The Yawpers Open for Bash and Pop
By DONNA BALANCIA
Tommy Stinson and his band Bash and Pop are sittin’ on top of the world.
They wear high-class suits, play gigs at places like The Troubadour, and they even have the fans buying them “Bullet” drinks.
Tommy did a couple of appearances on the late night show circuit as well, all in support of the new Bash and Pop album, Anything Could Happen. Anything Could Happen is the first album from Bash and Pop in 24 years.
And Stinson is happy with the attention. After all these years, it’s probably something the guy’s entitled to, after all, he is the founder of The Replacements, arguably one of the best power-pop/ new wave bands around, and he’s definitely paid his dues.
And so have the fans.
The packed house at The Troubadour was the embodiment of fan love, as the over-35 crowd came from near and far to make like sardines in the can. Even up in the rafters. They came to see Stinson perform new tunes as well as old, and even some Stones and The Who covers.
On the set list were “Friday Night is Killing Me,” “Tiny Pieces,” “Anybody Else,” “On the Rocks,” “Bad News,” set closer “Unfuck You” and covers like “The Kids Are All Right,” “You’re My Favorite Waste of Time,” by Marshall Crenshaw and the Stones’ “Midnight Rambler,” as well as “Anything Could Happen.”
Stinson looks good and interacts with the audience in an affable way. His punk-style haircut is grey now, but other than that, he’s still got the moves and the sense of humor to boot.
“Don’t forget to visit the merch table,” he reminded after the show. “We have T-shirts, albums and ‘Depends.'”
C’mon Tommy, the crowd wasn’t all THAT old and in fact there were at least a good 50 people or so who were in the under-35 category. Either way, it’s OK. After all, Classic Rock is in again and on an evening like this, with Stinson on stage and fans showing the love, anything really could happen.
The Yawpers opened the evening and put on a great set, with surprise verve and energy that could launch a rocket. The Rockabilly alt-punk trio do a great job of keeping the audience on their toes, with them telling the audience to shut the F up even though nobody was hassling them. The guitar work and drums were incredible, and these guys can make an average song sound like a hit.
