of The Replacements’ show at the Crystal on Friday. I hope you enjoy it…

Simply put—pure fucking joy.

Thanks to the kindness of friends, we were able to get in a bit earlier. Turns out we ended up right in front. Didn’t expect that. The stage was much smaller than I remember. In fact, it was probably the most intimate-feeling show I’ve seen at this venue. Possible reason—I didn’t drink during the show. As it was an all ages show, the Crystal separated the drinkers from the kids. At other shows like Dinosaur Jr. or Archers of Loaf, I ended up at least 20-30 feet away, behind the “beer barrier.” Sober at a Mats show? Well, kinda…and it was worth it!

The Young Fresh Fellows kicked off the antics and didn’t disappoint. I especially liked their cover of Slim Dunlap’s “Loud Loud Loud Loud Guitars.” Their drummer Tad Hutchison is phenomenal! In fact, the whole band was just plain tight! Watch an Instagram video of YFF tearing it up before The ’Mats.

Post YFF, the antsy crowd was kept slightly at bay with Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and other classics on the overheads. Mayhem quickly ensued however, as the lights dimmed and “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen started blasting. Paul comes running out, does a little chicken dance lap around the stage, followed by his mates. You can watch that footage now, if you wish.

They launched straight in with “Takin’ A Ride,” followed by “Favorite Thing”. I don’t have footage of that because I screamed along to the entire song and ruined the audio. However, you can watch a bit of “I Will Dare.” More video highlights to come!

The crowd could not get enough, even after the first encore. I threw a bunch of old used 45s, including Les Paul, Paul Anka, The Partridge Family ( among others, they were supposed to be a gift!) onto the stage, just before Tommy followed the rest of the band offstage. He looked at me, then walked up to the records and just started breaking them and crushing them with his hands. All I could do was laugh.

The band came out for one more, “I.O.U.” off Pleased to Meet Me. Pure rock ’n roll. What a way to end a show!

Does anyone else out there have post-show depression? I miss The ’Mats already. Maybe I should just hit the road and follow ’em? “In my waxed up hair and my painted shoes…” Sigh. I mean, Tommy still owes me $1 for all those records!

The party is NOT OVER!

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early-mats-record

In fact, some would say the party’s just beginning…bring your own lampshade to Friday’s show in Portland!

So, I got the above record after a screening of the film “Color Me Obsessed” a while back (thank you Jackpot Records). It’s so f’in great, I don’t even know where to begin. The only other ’Mats I have on vinyl is Tim (from my father-in-law, more on that in another post) and the Songs for Slim LP. The rest of the ’ole collection is on cassette and yes, they still work!

Why is this record so special? Evidently, it was limited to a pressing of 400, and features outtakes from their early recordings (duh!). This one is on blue vinyl, but I’ve seen it online in red/hot pink too. Why you need this record:

mats-notes

Arguably the best track on the damn thing is “If You Get Married,” mainly ’cuz you can’t find that song anywhere else. It’s tender, poignant and still has balls. Also, I AM a girl, and love it when Paul wears his heart on his sleeve. But I digress.

early-mats-back

Please note: this album was not produced by ALEX CHILTON.

Buy this album on Discogs.