Westerberg goes from 'Folker' back to rockerBetween a couple of old Replacements songs and some of his most recent tunes at rehearsals Monday, Paul Westerberg was surprisingly confident about how well his first live band in eight years is coming together. "We should be on fire by Saturday," he said while lighting a cigarette. Reminded that his three-night stand at the Pantages Theatre actually starts today, he quipped, "Oh, then I mean by Sunday." Fans expecting a trio of finely tuned Westerberg shows probably have missed the singer's remarkably prolific yet delightfully ragtag output over the past 2½ years, in which time he released five CDs, all recorded in his basement. Those recent albums were better than his high-dollar '90s albums at bottling the bottle-induced spirit of the Replacements, who were to perfection what Florida is to elections.
Paul Westerberg takes a seat and a cigarette after practicing with new bandmates Jim Boquist on bass Kevin Bowe on guitar and Michael Bland on drums. - Kyndall Harkness Star Tribune Still, by the sound of things Monday -- if not necessarily the look of things -- Westerberg, 44, seems quite serious about returning to the role of bandleader. He toured in 2002 as a solo act but otherwise hasn't done it since 1996. Wearing a jester's cap that I'm told he has worn throughout the two weeks of rehearsals at the former Flyte Tyme Productions space (now Imagivision Media) in Edina, the singer said, "We're preparing for anything, rather than getting a select 20 songs down perfectly." He has hired local guys who probably can handle anything: ex-Prince drummer and new Soul Asylum member Michael Bland, songwriter and bandleader Kevin Bowe on guitar and former Son Volt bassist Jim Boquist, who also plays guitar with Kraig Johnson & the Program. Dubbed the Painkillers, the three already were acquaintances, which Westerberg insisted was more vital to the job than musicianship. He believes the 'Mats had their first opening gig with one of Bowe's old bands, the Dads. He and Boquist have been friends since a less-than-smooth introduction a few years back at a wedding. "His question to me was, 'Are you in it for the chicks or the drugs?' " Boquist recalled.
Paul Westerberg laughs with new bandmate Kevin Bowe during rehearsal. - Kyndall Harkness Star Tribune However, only Bland has worked with Westerberg before -- starting with a recording session for 1996's "Eventually" album at Paisley Park. "One of the best drummers around, and I had you come in and play the [expletive] jug, of all things," Westerberg said across the room to Bland (who, by the way, had to correct him on the song title: "Time Flies Tomorrow"). Having a drummer like Bland has been the most immediate reward in rehearsals, said Westerberg, who played all the instruments on his recent albums. "Anything that I drummed on absolutely comes to life with Michael," he said. "It's more difficult for [Kevin and Jim] at first, because I play guitar in awkward tunings and flats and sharps and whatnot." Of course, playing the old Replacements songs has its challenges, too, especially in the Twin Cities. There's a legacy attached to those songs that inevitably draws comparisons. Bland, however, shrugged off the risks. "I was playing Revolution songs in the New Power Generation," he said, adding, "The question is, 'Do the [Replacements] songs sound like karaoke?' Absolutely not." 'Folker' gets personal As with all things Westerberg, the timing of these full-band gigs is somewhat abnormal. His latest album, "Folker" -- which came out in September on Vagrant Records -- is actually more acoustic and downbeat than all his other recent CDs except "Stereo." During the Rock for Karl fundraiser concert two weeks ago, Westerberg played a solo acoustic version of the "Folker" gem "Lookin' Up in Heaven" that was nothing short of elegant. "It sounds great here, too," he insisted, trying his best to explain the timing. "I didn't want to [perform] by myself again. I did that last time, and I really got off on it, too. But I figured I'd be repeating myself." "Folker" turned out to be one of the singer's most personal and emotional albums. Several songs were influenced by the deterioration of his father, one-time local Cadillac salesman Hal Westerberg, who died last November of emphysema. But there are also lyrics derived from Paul's son, Johnny, now 6. "Not to get too gruesome," Westerberg said, "but when you're wiping your little boy's ass and then having to do the same to your father, that changes you. It turns you into an adult. "When he did die, I thought, 'Why hold anything back?' Put it out there now. You never know how long it's going to last. So I wrote a couple of songs that I may not have let out otherwise." The lyrics from "Now I Wonder" -- "We get down on our knees/ And we don't care who sees" -- came straight out of being in church at the funeral, he said. The more lighthearted song "My Dad" recounts tidbits like Hal's love for the Twins but disinterest in a fancy new flat-screen TV that Paul had bought him. Westerberg expects to play a few but not too many of the new songs with the band, including "My Dad." "That one's hard for me," he said. When asked why, he replied, "It's nothing emotional. The song doesn't make me sad. It's just one where I literally sat down and wrote it out, so the lyrics are hard for me to remember." Reminded that he has a problem remembering lyrics to many other songs, too, Westerberg said, "There you go. Even if we rehearsed for a month straight and got every song down perfect, I'd probably get up there and play the first chord and forget the words." A few minutes later, he and the band kick-started a song that he had mentioned was easy for him to remember: "High Time," in which the second verse is same as the first -- "and not very wordy at that," he said happily. From the "Stereo" CD, "High Time" is one of the newer songs Westerberg has never played with a band. Even in rehearsal, it sounded great. In fact, dare it be said, it sounded perfect. Chris Riemenschneider |
