Tommy Stinson skipped all formalities Thursday night at the Mohawk Place when he burst right into his set of rough and unapologetic rock. With the confidence that comes from being a musician since the age of 13, Stinson needed no introduction.
Stinson's latest release is entitled "Village Gorilla Head" and was the source for the majority of his set. His ability to be both compassionate and forceful at the same time was spotlighted, as the stage hosted only Stinson and accompanying guitarist Dave Phillips, from the Catholics.
"I want to hold you if I can/ like there's nowhere else to stand/ but you're nowhere to be found now/ and there's nowhere else we can land," Stinson sang on "Not a Moment Too Soon."
Stinson may have startled listeners with his abrupt beginning, but the mix of his romantic but leathery voice with flawless guitar riffs instantly sent the crowd into a state of mellow contentment.
Drawing from his experiences with The Replacements, Bash & Pop, Perfect, and most recently, Guns 'N Roses, Stinson played a conglomerate brand of modish, edgy rock. Stinson's musical familiarity lies with the bass guitar, but he showed no signs of weakness as a lead guitarist during the set.
"Do you ever even think twice?/ Do you ever even think at all?/ Everybody's talking loud and all at once/ with poison in their tongues, poison in their tongues," Stinson cried on "Without a View."
His face exhibited anguish as the melancholy guitar played along with his less-than-jubilant lyrics. The combination of rhythm and slide guitar reflected Stinson's capability to both slur his vocals and provide emphasis when necessary.
About halfway through the set, Stinson took a trip to the bar to quench his thirst. While there, he burst into a personalized rendition of "Come on Get Happy" by the Partridge Family and coaxed the crowd into singing along.
"They say she don't take anything from anyone which ain't worth giving/ I say I don't give anything to anyone which ain't worth stealing," Stinson confessed amidst a dreamy acoustic guitar on "Hey You."
Throughout the set, Stinson's voice was on the verge of sounding strained, but with discipline and a few tremors, he kept his singing within the bounds of his range.
"We'll laugh at the expense of all their grief/ you never made me feel like I'm a creep/ and everyone's just looking for some space/ we're just killing time all over this place," Stinson sang on "Light of Day."
Dissident guitar chords were often utilized to express the angst evident in Stinson's voice, but his attitude never even hinted at unease. His easygoing, casual, and at times absentminded nature permeated the room for the remainder of the evening.
"That's all we got kids, so we're going to walk off stage awkwardly," Stinson said after he felt he was finished with the main part of the set.
He continued by skipping the part where he walked off stage and slid right into a two-song encore. The bipolar nature of the encore included both tender and forceful tunes, imitating the nature of the previous series.
On "Village Gorilla Head," Stinson's days as a bass player for various bands are reflected in bass lines that dominate each song and flirt with the accompaniment of a cello, a piano, a synthesizer, and a sax. The complex patchwork challenged Stinson to convey the same emotion through a live set. Stinson avoided the pitfalls of an empty sound easily created by one or two guitarists without any depth. He defied the odds with confident strumming leaving no desire for anything other than his wingman.
Mark Norris, a local artist, opened for Stinson and warmed the crowd up with his poppy brand of acoustic rock. Though his vocal abilities were less than ideal, his guitar playing overwhelmingly filled that void.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
