An ex-Replacement forms a new bond

By Tom Kielty, Globe Correspondent, 9/12/2003

It's a rarity when an artist has made such a substantial contribution to music history that he can afford to walk away from the game before the age of 30, confident he's made his mark. Tommy Stinson is such an artist. As a 12-year-old, Stinson began playing rock music with his older brother, Bob, and another neighborhood delinquent, Chris Mars. The primitive rumblings they produced in the Stinsons' Minneapolis basement were eventually overheard by a local kindred spirit. And when Paul Westerberg signed on, the Replacements were born.

The band's delicate yet derelict sensibilities won hearts, and in 1983, by age 15, Tommy Stinson was touring the nation, his legal guardianship signed over to the band's manager, Peter Jesperson. The band's alcohol-fueled flame quickly became the stuff of legend, but it was not a light destined to burn long. By 1991, at the dawn of the fledgling alternative revolution, the Replacements were finished.

"I don't really give it much thought these days," Stinson says of his years spent in one of alt-rock's most influential outfits.

Fans have not forgotten; many have pined to see Stinson, now 36, perform ever since. The ill-fated Guns N' Roses tour -- which found Stinson playing bass for Axl Rose's reconfigured act -- was a brief opportunity. Tomorrow night at the Middle East downstairs, fans will have another as Stinson wraps up a solo tour with the lauded pop band the Figgs.

"It's far exceeded my expectations in most ways -- the Figgs have just been rocking," Stinson says of the tour, which features material from his act as well as theirs.

Playing songs from his solo projects, Bash and Pop and Perfect, and from a forthcoming solo record, Stinson has been thrilled with the tour.

"I would hope that I could find a way to continue doing this with these guys for a long time because I love playing with them," Stinson says of the Figgs. For the Figgs, who share a similar working relationship with British rocker Graham Parker, the feeling is mutual. And Figgs guitarist Mike Gent is happy with the new audiences both the band and Stinson are reaching on this unique outing. "He's got diehard fans and we have a couple too," Gent says. "There are people on this tour who have totally gotten turned on to the Figgs that dug it and bought a record."

While Stinson may be forging bonds with his new musicians, he is less than enthused about reuniting with Westerberg. Thoughts of a Replacements Midwestern tour to follow the route of Buddy Holly's ill-fated "Winter Dance Party" tour was quashed because of Stinson's busy schedule. He advises fans not to expect anything soon.

"We never had a hit, so it's not like we could go out and make a bunch of money," Stinson says. "The only reason that people ever do those things is for money, and I don't think we could make enough money to make it worth my while."