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News July 2004 |
| 23 July - Scott McCaughey/Ken Stringfellow |
|
by M.J. Fine |
Philadelphia City Paper The Minus 5 released two fine albums last year — the Tweedy-licious Down With Wilco and the sinister I Don't Know Who I Am — but Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck and Ken Stringfellow were too busy traipsing around the world with R.E.M. to promote them properly. McCaughey and Stringfellow are finally coming to town, but they're playing two days and half a block away from each other. As part of John Wesley Harding's All Male Threesome, McCaughey's as likely to dip into his Young Fresh Fellows catalog or break out a few Kinks kovers as he is to play anything from the Minus 5's latest, In Rock (Yep Roc). And forget Down With Wilco's terrific "I'm Not Bitter," which would fizzle without Stringfellow's harmonies. Though McCaughey's spent 20 years as a frontman and almost 10 as R.E.M.'s most dependable satellite, he hasn't logged much time alone on stage. Still, he's got plenty of quirky songs and the charm to pull it off. Stringfellow plays it straighter, but he doesn't always stick to the script. (As a solo opener at the Pontiac Grille, he brought out Twin Princess partner Bootsy Holler for a searing rendition of "Althea.") Stringfellow's Soft Commands (Yep Roc) wouldn't sound out of place on a soft-rock station, but beneath the yielding flesh of "Cyclone Graves" and "You Drew" is solid muscle. "Don't Die" is just a touch less noisy than Ryan Adams' "Note to Self: Don't Die," and just as great. "For Your Sake" reads like an exercise, a litany of alliterative hypotheticals, but Stringfellow's warm keys and not-quite-overlapping vocals have a menacing beauty. These two shows may prolong the pleasure, but the Minus 5 still owe us one. |
| 22 July - Ken Stringfellows new album out now |
|
Frequently The Minus 5 collaborator, founder of The Posies,
(touring)member of R.E.M. and Big Star
Ken Stringfellow
has just released his third solo album on Apple's
iTunes Music Store(link requires iTunes US). Soft Commands, released July 13 on YepRoc Records, is currently available only in North America, but they are working on a European distribution deal. At iTunes you can also check out his first effort, Sounds Like Goodbye. For those who would rather buy a real CD, check the YepRoc store or your nearest music shop. Preview a track here. Ken is currently on tour throughout the USA in support of the new release:- July 16 live on KEXP, 9am Pacific time July 16 KS/Bridget St. John at Wild Buffalo, Bellingham WA July 17 KS/Bridget St. John at Lola's, Portland OR July 18 KS/Bridget St. John at Crocodile Cafe, Seattle WA July 20 KS instore at NYCD, NYC 3pm July 20 KS/Jesse Sykes at Fez, New York NY July 21 KS/Jesse Sykes at Middle East, Boston MA July 22 KS at the Khyber, Philadelphia PA July 23 KS at XM satellite radio, Wash. DC (afternoon) July 23 KS/Jesse Sykes at Jammin' Java, Vienna VA (DC area) July 24 KS at Local 506, Chapel Hill NC July 26 KS at the Caledonia Lounge, Athens GA July 27 KS/Ex-Lovers at the Room, Charlotte, NC July 29 KS at Maxwell's, Hoboken NJ July 30 KS at Schuba's, Chicago IL (with KS DJ set upstairs in the lounge to follow) July 31 The Posies at Wicker Park Fest., Chicago IL Aug. 1 KS/Minders at Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland OH Aug. 3 KS at 400 Bar, Minneapolis MN Aug. 4-6 tba Aug. 7 Oranger/KS at Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco CA Aug. 8 KS at Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles CA |
| 20 July - Bring the Noise |
|
By Timothy Bracy |
The L
Magazine Scott McCaughey first emerged into the public consciousness 20 years ago, when, as leader of pop juggernaut the Young Fresh Fellows, (pictured above) the Seattle-based tunesmith spent the 80s in a decadent barnstorm of the U.S. and abroad, with friends like the Replacements. In 1993, McCaughey formed the Minus 5, enlisting a host of friends and co-conspirators including Peter Buck of REM, and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies. Their most recent release The Minus 5 In Rock has been widely praised by a journalistic establishment which seems to regard McCaughey with the combination of awe and fear that only a man of his magnificent, disturbing accomplishments can conjure. In advance of his anticipated July solo tour of the Northeast with John Wesley Harding, I tracked McCaughey down in Croatia where (he explained) several tour dates were being co-mingled with his overseeing of “other interests” in the region. See McCaughey July 7 at Maxwells and the July 8 at Makor. The L Magazine: I understand that there has been some ugliness in the past between yourself and John Wesley Harding. Interesting then that the two of you should elect to tour together. Care to provide a little background? Scott McCaughey: Mr. Harding is not the most difficult artiste I have dealt with in my many years creeping cross “the boards.” While it’s true one night of imbibing ended up in fisticuffs in Frederick Street, we have continued to share an agent and a personal trainer. Also, there is no better way to work out tensions between individuals than to put said individuals together in a small car for three weeks, and make them share a room at Motel 6. In Mexico this is known as “The Cock-Fight Solution.” They have had great success with it there. The L: This is not the only instance of acrimony between yourself and others in your line of work. In fact you seem to have accrued a significant list of antagonists: men like Robyn Hitchcock, Charlie Chesterman, Dennis Diken… To what might we attribute this? Is it a function of “artistic temperament”? SM: Anyone who has seen me perform, or worked with me on stage or in the studio, knows that I hold the Rock Music high and dear. Robyn, Charlie, and Dennis choose to stay out of my way whenever possible, but fate seems to continuously throw their bodies before the hurtling subway train that is me. Miraculously, they have not only survived, but thrived. The train is pretty much totaled though. The L: You are now well into your second decade as a working songwriter and have accumulated a large volume of outstanding material. Is it possible for you to recall what first possessed or inspired you to write a song, and do you ever wonder how it might be possible to stop? SM: I don’t think it’s possible to stop, though it often slows to a crawl. What first possessed me, I’m not exactly sure. Let’s just agree to hold Jackson Browne accountable. The L: Your first band, the Young Fresh Fellows was recently the subject of a tribute album featuring a handful of well and lesser-known names in music covering your material. How does that make you feel? Uncomfortable? SM: Yes, all these friends and fans indeed made an American squirm. When I became aware of this “secret project,” I warned the purveyors of the tribute album that they were throwing good money down the sinkhole, but they showed obvious contempt for my judgment and advice by blindly carrying their designs to an inevitable, tragic conclusion. Truthfully though, the final product has brought many a tear to my eyes. It’s really quite heartwarming. I am still slightly perturbed, however, by Sir Elton John’s willful lack of participation. The L: Both the Young Fresh Fellows and your other current regular outfit, the Minus 5, are known principally for their concussively loud live performances. Often (as you recently noted in your online blog) it is a near test of wills between you and your audience to see who will buckle first beneath the sheer magnitude of your scientifically implausible decibel levels. On this current tour you will be playing solo or with spare accompaniment. Are you concerned that you may be unwisely ceding your audience “the advantage”? SM: My audience always has the advantage, as they are comfortably seated, able to watch “the master” spin his magic web, perhaps even enjoying a beverage or snack whilst the Artist Known As Scab sweats and toils beneath the harsh glare of the spotlights. Volume plays little role — though it has been known to both cover up AND amplify glaring errors in a performance. In an acoustic setting, all gaffs will be plainly labeled and presented on a silver tray for the listeners’ convenience. |
| 18 July - Going it alone |
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Rock 'n' roll paramour Scott McCaughey
tries out the single life By Matt McGuire | Metromix.com If rock bands were spouses, Scott McCaughey would be a first-class swinger. While still fronting to his first love -- the '80s and '90s oddball rockers Young Fresh Fellows -- McCaughey started a series of one-night stands in recording studios and rock clubs with a band that would become The Minus 5. At first the group was just a loose collaboration with R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and an assortment of Pacific Northwest musicians. But soon McCaughey was bringing Chicago's Wilco and New York folkie John Wesley Harding into The Minus 5 fold-all while moonlighting as R.E.M.'s touring guitarist. Before hooking back up with R.E.M. for its upcoming tour, McCaughey will perform as a solo artist on a tour with Harding and Chicago musician Dag Juhlin, best known for his time in Poi Dog Pondering and the Slugs. The tour, which is billed as "John Wesley Harding's All Male Threesome," stops in Chicago later this week. How'd this lineup come together? I've known John for ages. He's played on The Minus 5 recordings. And I've played on a couple of his records. I'd never met Dag before this tour, but I was familiar with him from his days in the Slugs. I actually reviewed a couple Slugs records when I was writing for a music paper in Seattle. Did you skewer them? Geez, no. I really liked the Slugs. And [Dag] said that he remembered me always being nice to them in print. I have to ask: Is this your first threesome? It is, as matter of fact. [Laughs.] Although it won't be the first time that I've done a show where the acts mix and match a lot. I'm sure things will get a little messy. As threesomes tend to. Uh, yeah. John Wesley Harding boasts he's "the only singer-songwriter alive in the world today." Agree? You bet. Everyone else -- like me and Dag -- are just rock guys without a band. You mention Comiskey Park in the song "The Night Chicago Died Again." Thinking about changing your lyrics to reflect its new name, U.S. Cellular Field? No way. U.S. Cellular wouldn't sound very good in a song. And that new stadium doesn't deserve the name Comiskey. The old ballpark was 100 times better. That song also mentions Lounge Ax. Ever poke your head into The Gramercy, the bar that's taken over the old Lounge Ax space? Ugh. It'd break my heart. I don't think I could bear to see that it's turned into a yuppie bar. Not even to see the nifty waterfall behind the bar? Yeah, there was a waterfall behind the bar at Lounge Ax too. But that's because it was raining so hard one night that water was pouring down the back of the bar. The basement wound up with about a foot of water. A fake waterfall though? Nah, that doesn't interest me. Scott McCaughey When: 7 p.m. Friday, July 16; 8 p.m. Sunday, July 18 Where: Schubas Tickets: $15-$18. Matt McGuire is the metromix music and nightlife producer. Originally published Wednesday, July 14, 2004. |
| 13 July - Video Killed The Radio Star |
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One might think why does MTV always plays the same crap
videos over and over, why don't they never play some cool tunes, maybe some
The Minus 5, but then you realize The Minus 5 doesn't have any video's out.
But wait that’s history now thanks to 'Scott Ferril' and 'Rent The Sky Videos' you can now watch low budget videos of 'Emperor Of The Bathroom' and 'The Town That Lost His Groove Supply' there is even a clip of the 'House Of Four Doors Theme' and an upcoming video for 'All The Time' You can download these videos(Quicktime) at www.rentthesky.com. Make sure you explore the site a bit, as it has some nice content, seems like there is some nice stuff to be added like MP3's of The Minus 5 songs |
| 13 July - Minus 5 Leader Comes Out On Plus Side |
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Friday, July 09, 2004 | By Ed Masley,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
From his early records with the Young Fresh Fellows through the wealth of great material he's cut more recently with Peter Buck of R.E.M. and other friends, recording as the Minus 5, Seattle's Scott McCaughey has been responsible for any number of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs of the past two decades. In a perfect world, he'd have the sales to match. But things are looking up for McCaughey, the perennial underdog who showed up with Buck on the cover of Harp last month wielding axes and beards, the subject of an eight-page cover story. "I don't know what they were thinking," he says, with a laugh. "Worst selling cover ever, probably." Suddenly, outtakes are hitting the streets. And reissues of earlier records. Yep Roc is planning an EP release for October, picking up where last year's brilliant "Down With Wilco" left off. Cut with Wilco as his backing band, it could be argued that the "Down With Wilco" album owes a good deal of its higher profile to hitting the streets in the wake of Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." But McCaughey delivers with a richly orchestrated collection of hook-intensive pop songs with humor and heart, from "Days of Wine & Booze," the melancholy, atmospheric opener, to "Retrieval of You," his finest hour, a song about a failed musician abducting a former acquaintance who made it big. "I'm a fumbled record star," he sings. "They call me DJ Mini-Mart 'cause that's where I work." The song was inspired, he says, by an e-mail he got from Jeff Tweedy of Wilco as he was preparing to leave for sessions in Chicago. Tweedy signed the e-mail DJ Mini-Mart. "He wrote this kind of silly little poem to me about me coming out there to do that record," says McCaughey. "And I really liked it. It kind of got my mind going, and I sort of took it and turned it into that song. ... He had written this thing, 'I drive by airports practicing retrieval of you,' 'cause he was all excited for me to come out there and record. He didn't mean it to be creepy, but, of course, you know me. As soon as I got a hold of it, I turned it into this really sick thing." "I drive by airports practicing retrieval of you" became a key line in a darkly comic masterpiece that McCaughey says he's hoping will someday inspire a screenplay. It's certainly got the raw material. "I've got a boxcar with blankets and bread," he sings, "in sector nine where no one goes/ I brought a pillow for your precious head/ You'll be fine once you get to know me again." In February, Yep Roc reissued an earlier Minus 5 record with ties to Wilco, a slightly re-configured version of 2000's self-released "In Rock." There are no Wilco members on the album, but McCaughey wrote the bulk of the songs to do a gig with Wilco as an ad hoc Minus 5. "Sue Miller [Tweedy's wife] wanted the Fellows to play at the end of Lounge Ax [her Chicago nightclub], maybe even be the last band to play, and everyone was like, 'Well, I don't want to fly out there just for one show.' " So Tweedy volunteered his bandmates, and rather than make them learn a bunch of old McCaughey songs from a tape, he figured he'd just write some new songs, with an eye toward making them easy to learn -- or not quite learn so much as play without learning. "I wrote a bunch of those songs about a week before I went out there," he says, "and tried to make 'em simple garage-rock songs that we could play without rehearsing. 'Courage is the Smallest Bird.' 'Lies of the Living Dead.' 'In a Lonely Coffin.' All of those, I kind of wrote to go out there and play with Wilco. And then, I pulled some stuff together that I thought would be cool. I kind of updated 'I'm Not Bitter' to play at that show. And then, once I played that with them, I kind of saved it for recording until I did the record with them." He recorded the songs back home in Seattle with a band that was quickly becoming an "official" Minus 5 -- two of his R.E.M. bandmates, Buck and new drummer Bill Rieflin, and John Ramberg of the Model Rockets. Guests include John Wesley Harding, Chris Ballew and Kurt Bloch of the Fellows. The end result is a rock 'n' roll record that sounds a lot more like the Fellows than the Minus 5. In fact, McCaughey confesses that he would have done them with the Fellows if the Fellows had been doing things. "We just weren't playing," he says. "And I was just like, well, I've been writing these songs. I should just play them. There have been some songs I've written in the past two or three years that maybe the Fellows played the few times we've gotten together. And most of those I kind of save, thinking we might record another record. Just in case. But who knows when we're gonna do something. So if the opportunity comes for a Minus 5 show and we want to learn a new song or something. ... The Minus 5, when we play now, is pretty much a rock band, so the difference between the Minus 5 and the Fellows has gotten blurrier, as far as the musical styles we play. The records are still pretty different, I would say. Except 'In Rock.' " In May, the Fellows made their first live appearance in nearly two years at a tribute. To the Fellows. They played first, a concession to drummer Tad Hutchinson, whose reluctance to play is the primary reason the Fellows have gone missing. "Tad just isn't really fired up to play live, at least with the Fellows," McCaughey says. "So we just end up turning down most everything we're asked to do. Jim [Sangster] and Kurt want to do it, and Tad doesn't. I get the message. He didn't even want to do that tribute show. They wanted us to play on it, and he came up with the condition that he would do it if we played first, so we played first and then the rest of the night all these other bands played our songs. And it was fine. It was great. But he gets really nervous or something, and he thought he wouldn't have to wait around all night being nervous." Still, there's hope. As McCaughey recalls what he labels a "classic Tad" moment, "So the other day, I'm playing a solo show in Seattle, opening for, like, the Makers. I'm playing the third song, and all of the sudden, there's somebody playing drums with me. And I look down, and Tad has come in with this drum set and set up on the floor in front of me and just started playing along." He laughs and says, "I didn't even see him, you know? I had my eyes closed or was concentrating on playing the song right and all of the sudden, he's just down there on the floor of the club playing drums. And then, he played the whole rest of the set. I guess he likes to play as long as no one knows he's gonna be there playing." Chances are, he won't be flying in his kit to join McCaughey at Club Cafe, where he'll be playing Minus 5 and Fellows songs Saturday night as part of Harding's All-Male Threesome. |
| 9 July - Makor, New York review |
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"John Wesley Harding's All Male Threesome" (the Sgt. Pepper
parody, with SM, Wes and Dag) --Scott joked afterwards about always wanting his name sung in three part harmony before starting his solo set "I've Got my Mojo Working (And I Thought You'd Like to Know)" "Emperor of the Bathroom" "Retrieval of You" "Hank, Karen and Elvis" "Days of Wine and Booze" "Aw, Shit Man" "What I Don't Believe" (on piano!) "Boeing Spacearium" (on piano, with Wes on vocals and gtr. Dag joined to do a gtr. solo at the end) "Twilight Distillery" Scott then joined Dag for the first song of his set, a cover of the Kinks "Young and Innocent Days" Highlights of the set included Scott talking about how it was his second time at Makor, the first being a great NRBQ show. He said, "Those were great memories, and now I'm about to ruin them;" a woman in the front row eating a salad spitting out her food when Scott screamed in the middle of "Aw, Shit Man;" and during the last verse of "Days of Wine and Booze" Scott sang it acapella without using the microphone, which really brought the heartbreak of that song to a new level, I must say (I've seen Scott play that song at least 6 times before, and it was hands down the best version ever). I didn't get a chance to stay for Wes's set, but Scott showed me the setlist he was working on before the show and he was doing at least two songs with Wes. Steve from brooklyn |
| 9 July - www.UniversalTrendsetter.org |
|
As you probably can see, I have redone the site a bit, giving
it a nice and bright colour. You might ask, is there a special reason for
this, yes there is. From now on you will be able to access the site trough
the URL
http://www.universaltrendsetter.org. (It also still will be accessible
trough
http://users.telenet.be/grand_royal/minus5/). I have been thinking allot
about a good name for the site, as I wanted it to reflect on not only The
Minus 5 but also on all the other bands Scott McCaughey is involved with
(Young Fresh Fellows, etc..) So when Jane suggested this title I toughed it
was just perfect for the site. So don't forget to update your bookmarks. Also not everything of the site is already adapted to the new design, so it is possible that some links don't work or pictures won’t show up, if you find some errors on the site, please let me know either trough the email address or post a message on the board. So we hope you all like it, and have a nice summer Christophe |
| 9 July - Maxwell's, Hoboken reviews |
|
Scott, John Wesley Harding and Dag Juhlin kicked off their
'All Male Threesome' on Wednesday at Maxwell's. The Mendoza Line where also
on the bill that day. Two people have sent in their reviews, so if you're
curious what happened, just keep on reading. Scott at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ -
July 7 Last night was the kick-off of the John Wesley Harding all
Male Trio in Hoboken NJ and a great time was had by all in attendance! |
| 5 July - Compilation Tracks |
|
Seems The Minus 5 keeps busy, 3 more new tracks will be
revealed over the course of the summer, all on compilation discs. First
track is 'Waiting Like Mary' --Listen to part of the track
here
(real audio is required)-- a Steve Wynn song that is on the compilation CD
'From
A Man Of Mysteries - A Steve Wynn Tribute', which is out now on
Blue Rose records
and seems only available in Europe, but can be ordered at their site. Next
is the song "I Was Drunk" from the compilation 'POR
VIDA: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo' and will be out July
27 on
Or music. And the last one (for now;)) is contribution to the 'JAMES
JOYCE: CHAMBER MUSIC' CD that will be out September 27 on
Fire Records. |
| 1 July - Magnet Interview: Scott McCaughey |
|
Now you can read the full interview that
Magnet Magazine
did with Scott McCaughey on their site. Parts of the interview where
previously published in issue #63(May/June) which is still available in
newsstands and online. The interview covers The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows, R.E.M. and many other bands Scott is/was in. This gives a nice rundown of the works of Scott McCaughey. Scott McCaughey by Matt Hickey Speaking of booze, a hungover McCaughey begins our conversation by apologizing for missing the first scheduled appointment. MAGNET: Are you having a rough time down there? McCaughey: Um. Hmm. In a way. [Laughs] No, actually it’s going great. But we somehow stayed out really late last night and didn’t wake up. I don’t know how this happened. You started the Young Fresh Fellows around, what, 1982? Actually, (guitarist) Chuck Carroll and I made the first tape of the Young Fresh Fellows in 1981. In 1980, we bought a four-track and started recording a bunch of the songs that were on the first record, and we sent them out to our friends. Then we thought, “Let’s make an album.” It was a couple of years later, like in ‘83, that we started recording for a record, and [The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest] came out in 1984. We weren’t really a band when we started making the record, we were just goofing around. [Laughs] When people think of the Seattle scene, they immediately think of the grunge era, but what was it like when the Fellows began? It was pretty lame. There were some bands that were really popular that played in taverns four nights a week and did mostly covers. People would go and get drunk and dance to them and all that, and that was fine. There weren’t a whole lot of bands playing originals. The ones that did were kind of punk-rock bands that would play like an art gallery or something or rent out a hall for a hundred bucks and have the police come and shut it down. [Laughs] The cool thing about that was that all of these bands, these little punk-rock bands, were making their own singles. There weren’t really any labels, so it was a total DIY kind of thing. We were one of the first bands that made a record and then started driving around the country and playing shows. There were a few other ones around the same time, like the Fastbacks and the U-Men, but it was a pretty tough scene as far as just playing. You couldn’t really play and make a living unless you were in one of those bar bands. What did you do for a living at that time? What all musicians do: work in a record store. [Laughs] I actually played in a band in Seattle before the Fellows called the Dynette Set, which became pretty popular. We played in the taverns, four nights a week sometimes. We did some originals, but it was mostly a girl group. We did the Phil Spector stuff, the Shangri-Las and things, but with two guitars, bass and drums. It was more of a Stones approach to that, and we had three women singers. We made an album, too, which isn’t that good, but we were a rocking band and did really well. You can read the rest of the interview over at Magnet Magazine |
| © Christophe Claessens 2003-2004. |