There are a lot of words we can use to describe Minneapolis rock and roll band The Replacements. Some of them are less than savory (“messy,” “disorderly,” “self-saboteurs”), but most of them are not (“pioneering,” “essential,” “revelatory”).
The band is beloved by many, and unfortunately for some of you, only 100 people are going to get to see ‘Mats bassist Tommy Stinson play a hyper-intimate set at the St. Pete Shuffleboard Club on March 12.
TRUE TO YOURSELF
Interview: Before Clearwater stop, Tommy Stinson talks Bash & Pop and more
The 51-year-old was just in town fronting Bash & Pop during a September 2017 set at Clearwater's Capitol Theatre, but this time he'll be arriving as part of a tour for his side project Cowboys in the Campfire, which finds Stinson exploring a country and blues-based sound. The band includes Stinson’s uncle-in-law Chip Roberts, and the band’s tour deliberately puts it face-to-face with fans for stripped down versions of its songs plus material from the rest of Stinson’s catalog.
"Country and blues are always the fucking beginning of rock 'n' roll anyway. So when our bands either break up or whatever, you go right back to the beginning again. It's the nucleus of what we've grown up doing," he recently told Willamette Week.
"[The shows are] rewarding bit because you get to see how it really impacts the fans. They're right there on your tail. You're close enough to smell them and feel them and really hear what their reaction is to what you're playing."
Carrie Waite, President of the Board at Shuffle, has been volunteering at the club since 2010-ish and says the club has been trying to bring live music back to the venue. Last month, Mondo Diablo (an instrumental surf-rock band featuring two CL staffers) played Shuffle’s ridiculously-popular Tweed Ride. On March 17, old-school Tampa art-rock band Dumbwaiters will play a reunion show.
The Shuffleboard Club’s mission is to promote the game of Shuffleboard and other recreational activities for the pleasure and pastime of its members and the public. It is normally at capacity every Friday night and boasts more than 1,200 members and more than 400 people playing in a Winter League every Monday and Wednesday.
“This is us expanding the ‘other activities for the pleasure and pastime,’” Waite said, adding that the club is first and foremost a community recreation space.
“Honestly this one kind of fell in our lap. We’d love to host unique shows like this that aren’t typical for Tampa Bay and not compete too much with what’s already going on. Maybe we’ll fill a gap.”
If you can't get into the St. Pete show, then try your luck in Orlando at Park Ave. CDs on March 13. Get more information on the Shuffle show via local.cltampa.com.
