The Minus 5 returns with 'Stroke Manor'; Peter Buck, Jeff Tweedy guest

Northwest underground stalwart Scotty McCaughey suffered a stroke in November 2017, that nearly killed him and wiped his entire musical catalog, including material from The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows, The Baseball Project, R.E.M., and more, from his memory.

Less than three days after a doctor predicted he would never play music again, McCaughey began writing his next The Minus 5 album while still in ICU, unable to speak coherently, and with his right side just awakening from paralysis. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he channeled his positive spirit and began to write down whatever incoherent thoughts crossed his mind.

He turned those stream-of-consciousness notebook pages into The Minus 5’ 13th album, Stroke Manor. And, after a couple of weeks in a hospital bed and recovery at his home in Portland, McCaughey recorded the album with significant contributions from Peter Buck, Corin Tucker, Joe Adragna, Jeff Tweedy and more.

Yep Roc Records will release Stroke Manor on CD, LP and digital platforms on June 14. Previously only available as a Record Store Day 2019 limited edition title, which resulted in career-high Billboard chart positions for The Minus 5.

The inspiration for the song came from the Beatles playlist Peter Buck (R.E.M., Filthy Friends) made to help spark McCaughey’s musical memory. Watch/share: “Beatles Forever (Little Red)” lyric video. “Beatles Forever (Little Red)” is now available at streaming services.

McCaughey, who performs with Young Fresh Fellows. R.E.M., The Baseball Project, Tired Pony, and Tuatara, leads the band as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. The Minus 5’s lineup on recordings and performances is constantly and intentionally in flux, dependent on “musician availability, whim, and wind direction.”

Stroke Manor is now available for pre-order.

Tour dates:

June 14 – Sessions Music Hall – Eugene, OR

June 15 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
June 20 – Turf Club – St. Paul, MN
June 21 – Anodyne Coffee – Milwaukee, WI
June 22 – Kiki’s Righteous House of Music – Madison, WI
June 23 – Temperance Beer Co. – Evanston, IL
June 25 – Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
June 26 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
June 27 – White Eagle – Jersey City, NJ
June 28 – Solid Sound Festival – North Adams, MA
July 27 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
July 30 – The Ruins – Hood River, OR
August 1 – The Chapel – San Francisco, CA
August 2 – Bootleg Theater – Los Angeles, CA
August 3 – Pappy & Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA

Track listing:

1. Plascent Folk
2. My Collection
3. Beacon From RKO
4. Bleach Boys & Beach Girls
5. My Master Bull
6. Beatles Forever
7. Message of Mother
8. Well in Fact She Said
9. MRI
10. Pink Bag for Rip Torn
11. Scar Crow
12. Goodbye Braverman
13. Top Venom