I saw Tommy Stinson at the Mercury Lounge last Saturday. A legend at 15, Tommy was the bass player for the late, lamented Replacements. He had a couple of promising bands in the 1990’s done in by corporate indifference. He wound up, of all places, as a well compensated side-man in the new Guns-n-Roses. Contrary to reports, he hasn’t left. Being in Axl Roses’s new Guns is a lot like being in the National Guard these days; you can be called up at any time, and your tour of duty might never end.
There was something a bit dispiriting about watching Tommy go through all the rock star moves in support of his pretty decent new solo record at the tiny Mercury. He may be a legend, but it’s because of his mis-spent youth playing Robin to Paul Westerberg’s Batman. But the guy could have been a rock legend in his own right. He’s reminiscent of Rod Stewart when he was still cool. Of course, Rod the Mod wasted his talent, so if we measure Tommy by that yardstick, he still comes out ahead.
The evening’s pleasant surprise was all three opening acts, who played variations of your basic two guitars, bass and drums alternative rock. But, since that’s rarely done well these days, it feels like a revelation when it is.
The Victoria Lucas were reminiscent of early Talking Heads with their male-female vocals and song codas that segue into instrumental jams that bear little resemblance to the songs that they are technically still a part of. The core quartet was augmented by a cast of musicians who look like they were roused from a nap at an NYU study hall and told to play whatever the heck Casios and trumpets they could find.
Todd Deatherage is an Austin-cum-Brooklyn singer-songwriter whose alt-country clings closer to the Clash than Cash.
Finally, the Black Spoons were a revelation. A pretty tight trio with visual style and a good sense of humor. Anyway, I just can’t deny a song like “Julia Heartache.”