The whole thing about being the daughters and sons of no one pretty much flew out the window during Friday night's Tribute to the Replacements at First Avenue. With participants ranging in age from barely legal to nearly AARP-ready, the 'Mats marathon once again showed just how deep-seeded the band's musical lineage remains in the local music scene – albeit, some of it quite bastardized. The three-quarters-full crowd also had something of a familial feel, thanks in part to the event landing the day after Thanksgiving and becoming an annual thing.
As with last year's "Let It Be" revival, the centerpiece Friday was the live recreation of 1985's "Tim" album with a different singer for each song and a house band featuring Ryan Smith and Pony Hixon-Smith of the Melismatics, Peter Leggett of Heiruspecs and guitar wiz Terry Eason. That part of the show flowed a little less smoothly this year but had its ecstatic moments. Here's who sang what with each song:
"Hold My Life," Sarah Nienaber (Gospel Gossip) / "I'll Buy," contest winner Erik Hendrickson (standing in for an M.I.A. Jim Walsh) / "Kiss Me on the Bus," Johnny Solomon (Communist Daughter) / "Dose of Thunder," Hendrickson again / "Waitress in the Sky," Jimmy Gaines (Dude Weather) / "Swingin' Party," Ben Kyle (Romantica) / "Bastards of Young," Arzu Gokcen (Pink Mink) / "Lay It Down Clown," Dale T. Nelson (Otto's Chemical Lounge) / "Left of the Dial," Josh Grier (Tapes 'N Tapes) / "Little Mascara," Brian Vanderwerf (Chooglin') / "Here Comes a Regular," Justin Pierre (Motion City Soundtrack)
Best "Tim" moments: Pretty much the whole second half of the album was keenly stirred/stirring, starting with a perfectly bittersweet "Swinging Party" and an anthemic "Bastards of Young" – "sacred," Gokcen simply called it – and then a slithery "Lay It Down Clown" with mean slide-guitar from Eason. First-timer Hendrickson, who landed the gig via a YouTube video submission, deserves big props for nailing "Dose of Thunder." Especially since he did so without spilling his PBR tallboy.
Worst "Tim" moments: "I'll Buy" was derailed when nobody could find would-be vocalist Jim Walsh, who was likely still in the Entry (the "Tim" thing started about 10 minutes earlier than expected). Johnny Solomon's "Kiss Me on the Bus" was also pretty lifeless, which often happens when sheet lyrics are enlisted. But the Communist Daughter frontman did come up with his own good line: "I've been to jail more times than Paul Westerberg."
Best moments outside of "Tim:" The mini-sets in the main room before the "Tim" marathon were all better than any of last year's sets, and really the highlight of this show. The White & Lazy All-Stars (led by Vanderwerf with Baby Grant Johnson) nailed the greasiest stuff off "Stink" and then went downright elegant with the Chooglin' horns for "Can't Hardly Wait." Pink Mink tore through "Kids Don't Follow," "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out," "Color Me Impressed," "Black Diamond" and "Customer" with Ramones-ian pep. And then the Honeydogs finished it off with the most musically precise set of the night, a mixed bag of tunes that made a strong case for "Darling One" as an unsung masterpiece and then did wonders with the over-sung "Alex Chilton."
Best non-Replacements song choice: "Real Live Bleeding Fingers," by Walsh's Mad Ripple crew, which Lucinda Williams wrote about Paul Westerberg ("I heard a rumor / You're making history"). Walsh & Co. pulled another great one out of its hat with Ben Glaros on lead vocals: Big Star's "Ballad of El Goodo," in tribute to 'Mats hero/pal Chilton.
Worst non-Replacements song choice: Grant Hart's "2541," by Sons of Gloria. Great song, but if the musicians are going to start making it an anything-Minnesotan-goes tribute night, then they can't use the 'Mats as an excuse for being under-rehearsed. SoG drummer Tom Cook did throw in a fun original called "Take Out the Trash," though, which was essentially a few Bob Stinson tales sewn together with a loose beat.
