The Baseball Project is what some might call a “super-group” whose members are some of the most durable players of the 80s & 90s alternative / indie / underground rock scene.
(originally posted in 2009)
The Baseball Project
Portland, Oregon
Portland Center For The Performing Arts
“Music on Main Street” Outdoor Series
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Seventeen years running as of 2024, this outfit is proving itself even more durable than the mere sum of its parts, having delivered six albums, three singles, countless tours in between their respective other bands, and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
For the uninitiated, here’s a short list of the founding members, and some of their past and present accomplishments thus far:
Steve Wynn: guitar, vocals (Dream Syndicate, The Miracle 3, Gutterball)
Scott McCaughey: guitar, bass, vocals (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5, R.E.M, Robyn Hitchcock + The Venus 3, Tuatara, Filthy Friends)
Peter Buck: guitar, bass, mandolin (Robyn Hitchcock + The Venus 3, The Minus 5, R.E.M., Tuatara, Filthy Friends)
Linda Pitmon: drums, percussion, vocals (The Miracle 3, ZuZu’s Petals, Filthy Friends)
Their 2008 debut album, Volume One: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, was recorded at Jackpot! Studios in Portland, Oregon, with producer Adam Selzer, and released earlier this year on the YepRoc record label. Just in case it hasn’t become obvious yet, this band has an agenda of sorts – and if you guessed that it might have something to do with a commemoration of the grand old pastime of baseball, you would be correct. Not a novelty concept by a long shot though – these are heartfelt tributes celebrating the accomplishments and escapades of the players as well as love of the game itself. The guts and the glory get equal billing with the fouls and foibles, with no apologies asked or given, and decades of combined rock pedigrees to back it up.
The Baseball Project kicked off their 2009 tour with a free outdoor concert in downtown Portland, Oregon. These video clips feature some of the highlights from that performance, playing material from their first album, and the long-anticipated forthcoming follow-up release; as well as songs from Dream Syndicate and Young Fresh Fellows.
On a personal note, it was great to catch up with Linda Pitmon, who I hadn’t seen since I conducted an interview with her former group ZuZu’s Petals, nearly two decades earlier in Minneapolis. It was also a good opportunity to finally return her copy of The CAN Book, which she had loaned me back then, complete with her original receipt from Half Price Books!
Getting back on topic though, even if you’re on the fence about baseball, this group’s infectious meld of psychedelic garage rock and catchy classic pop hooks are sure to win you over in the end. Enjoy!
The Death Of Big Ed Delahanty
The Closer © The Baseball Project
That’s What You Always Say
Tell Me When It’s Over © Dream Syndicate
Let The Good Times Crawl © Young Fresh Fellows
all video clips © J. Free / Sonic Archives
Video captured with a Canon G-9.
Audio recorded with a prototype set of CA-11 cardioid mics; made in Canada by Chris Church, of Church Audio.
Sources synched, edited, and mastered in iMovie on a Mac G-5.
Steve Wynn official site
The Baseball Project bandcamp page
YepRoc label page
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