Seemingly against all odds, the Replacements' Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson have reunited to record a covers EP to benefit their friend and former guitarist Slim Dunlap.
Dunlap, who suffered a stroke in February, was instrumental in making the reunion happen.
"He's in rough shape. He's sort of paralyzed, he can move his leg a little bit," Westerberg told Rolling Stone. "When I mentioned this, it seemed like something he really wanted to happen. 'You guys get together,' he said in a whisper. 'Go play a song.'"
The EP will be limited to 250 copies, each auctioned off online, and will feature a diverse batch of covers, including Hank Williams' "Lost Highway," Slim Dunlap's "Busted Up," Gordon Lightfoot's "I'm Not Sayin'" and a track from the Broadway musical Gypsy titled "Everything's Coming Up Roses."
Drum duties on the EP were handled by Peter Anderson after Chris Mars refused to rejoin his former bandmates.
Whether or not this will lead to any future material from the Replacements remains to be seen, but it would seem that the spark is most definitely still there. "Tommy and I strapped on guitars, not a word was said, and bang," said Westerberg. "We still rock like murder."
