R.E.M.’s Peter Buck is once again lining up the side gigs to keep himself occupied while his main group enjoys downtime. The guitarist is currently focusing on the next album by the Minus 5, the guitar-pop group fronted by R.E.M. auxiliary musician Scott McCaughey that counts Buck as its only other official member. Buck will add his touch to songs already recorded by McCaughey and members of acclaimed Chicago band Wilco, according to R.E.M. fan site murmurs.com.
The finished product, tentatively dubbed Bored At The Bed In, is anticipated in July from Mammoth/Malt Records.
Meanwhile, Buck is regrouping next week with McCaughey, fellow Seattle collaborator and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, and Brave Combo percussionist Joe Cripps to back obscure 74-year-old bluesman CeDell Davis on his next album. The completed effort will be released on Fast Horse Recordings, a new label created by Martin and Cripps.
Fast Horse Recordings is also releasing Cinematique, the long-completed third album by Tuatara, Martin’s soundtrack-minded instrumental group that also features Buck, Cripps, Luna’s Justin Harwood, and others. The album is due shortly from fasthorserecordings.com and will see wider release in April.
Fast Horse will also release an experimental, percussion-based project by Martin and Cripps called Wayward Shamans in April.
