REM and Patterson Hood

[jonbama]

@the Finest Worksong Benefit

 

Original 4 R.E.M. members rocked -

 

Begin and Begin

So. Central Rain

 

And-

 

Patterson Hood and friends set closer:

 

Don't Go Back to Rockville

 

Patterson Hood - vocals

Clay Leverette - vocals

John Neff - guitar

John Mills - bass

Mike Mills - guitar, vocals

Peter Buck - guitar

Scott McCaughey (REM, Minus 5) - guitar

Brad Morgan - drums

[Guest carlos]

sweet.

[remphish1]

[Analogman]

It's shaping up to be a banner week for the original four members of R.E.M., who have reconvened to rehearse for a three-song performance at their Saturday (Sept. 16) induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

 

In addition to hitting an Athens, Ga., studio with producer David Barbe to record a song for an as-yet-unannounced album, the foursome turned up last night at the city's venerable 40-Watt Club to join several local acts in performances of R.E.M. classics.

 

While there, vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry also took the stage themselves to perform "Begin the Begin" and "So. Central Rain." Berry retired from R.E.M. in 1997 and has made only a handful of live appearances with his bandmates since then.

 

Although he only had a few hours to rehearse, Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood assembled a band to cover "So. Central Rain," "Burning Hell," "Second Guessing," "Belong" (with Mills on vocals) and "Don't Go Back to Rockville," which featured contributions from Mills, Buck and R.E.M. sideman Scott McCaughey.

 

"My wife is so patient -- she deserves to be sainted. I've been on the road, we're leaving for another tour in a few days, I get into town and I'm like, 'Um, I have to go practice a bunch of R.E.M. covers,'" Hood tells Billboard.com with a laugh. "We did that, but I woke up yesterday thinking we were really in trouble, so we did a last-second run-through before we got up there."

 

The evening also boasted performances from Pylon lead singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Bain Mattox, Five Eight and the Modern Skirts, among others. Most of the artists, including R.E.M., were onstage for a finale of "It's the End of the World As We Know (And I Feel Fine)." However, Berry slipped out early to return to the studio for additional work on the track R.E.M. recorded.

 

"That was probably one of the most fun nights I've ever had," Hood says. "I've lived in Athens for 13 years and for the four of them to turn up at the 40-Watt made it extra special. That's like a second home for everybody in this music community."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

R.E.M. this week will release classic and rare material from its first five years on I.R.S. Records, but bassist Mike Mills says the veteran group remains most interested in moving forward with new music. As previously reported, R.E.M. is getting ready to return to the studio to record the follow-up to 2004's "Around the Sun."

 

"We'll start rehearsals probably some time in the next month or two," Mills tells Billboard.com. "I think [guitarist] Peter [buck] and I probably both have a tone of stuff, but we haven't sat down and played it for each other yet. I don't think in terms of directions, but I think this next record might have a little more rock to it. I like 'Around the Sun," but I think, honestly, it turned out a little slower than we intended for it to, just in terms of the overall speed of songs."

 

In addition to R.E.M.'s early classics, the two-CD compilation "And I Feel Fine" features 11 unreleased tracks, foreshadowing a possible larger rarities boxed set at some point in the future. "We don't have any set plans," Mills says, "but I wouldn't be surprised if one day well into the future one or more of us will probably start digging through the pile and seeing if there's anything worth putting out. And if there is, maybe we'll do a fun box set with all kinds of even weirder stuff than this."

 

And although five vintage concert cuts are included on "And I Feel Fine," Mills says the prospect of an R.E.M. live album has never held much interest for the band.

 

"In my personal opinion, there are some great live albums," he explains. "[The Allman Brothers Band's] 'Fillmore East' is something I'll always enjoy. But for R.E.M., my feeling is if you weren't there, you missed it. The music is meant to be heard in conjunction with seeing the band in those situations, and I don't really like separating the two.

 

"But," he adds, "depending on what we find in the vaults, some more of that [live] stuff could make its way out."

 

This week, Mills, Buck and vocalist Michael Stipe will reunite with ex-drummer Bill Berry to rehearse for R.E.M.'s induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The foursome will play three songs on Saturday (Sept. 16) at the ceremony in Atlanta, although Mills said no decisions have yet been made on which.

[explodo]

That article doesn't even mention all of the elephant six dudes playing as "The Observatory" and such. That is the part of the night that matters. I say fuck Patterson Hood!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, that was just to get Greg worked up. He's quite cute like that.

[greg]

hmmm, yeah. you're lucky you aint here, i would sodomize you so hard....

[myboyblue]

I had a feeling something like that would happen. I'd a paid big to have been there. damn.

[greg]

it would have pretty hot. btw, is there a recording of this show?