Jim Walsh's "The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting" Book Release Party @ First Ave 11/28

Jim Walsh, local rock and roll writer extraordinaire for some 25 years, has written a book about the definitive 1980's Minneapolis band, The Replacements. The 'Mats, as they have come to be known after one cynic dubbed them "The Placemats", started in 1979 and ended in 1991, a relatively brief lifespan for a band that influenced countless musicians after them, including the likes of Kurt Cobain.
As if to crazily foreshadow what was to come in future years, The Replacements were kicked out of their first gig, at a halfhouse, for being wasted. They were known for such reckless and unpredictable shows, and were banned from Saturday Night Live after a thouroughly drunken performance that featured a lovely "fuck" on live tv.



There is a fucking ton of Replacements videos on youtube, so you should go there and check out a couple, like this one:






Mr. Walsh has put together a critically acclaimed oral history of the legendary band, with interviews/commentaries from dozens of Replacements afficianados, including rock stars such as Billy Joe Armstrong and Brianna Riplinger. Needless to say, there are countless stories about the band and their antics, so this should be a fascinating and insightful read, and I am really looking forward to checking it out.

At the show we saw several bands perfrom lots of 'Mats songs. It was really special to see that many people congregated to see bands performing cover songs. The place was packed. There was one guy there from Sweden (seriously) who was such a fan that he came just for the hoopla surrounding the book. We met him last Wednesday at First Ave, at the Ike show, and he was ecstatic to be here in Minneapolis where it all went down, discussing the scene and the city that produced one of his favorite bands. I suspect there were many people hoping that Mr. Westerburg, who is somewhat reclusive these days and rarely perfoms, would make an appearance and maybe do a song or two, but they would have been dissapointed. What people did encounter tho, were a whole lot of bands who went to a lot of trouble to get on stage and play three or four songs each because they love the Replacements and appreciate their legacy. I mean, these were local bands performing very short sets in support of a book release, and people were out in droves to see it. Jim Walsh, when not signing books, was doing his best to recreate the feel of a 'Mats show, jumping onstage without warning every so often to sing backup vocals and generally agitate the crowd and keep the bands on their toes.


Here is Revolver Modele, whose unfortunate guitarist was the first victim of Jim Walsh's onstage harrassment which included pushing and kicking the guitarist as he attempted to play:





The Alarmists, who did a fantastic version of "The Ledge":



and here's One for the Team with DC (with Jim on the right hand side of the stage, in black):



All in all it was a special evening, celecrating The Replacements' music, and an excellent kickoff to what will surely be a fun and enlightening read.