Tommy Stinson of The Replacements and Guns ‘N Roses goes solo at Downbeat Music Center

Singer-songwriter Tommy Stinson is making a rare solo tour stop at Downbeat Music Center in Pooler while traveling south to the 30A Songwriters Festival in Florida. He will be joined by special guests Karla Rose and Diane Gentile.

Stinson has had a remarkable (and remarkably varied) career in rock and roll. When he was only 12 years old, he co-founded and played bass for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-nominated Minneapolis band The Replacements. When the Replacements broke up in 1991, Stinson moved up to the position of frontman and songwriter for two critically acclaimed bands, Bash & Pop and Perfect.

From 1998 to 2014, Stinson joined Guns ‘N Roses as bassist and music director during the Chinese Democracy era. During this time, Stinson also often joined fellow Minneapolis rockers Soul Asylum on bass during several tours. Stinson even appeared on a rap-rock version of Puff Daddy’s “All About the Benjamins.” Stinson seems to pop up all over rock history.

New era: Cowboys in the Campfire

Now 40 years into his career, Stinson has begun a new venture with guitarist (and his ex-wife’s uncle) Chip Roberts, called Cowboys in the Campfire. Cowboys in the Campfire released their debut album, Wronger, in June 2023.

“Chip Roberts and I became fast friends when we met 16 years ago,” said Stinson over the phone. “We started writing songs together right out of the gate and over time, after amassing a song here and a song there, we finally had a record. It took a while, and we finally got it. What you have there is the making of a record over the course of seven years or more. Some of the other stuff we wrote ended up on my last solo record, One Man Munity. There’s a lot of material out there and we took the stuff that is more stripped down and applied that to the Cowboys in the Campfire stuff.”

Wronger may be “stripped down” in Stinson’s estimation, but the record still features some raucous rockabilly, boozy honky-tonk, No Depression alt-country, and eclectic pop arrangements with everything from strings, horns, and ukulele. Vocally, Stinson still displays youthful college rock charm, even if a little grit and gravitas betrays his age.

“I like to keep it interesting, and what’s funny about where I’m at in life right now, I don’t have to be anything,” said Stinson. “I can just be whatever the hell comes out. Not that I was ever trying to be anything anyway, but the older we get we have less desire to emulate anything else out there. I really couldn’t give a crap about anything popular, or trying to compete with anything popular, because I don’t have that competitive nature in me anymore. I’m lucky enough that I can do whatever I want on my own terms.”

The Replacements recently re-issued arguably their greatest album, Tim, with a brand-new mix by Ed Stasium. Known as the “Let It Bleed” edition, the re-issue of Tim has been lauded by critics, earning a coveted “10” from Pitchfork, and popping up on many end-of-the-year lists.

The Replacements had a reputation for drunken excess and self-sabotage. One legendary drunken performance got them banded permanently from Saturday Night Live. The Replacements never made it big (even when they were actually trying), but their influence is still felt today.

“Strangely enough, The Replacements were a lot more chaotic than Guns N’ Roses,” replied Stinson when asked which of his bands was the craziest to play for. “At the height of our Replacement-ness, it could be pretty all-over-the-place. Bi-polar, if you will.”

Despite the ups and downs of his career, Stinson is still proud of every song he’s written and every band he’s played with.

“All of them have had their moments because the way I work is, when the songs come out it’s like your kids going off to college and then you go out and celebrate them in front of people, so I’ve had that all of that with every record that I’ve done and every group to some extent,” said Stinson. “In terms of what’s happening now, it’s like flowering a whole new project in earnest, this Cowboys in the Campfire stuff. I feel like it’s allowed me to just exist and be natural and do what comes out of me artistically and not really worry about the pushback. I don’t care if it’s one star or five stars or whoever wants to review it. It’s a good place to be and it is freeing. It opens your mind to different concepts and textures. I’m lucky that I get to do that still.”

If You Go >>

What: Tommy Stinson

When: 7 p.m., Jan. 6

Where: Downbeat Music Center, 216 US-80, Pooler

Cost: $25-100

Info: tommystinson.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Rocker Tommy Stinson of The Replacements goes solo at Downbeat Music Center