As random as all the other rare signs-of-life from Paul Westerberg over the past half-decade, a new song by the Replacements frontman made its way onto the web this morning via a local blogger/fan site. Click here to hear the track.
The operator of www.IWillDare.com, Jodi Chromey, said Westerberg's manager sent her the solo-with-piano track out of the blue and told her she could post it. The song is called "My Road Now," and while it's a rather dramatic and heartbreaking ballad, it's also another loosely made, not-ready-for-FM-radio recording from the basement-taping Minneapolis rock legend. He drops an F-bomb at the beginning as he starts the song over. Then, at the end, he humorously mutters, "Got through one," seemingly patting himself on the back. In between, though, it's pretty much classic Westerberg, with the sharply tongued hook, "This is my road now, and you can hit it, babe."
When I asked Paul's manager Darren Hill about the track -- and if this means we can expect a new album and tour by year's end (yeah right!) -- all he said was, "It's just a new song he wanted to get out there. No agenda." Chalk it up as another entry in the "Where in the world is Paul Westerberg?" story.
