NashvilleScene.com: Critics’ Pick Bash & Pop
Originally Published on: nashvillescene.com
By SABY REYES-KULKARNI
Far too often, there’s a fine line between workmanlike and dull, but that is most certainly not the case with Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more energetic brand of hard-charging, meat-and-potatoes rock ’n’ roll than what Stinson delivers with the new incarnation of Bash & Pop. Stinson didn’t achieve the band chemistry he was striving for when he first formed Bash & Pop in 1992 after The Replacements’ (first) demise, but this time, the 50-year-old spark plug hits the bullseye. Stinson’s latest bandmates — Hold Steady gunslinger Steve Selvidge, Mighty Mighty Bosstones drummer Joe Sirois and bassist Justin “Carl” Perkins — match his energy while also keeping him grounded. Even when the music starts to go off the rails, it never quite falls apart — no small feat, especially under the weight of Stinson’s legend. But Bash & Pop makes it look easy, both shrugging off and honoring the past with irresistible verve.
