Minus 5- Live At the Lounge Ax, August 16, 1997

 In a previous post, I talked about Aadam Jacobs a music collector and archivist who has amassed an incredible collection of live concert recordings he recorded in Chicago from the 80's to mid-2010's. He is such an interesting character I'm glad someone has documented his unique (and very cool) life in a film released in 2023. Chicago filmmaker, Katlin Schneider made a documentary about Jacobs called, Melomaniac is a fascinating study of obsession and "abnormal fondness and intense devotion to music". We hear from club owners and musicians that have interacted with Jacobs through the years and how important he was to the local scene to document and promote bands through his live recordings. Personally, I feel a connection not only as a person that tapes every show he goes to, but also the intense love of music in all aspects. I don't think I'm anywhere near Aadam's level, as we tape not for profit (yes, never made any money with our shows), but for the pleasure of the ultimate souvenir of the memory of the show, because if no one else is documenting this, it will be lost in time and forgotten. 

 

Since I wasn't at the Chicago Underground Film Fest for the world premiere of Melomaniac in September 2023, I found the film online for viewing on the filmmaker's Vimeo page (scroll down to the bottom of the page). Well worth the watch, I thought it was very well done and for being Kailin's first full length feature, this was an outstanding effort. If you liked it, drop her a message on her page.

 

 There are so many interesting shows in the Jacob's archive I would love to post, but I'll restrict my enthusiasm to a select amount of live recordings that might be of interest to readers on this blog. A show from the Minus 5 at the Lounge Ax in Chicago from 1997, is a concert I've been keeping an eye out for a while. So glad Aadam attended the show and even the Minus 5's Wikipedia entry mentions the show.

 "While R.E.M. was in Georgia recording demos for what would become Up, The Minus 5 played its first two shows without Buck: at Chicago's Lounge Ax on August 16, 1997, the band consisted of McCaughey, Stringfellow, Jason Finn and Dharma Bums' Jim Talstra. The raucous gig was by far the band's longest to date: an 11-song McCaughey solo set followed by a 22-song Minus 5 powerhouse that included unreleased songs, several nuggets from My Chartreuse Opinion and covers of John Lennon and The Modern Lovers."

 

The show was also referenced in the Minus 5's song, The Night Chicago Died Again (The Death of The Minus 5). On the Lounge Ax recording, McCaughey even mentions the flood incident that occurred that day at the Ax: (excerpt from the song):

 

Well they came to Chicago
The new slaughterhouse four
Jimmy Talent, Puffy and Strings
I couldn't get one more
Then we went to Comiskey
Old man fell on my head
Then their was a terrible flood
10.000 people dead

That was the night
That was the night that Chicago Died
Again, again
Again, again

 

Water came from below
Rats and babies are floatin'
And water came from above
Yeah the Lounge Ax stayed open

 

Now some of Sue Miller's husbands
Were not performing very well that night
They had somehow been severely overserved
And then out went the pilot-light
And when Puffy and I started throwing matches down there
The water heater blew
Then there where two less husbands
That was alright with Sue

 

.... That's right, that was the night that Chicago died
I guess I feel pretty fortune to have been there

 

...and we are pretty fortunate this was recorded! For the encore, the band performs portions of a few "butchered" Young Fresh Fellow songs which was very cool! Scott opened the show with a solo set of mainly Fellows songs, which is always appreciated! I'll post the solo set (which was also recorded) next.

Enjoy! 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy versions, except for personal use

Please share!

 

 

Minus 5
Lounge Ax
Chicago, IL
August 16, 1997

Master recording generously loaned from the Aadam Jacobs Audio Archive

Source:  Unknown mic & recorder > .WAV @ 16 bit/44.1 kHz
Mastering:  .WAV's > clidoe.com (merge .WAV files into one) > iZotope RX11 Advanced v11.0.1.3871 (De-Click) > Sound Forge Pro 14.0 Build 140 [minor edits, normalize, & fades, Boz Digital Labs
T-Bone2 plug-in (tilt EQ)] > CDWav (tracking) > Trader's Little Helper (level 5) > FLAC > TagScanner 6.1.17 (tagging)
Recorded by:  Aadam Jacobs
Transferred by:  Avery
Mastered by:  Dennis Orr

Setlist: (1:07:28)
01 Boeing Spacearium
02 Find A Finger
03 Chat & Tuning
04 Wicked Annabella
05 Popsycle Shoppe
06 Vulture
07 Band Intros
08 The Rest Of The World
09 Chat & Tuning
10 Real True Tragedy Incident
11 How Many Bones
12 I Still Miss Someone
13 You'll Never See My Face Again
14 Chat & Tuning
15 Evolution >
16 Echos Myron
17 Chat & Tuning
18 My Mummy's Dead > Power To The People
19 The Real Prime Directive >
20 All The Time
21 Chat
22 Government Center
23 Encore Break
- Encore -
24 Taco Wagon
25 Aurora Bridge
26 Mighty Mighty Bosstones Riffs
27 Amy Grant
28 My Friend Ringo
29 Chat & Tuning
30 Wasted Bandage
31 Chat & Tuning
32 Power To The People
33 Outro

Scott McCaughey - lead vocals & guitar
Ken Stringfellow – guitar
Jimmy Talent - bass
Jason Fidler – drums

Recording 00766 from the Aadam Jacobs Collection Project, coordinated by the Live Music Archive at the Internet Archive
Contact info: aadam.jacobs.project AT gmail DOT com

 

MINUS 5- 1997-08-16 Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL FLAC. rar

 

Minus 5 Or Young Fresh Fellows? Live In Olympia 2022

 

 

When I started this blog over sixteen years ago, my goal was to share music that I loved, either by writing about new releases or posting samples of music that I found interesting. Through the years, I've concentrated more on live concert recordings, either something I taped or shows I traded for or downloaded online. This was partly because of the copyright infringement take-down notices and threats of closing the blog down if I didn't comply to their requests. I've had some push-back for some live shows I've posted, but never any complaints from bands or musicians, so I suspect record labels and corporate bullshit is responsible for the "action". When it came time to choose a name for this blog, I wanted it to reflect the type of music I listened to, but not in a super-obvious and predictable way. I chose, Teenage Dogs In Trouble, a song from the Young Fresh Fellow's debut album, that had the coolest (and weirdest) title and it's a great song! So far, I haven't had any complaints from the band (I think, at least Scott knows it exists?) and though this isn't a tribute site or fan page for the Fellows, I do have a love for the band. I've posted some of their live shows in the past and more recently, I've tried to post 'em during the annual TDIT anniversary month (yeah, I know it's not August anymore!).

It's good to see that Scott and some of the other Fellows have been playing live shows and this past summer they played a number of gigs, including a spot opening for NRBQ. Though they are billed as the Minus 5 (aka:Thee Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows 3, the Minus Tad), they are essentially three quarters of the Young Fresh Fellows with Tad sitting out and Kurt filling in on drums. John Ramberg, who is a consistent member of the Minus 5, takes lead guitar and the band sounds great! For the show I'm posting, they play a mixed set of M5/Fellows songs and they open up with the song, Teenage Dogs In Trouble (as a tribute to this blog, no doubt!). Special thanks to HWeinberg who recorded and posted this show originally on Dime and gave me permission to share this show. Thanks!! 

Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

#16yearsoftrouble

 

Minus 5

Capitol Theater 

Olympia WA

August 4, 2022

00-intro
01-Teenage Dogs In Trouble
02-You Don't Mean It
03-Becky Doll
04-I Like The Way She Walks
05-There Is No Music
06-They Don't Know
07-A Humble Guy
08-Never Had It Bad
09-Bleed Out
10-Aw Shit Man

 

Scott McCaughey - guitar/vox
John Ramberg - guitar
Jim Sangster - bass
Kurt Bloch - drums

MINUS 5- 2022-08-04 Olympia, WA FLAC. rar

 

Minus 5- Livin' It Up At The Hotel California 2013

Back on March 24, 2020, the music world lost another great musician, drummer Bill Rieflin who died of cancer at the age of 59. Caught up in the confusion and panic of the COVI-19 epidemic during that time, I didn't properly give tribute to Rieflin who played on many recordings I own and was a member of some pretty fabulous bands. He is best known for his work with Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, Swans, KMFDM, King Crimson and as a auxiliary member of REM. His connection with Scott McCaughey began when McCaughey (on short notice) needed a drummer to play a Minus 5 show in January 2000. This led Riefkin to play alongside McCaughey and Peter Buck (from REM) in many projects including (and maybe more?) the Minus 5, Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, Peter Buck (the band) and Filthy Friends. In a touching piece, Our Musical Friend from Scott on the Minus 5 website he wrote, "I've gotta say Bill would be amused by all the kind and glowing things being said about him right now.  Don't get me wrong -- they are all deserved -- but those of us who knew him, would know also that he saw himself as a cantankerous, not-suffering-fools type of guy.  And it's true; Bill could seem difficult, off-putting at first, though he was also weirdly exceptionally polite.  He was an ambiguous combination of iconoclast on one hand, and a mannered, considerate gentile on the other."

Thanks to the combined efforts of Peter Buck and his wife and Journal Del Pacifico, they launched the Todos Santos Music Festival in January 2012. Many of the bands that performed for the first couple years were bands closely associated with Buck including many, the Baseball Project, Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 and the Minus 5 he was a member of. This sounds like the perfect way to spend a chilly cold winter in January up in Canada watching great music in sunny hot Mexico. This Minus 5 set was recorded during the second annual edition of the festival and other bands (other than the bands mentioned earlier) that performed during the 2013 festival included, the Posies, Chuck Prophet,  Alejandro Escovedo, Joseph Arthur and others. The Minus 5 set is a fun mix of M5 "hits" and some very cool covers (I Can't Explain!) and they never disappoint. Fantastic sound, I don't have the source information, I'm sure I downloaded it on Dime, but I deleted the files and fortunately I had burned a disc years so this is ripped from that disc. This is a good one!

Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy format (except for personal use)

Please share!

MINUS 5

Hotel California
Todos Santos, Mexico
January 10, 2013

01. With A Gun
02. Lies Of The Living Dead
03. Where will You Go?
04. Courage Is the Smallest Bird
05. You Don't Mean It
06. Fetus industry
07. Got You
08. Don't Look Back
09. Dear My Inspiration
10. Adios Half Soldier
11. The Town That Lost Its Groove Supply
12. Hotel Senator
13. I Can't Explain
14. Time Bomb High School
15. Revolution Blues

16. Over The Sea

Minus 5-

Scott McCaughey- vocals, guitar

Peter Buck- bass

John Ramberg- guitar, vocals

Bill Rieflin- drums

MINUS 5- 2013-01-10 Hotel California, Todos Santos, Mexico FLAC. rar

The Minus 5- First Ever Show, Seattle 1993

I've had numerous requests to post more Young Fresh Fellows shows and thank you for your response. I'll have some up soon, but in the meanwhile here's the very first performance from Scott McCaughey's "other band", The Minus 5. Scott formed the band with Peter Buck in 1993 as a pop collective with a revolving lineup of friends and musicians. The band is still going strong as Scott continues to divide his recording and touring time most frequently between the Baseball Project, The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows and as a solo artist with a recent tour of Spain.

For this show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, the Minus 5 opened for The Silos. Scott and Peter performed together for the first five songs and were joined by members of The Silos for the last three. This show is also notable because a couple of days after this show The Silos were involved in a van crash in Wyoming that took the life of guitarist Manuel Versoza.
Enjoy!

THE MINUS 5
Crocodile Cafe
Seattle, WA
November 9, 1993

01. Emperor Of The Bathroom
02. I Still Miss Someone
03. No More Glory
04. Odds & Ends
05. Loser So Supreme
06. Find A Finger *
07. Story *
08. Barstool Blues *

Scott McCaughey- Vocals, guitar
Peter Buck- Mandolin, 12-string guitar, Bass
*Walter Salas-Humara- Drums
*Manuel Versoza- Guitar
*Tom Freund- Bass

MINUS 5- 1993-11-09 Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, WA FLAC. rar

Minus 5- Lounge Ax, January 9, 2000

Hey music fans, this Saturday, April 19 is the seventh annual Record Store Day! (RSD Canada) Its purpose is to celebrate the culture of the independent record store. Just to clarify, I mean independently owned, no corporate chain stores, not Starbucks, not iTunes or Apple Store, but the once dying breed, the record store. In the past several years, there has been a revival in vinyl, which is a good thing because so many people nowadays listen to their music on their phones or other "smart" devices more for the convenience than for the music listening experience. The sound quality of these pathetic "music listening" devices is so crappy sounding our perception and standards of quality music have been lowered. Many are clueless to the low fidelity and many don't care. Blame mp3's, blame iTunes, blame the internet, blame American Idol...these are all part of the problem and Record Store Day is about the awareness of good music, getting back to how music was bought and listened to in my day (yes, I'm sounding old!). The memories of hanging out at the record store, browsing through the racks and discussing new releases and must-haves with staff and friends is the culture of what RSD is trying to recreate. Think of the record store as the organic food version of music, it tastes and sounds better and you'll feel better about yourself for caring about your health and well being.

One of the highlights of RSD is the exclusive releases sold at stores. A pdf list of what's available is here. One release that caught my attention is the Minus 5- Scott the Hoople In The Dungeon Of Horror. It will be only released on vinyl (5 record set) and limited to only 400, the price is somewhere in the $89 dollar range. I haven't been on the ball enough to request it from my local stores and I'm not sure if it will be in stock here. Also I'm working this Saturday so I won't be able to shop in person, if anyone has any ideas or help about purchasing a copy, let me know. This record should be crazy good (5 discs?!!) and I'm such a hardcore Scott McCaughey fan this is a must-have.

To get you in the mood, I'm posting a Minus 5 show from 14 years ago. This was recorded during the final days of the Lounge Ax, a cool intimate club in Chicago, with Scott McCaughey and members of Wilco (with Jeff Tweedy on bass) as his backing band for a make shift version of the Minus 5 opening for Summer Teeth (Wilco). Most of the songs during the set were new songs written for the occasion that had never been performed before and the band played them without a rehearsal, some of the songs were eventually recorded and later appeared on the In Rock album. This remains one of my favourite Minus 5 live recordings, loose, fun and some amazing musicianship.
Enjoy!

MINUS 5 (w/Wilco)
Lounge Ax
Chicago, IL
January 9, 2000
SBD

01. Courage Is The Smallest Bird
02. In A Lonely Coffin
03. I'm Not Bitter
04. Dear Employer
05. Lies Of The Living Dead
06. The King Of Carrot Flowers Part 1
07. Disaster Nurse Fan
08. I've Got A Lyrical Stance
09. The Night Chicago Died Again
10. Last Call For Corporal Barry
11. I Still Miss Someone *
12. Home Of The Blues *
13. I Wish I Was Your Mother

Minus 5: Scott McCaughey & Wilco with Kelly Hogan and Jon Langford*

MINUS 5- 2000-01-09 Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL FLAC. rar

It's Lowe Beats Time!

If you're a big fan of Nick Lowe or one of his past bands, Brinsley Schwarz or Rockpile, you must have a listen to The Lowe Beats. The Lowe Beats are the ultimate Nick Lowe cover band consisting of some veterans of the Seattle music scene, Scott McCaughey (Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows), Jim Sangster (Young Fresh Fellows), John Ramberg (Model Rockets, Minus 5), Graham Black (Model Rockets) and Hugh Jones. What began as a "one-off" project in the late 90's has included gigs in 2002 and in 2008 to reunite for the Jesus Of Cool 30th Anniversary. Video of that show is available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube. Here's the first of six from that show. Recently, Scott opened for Nick Lowe in Seattle.

The show I'm posting I received in a trade years ago is from 2002 and although it was billed as Minus 5, it was really a Lowe Beats warm-up gig for a New Year's Eve show 3 days later at the Sunset Tavern. I have a recording of the NYE show as well, which has a much expanded setlist, but the sound quality is much better (less crowd noise) from the Crocodile show. Great songs and a fun, loose and inspired performance!
Enjoy!

The Lowe Beats (aka Minus 5)
Crocodile Cafe
Seattle, WA
December 28, 2002
Audience recording

01. Let's Eat
02. Born Fighter
03. Look I Like
04. Marie Provost
05. Crackin' Up
06. Lately I've Let Things Slide
07. Cruel To Be Kind
08. Switchboard Susan
09. She's So Fine
10. I Don't Want The Night To End

Scott McCaughey- vocals
Jim Sangster- guitar, vocals
John Ramberg- guitar, vocals
Hughie Jones- bass
Graham Black- drums

THE LOWE BEATS- 2002-12-28. rar

The Minus 5 Gets Down With Wilco- September 15, 2001

Actually, it was more like Scott McCaughey and Wilco, on this night 9 years ago, today. Four days after the horrific events of 9/11 at the World Trade Center, the Minus 5 and Wilco performed a show at the Abbey Pub in Chicago to try out some new material they had just recorded together that would later surface as, Minus 5-Down With Wilco. During the first set, Scott fronted the Minus 5 with the members of Wilco as the supporting band (usually the band consists of Scott with Peter Buck and a rotating cast of band members which sometimes includes, John Ramberg, Ken Stringfellow and Bill Rieflin). They were more than a regular backing band, as earlier in the week that had been in the studio working on this collaborative album. The band showcased "never before performed" songs that would be on the album. One of the songs they recorded and performed on this night, I'm Not Bitter was in fact recorded on 9/11, which included the ironic line, "But I'm not bitter, I'm not bitter, not at all, just a lot". This song was written by Scott and Tad Hutchison (from the Fellows) 10 years earlier and Scott recorded it originally with the Young Fresh Fellows as a b-side to I Hate Everything, released in 1991.

The second set of music was Jeff Tweedy and Wilco, performing several songs from their yet to be released album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as well as earlier material. Scott returns for the encore with a few more songs from the Minus 5/Wilco band. An amazing night of music and it was probably a good break for the band after days together in studio and their it gave their fans a night to let loose after the intensity and devastation of the previous days events. This is a great sounding recording and one of my personal favourite shows!!

MINUS 5 and WILCO
Abbey Pub
Chicago, IL
September 15, 2001

Set 1
The Minus 5:
01: Intro: Wilco #2
02: Life Left Him There
03: Retrieval Of You
04: Where Will You Go?
05: Daggers Drawn
06: That's Not The Way That It's Done
07: Days Of Wine And Booze
08: I'm Not Bitter
09: View From Below
10: The Night Chicago Died
11: (I've Got) A Lyrical Stance

Set 2
Wilco:
01: I'm Always In Love
02: War On War
03: Pick Up The Change
04: Should've Been In Love
05: I'm The Man Who Loves You
06: Ashes Of An American Flag
07: Hesitating Beauty
08: Passenger Side
09: Shot In The Arm
10: She's A Jar
11: California Stars
12: Outtasite (Outtamind)
13: Sunken Treasure

Encore:
Minus 5/Wilco:
14: Break/Crowd Noise
15: Modern World
16: I Wish I Was Your Mother (Tweedy vocal)
17: Lies Of The Living Dead

MINUS 5- Live At The Abbey (set 1) 9-15-2001. rar
WILCO- Live At The Abbey (set 2) 9-15-2001. rar

The Minus 5- Hello EP

Since the last post featured Scott McCaughey's first band, The Young Fresh Fellows, I thought it would be appropriate to follow-up with Scott's "other" bands' first release. In 1993, Scott formed the Minus 5, a loose pop collaborative that was designed not to have a consistent line-up album to album. During the early Minus 5 records, the only constants were McCaughey and Peter Buck, who had recently moved to Seattle from Athens, GA, home to his "other" band, R.E.M.

The Hello EP was the Minus 5's first release and it was put out by the They Might Be Giant's mail order record club, Hello CD Of the Month Club.

MINUS 5
Hello- EP (1993)

1. Loser So Supreme
2. Only One Thing
3. Brotherhood of Pain
4. Drunkard's Lullabye

MINUS 5- Hello EP. rar

Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV Live At The Turf Club

Photo of Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey taken by Tay-lo

It's been over a week since I returned from a short and sweet trip to Minneapolis, but the memory of the Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV show (On Thursday September 10th) is still fresh in my mind. In the past decade I have made the 7 hour trip from Winnipeg many times, sometimes specifically to see a particular concert, other times I went there for something else and it was just good timing. This trip revolved around the Minus 5 show, as I bought tickets well over a month ago and planned to be in Minneapolis no matter what, to see this show! In Minneapolis, I've seen many shows at the famed First Avenue club as well as the 400 Bar, Fitzpatrick Theatre (St. Paul), the Guthrie Theatre (The original location in the Walker Art Gallery), but this was my first time at the Turf Club. What a great venue to see a band! Nice sightlines, good sound and generally a nice vibe.

The show was amazing, the band played two sets that mixed up the catalog of both Scott McCaughey and Steve Wynn which meant lots of Baseball Project, Minus 5 and Dream Syndicate. To finally hear the Dream Syndicate's best songs live was a big thrill and to see Scott perform in any of his bands (Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows, REM etc.) is always a treat. The encore (set 3) went on for almost 40 minutes with random covers and a looseness that can only be described as inspired. They opening their encore with a tribute to the Beatles, Ballad Of John And Yoko followed by Good Guys Don't Wear White (not sure who did that originally). The band huddled up to discuss what to play next and they decided on two more Baseball songs, Fernando and I Dream Of Willie Mays, followed by an impromptu version of the Replacement's, If Only You Were Lonely. Next was Jackie's Lament, then Steve started Born On A Bayou which frantically segued into Neil Young's, Time Fades Away. The final song was the Sonic's (according to Scott, the greatest band ever!), Strychnine alway a great closer for both the Minus 5 and the Fellows. A truly magical evening, one of the best shows I've been to in a long while, maybe ever! Something about being so close to the stage, in a small club and being able to talk to the band afterwards, is something special. All four members of the band made themselves available after the show for autographs, posing for pictures and chatting with fans just like regular people. It makes such a difference to see a band that connects with their fans, not only during the show, but after as well. I got the whole band to sign the tour poster pictured at the top and the back cover of the Baseball Project CD. Scott, Steve and Peter are all genuinely sincere nice guys, real music fans with no hint of arrogance or pomp. I really liked talking to Linda, (she is such a cool chick!) she was amazed we drove down just for the show and said they were talking about Winnipeg as they drove from Seattle and were entering into Minnesota. As a tribute they played a double CD of Guess Who Greatest Hits in their van and Steve said to me he would try to play Winnipeg soon...

I recorded the show and uploaded it to Dimeadozen last week. If you are a member you can try to download it here: Baseball Project/Minus 5/Steve Wynn 2009-09-10.
For those without memberships, here are the mp3 .rar file links:
set 1
set 2
set 3 (encore)
setlist
(please DO NOT sell these recordings)

Other shows from the tour on Dime:
2009-08-28 Lake Arrowhead Village Center Stage, Lake Arrowhead, CA (set 1)
2009-08-28 Lake Arrowhead Village Center Stage, Lake Arrowhead, CA (set 2)
2009-08-29 The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA
2009-09-11, Marytr's, Chicago, IL

Some of the above shows are on Internet: Live Music Archive, which require no membership and you have the option of streaming, FLAC or MP3.

If you want visuals, someone posted a couple of videos on Youtube from the Turf Club show in St. Paul:
Days Of Wine and Roses
Teenage Head