Tommy Stinson at 30A Songwriters Fest

Tommy Stinson review and photo by Brian DeSpain

A longtime member of The Replacements took the stage at the Old Florida Fish House at the 30A Songwriters Fest.

Tommy Stinson, also known for his roles in Guns N Roses and Bash & Pop, is set to release a project with longtime song collaborator Chip Roberts.

Stinson drew from his solo work, the Bash & Pop band catalogue and three songs on the forthcoming Cowboys in the Campfire album. The album is coming out on Fat Possum Records and slated for a spring release.

Stinson started out with two songs from his 2015 EP L.M.A.O. which later appeared on Bash & Pop’s 2017 album Anything Can Happen – “Not This Time” and “Breathing Room.” Then he cranked out a cover, “The Kid is Alright” from The Who.

Stinson then dug deep into his catalogue with “Not A Moment To Soon” from 2004’s Village Gorilla Head.

“Destroy Me” from 2011’s One Man Mutiny follows. Stinson started into a second song from the same solo album. After a few moments strumming on the guitar intro, in a very rock n roll move he shut it down. “Meant To Be” wasn’t meant to be.

A fan on the front row interjects with a song request. “I’ll play what I damn well please, it’s been 3 years,” Stinson says. “Don’t mean to be sassy, I just wasn’t feeling it.” This is a reminder of when a musical artist once said, “I am not a jukebox.”

Three songs from the forthcoming Cowboys In the Campfire album played in succession, “Zero To Stupid” and “Karma’s Bitch” and “Fall Apart Together.”

“Karma’s Bitch” is based on a true story about someone’s neighbor. He sat on his porch so many years. The man dumped his girlfriend and drank himself to death. Stinson said, “It’s an uplifting tale, I also have another one.”

“Nothing” from Bash & Pop’s 1993 album Friday Night Is Killing Me follows.

Two numbers rounded out the regular set: “Anybody Else” and “Anything Could Happen,” both from Bash & Pop’s 2017 album Anything Could Happen.

Tommy Stinson closed the set with an encore: the title song from Friday Night Is Killing Me. A great set from a legend.

Check our his tour schedule here: https://www.tommystinson.com

For an earlier show review, click here: Show Review: Tommy Stinson at Pearl Street Warehouse