The return of The Young Fresh Fellows

The Young Fresh Fellows roared back to life Friday night in my neighborhood--at Ballard's Tractor Tavern. Scott McCaughey[1] was in fine form, wearing his usual sunglasses and a big fur hat. He was just as hilarious as ever, and has written a new song album of funny, tight, rocking tunes. The show focused on their new album released that day--I Think This Is. They did play their great tune "Amy Grant" as an encore, and performed an excellent cover of "Hang On Sloopy." I have only listened to "I think This Is" once so far, but it is excellent, and about as good as anything YFF have ever released. A track listing only hints at the genius contained in this new album:

The Guilty Ones
Lamp Industries
Suck Machine Crater
Let The Good Times Crawl
Never Turning Back Again
New Day I Hate
Go Blue Angels Go
Used To Think All Things Would Happen
YOUR Mexican Restaurant
Shake Your Magazines
After Suicide
If You Believe In Cleveland
Ballad of the Bootleg

Everyone was in fine form, especially Kurt Bloch, the longtime band member and former lead guitar in Seattle's Fastbacks. It was great to see them again, and I hope we get the chance again soon. I suspect we'll get to see Scott's other band (with Peter Buck, Ken Stringfellow, Wilco, and various other rotating members) soon--they also have a new album coming out shortly. I just heard their cover of Little Black Egg--wow.

Photo by Dean Ericksen from The Tractor show - click to enlarge

[1] Scott's Wikpedia listing:

As a singer and songwriter, Scott McCaughey is the leader of the Seattle-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5.
He is also bassist for Robyn Hitchcock's most recent touring band, The Venus 3, along with Bill Rieflin and Peter Buck.

In 2008, McCaughey formed the side band The Baseball Project with Buck, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon. Their first album, Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, celebrates many aspects of baseball culture, and includes a song in tribute to Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix.

Since 1994, he has worked with R.E.M. both on stage and in the studio. While originally brought on as a second guitarist for the Monster tour, McCaughey has remained with R.E.M. in various capacities since then, contributing to the band's studio albums New Adventures In Hi-Fi, Up, Reveal, Around The Sun and Accelerate. Additionally, he has received credits for his work on the R.E.M. Live album as well as their 2003 greatest hits collection, In Time. When working with R.E.M., McCaughey plays guitar, bass, keyboards, and adds backing vocals.

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