For the last 11 years, Oscar-nominated actor and singer Michael Shannon and multi-instrumentalist Jason Narducy, along with a few of their musician friends, have worked up concert sets to celebrate some of their favorite albums. After learning the record, they would play it in its entirety, usually at a club in Chicago, Narducy — best known for his work with Verboten and Split Single — explained recently. Then, in July 2023, when the like-minded artists selected R.E.M.’s debut LP “Murmur” to honor its 40th anniversary, things clicked and made the annual event much bigger.
“It was also the 40th anniversary of the Metro (club) in Chicago,” Narducy recalled recently by phone. “The funny thing, the first show they had there was a performance by R.E.M. So, it all just fell into place. Then the show kinda took on a life of its own. I started getting emails from venues in other cities wanting us to bring it to them. We were certainly surprised, but it also felt organic that other places wanted us to continue the celebration.”
The shows solidified into a full-blown tour last February, including a sold-out visit to Athens’ legendary 40 Watt Club. The performance included a rare collective cameo appearance from all four members of R.E.M.
Still feeling the gravity of R.E.M.’s pull, Narducy, Shannon and band have worked up an encore tour around the Athens-born band’s much-appreciated third album, “Fables of the Reconstruction,” in honor of its 40th anniversary. It brings them back to the 40 Watt for sold-out shows Feb. 27-28.
Credit: Photo by Nathan Keay
Credit: Photo by Nathan Keay
Released in June 1985, “Fables” took the band’s moody folk-rock-meets-Southern-punk approach established across “Murmur” to a whole new artistic level, incorporating more sophisticated arrangements, intricate narratives and expanded instrumentation. Singles, including “Driver 8″ and “Can’t Get There From Here,” illustrated the band’s stylistic uptick.
“I cannot believe I am getting the opportunity to perform this music,” Shannon, best known for acting in “Revolutionary Road,” “Nocturnal Animals” and “Knives Out,” said in a statement about the “Murmur” tour that R.E.M.’s official website posted in fall 2023. “Having done the show at Metro, seeing the response of the audience, I felt like I had won some cosmic Powerball or something. And getting the chance to do a tour (and) really settle into the songs with this incredible group of musicians, I’m just so incredibly grateful!”
National and international press took notice of the first tour, publishing enthusiastic reviews and features — and the duo appeared on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” On that appearance, Shannon related that R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills was also in attendance for the band’s original Chicago performance.
“He walked into the green room, right before we went on stage,” Shannon recalled. “Everybody was just in shock. Jason asked if he wanted to (play with us onstage). He said, ‘No, I know you guys have been working hard on this,’ then about five songs into the show, the crowd started cheering. I thought, ‘Oh man, I’m really killin’ it.’ It took me a few seconds and then I realized Mike Mills was standing there singing.”
Reached by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mills continued the story. “They’d been doing these ‘album shows,’ and I’d heard about them. When they did the entire ‘Murmur’ record, I just had to jump up on stage with those guys because it was super fun. … Jason is a really good musician and I’ve known that for a long time. But I must say, Michael Shannon is so good at what he does with the vocals … He does a good job handling the emotions without trying to pretend he’s ‘Michael Stipe.’
“It’s a true, heartfelt reexamination of R.E.M.,” Mills continued. “Now that they’re doing it again, I’m thrilled with how they’ve managed to convey everything without turning it into a bad tribute band. They’re faithful to our music but they aren’t trying to replicate it.”
Narducy explained that he and Shannon never intended to mimic R.E.M. “We can’t do anything the way they did it, and we’re not even trying. We’ve done 10 ‘Murmur’ shows so far, and I can tell you, the people onstage are just as happy and celebratory as the people in the audience. It’s a communal feeling, where we look at each other like, ‘Damn, these songs are so great.’ It’s as simple as that.”
Shannon is usually busy with film and stage projects while Narducy leads Split Single and often tours with fellow tribute group members Jon Wurster (Bob Mould, Superchunk) and John Stirratt of Wilco. “We all have careers outside of this project, but we make time for it simply because we love to play their music.”
Since the musicians all have busy schedules, preparing an entire R.E.M. album as well as assorted hits and deep cuts requires “a lot of individual homework,” Narducy said. “We send a ton of emails back and forth. And you might laugh, but we only do one rehearsal together before the tour, then we start the shows. Everyone has proven themselves over the years, so we just show up, ready to go.
“It’s pretty much a lean-and-mean way to do it — because, as you know, touring is expensive,” he added. “We have to be very careful in order to make it all work — while keeping it all about the music. We don’t even have merch to bring along. That’s not what this is all about anyway. We’re just playing the music of a band we all know and admire. What are we gonna do, sell R.E.M. T-shirts?”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy perform R.E.M.’s “Fables of the Reconstruction”
8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Feb. 27-28. Sold out. 40 Watt Club, 285 W. Washington St., Athens. 40watt.com.
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