The Baseball Project

The Baseball Task had its origins in the past in 1992 when musicians Scott McCaughey (the Minus 5, the Little Fresh Fellows) and Steve Wynn (Fantasy Syndicate, Gutterball) met and discovered they shared a separate fascination with baseball. The program to create an record of original contemporary rock tracks about the exciting stories and superstars of America’s pastime sat on the trunk burner, though, until 2007, when the set sat down in earnest to create and record the task. Drafting in drummer Linda Pitmon (Magic Three, Golden Smog) and longtime friend and guitarist Peter Buck (R.E.M.), McCaughey and Wynn documented The Baseball Task, Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails at Jackpot! Studios with engineer and manufacturer Adam Selzer, and the effect was an frequently tongue-in-cheek group of narrative tunes about football legends Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Satchel Paige, as well as others. The recording was finally released on Yep Roc in 2008. Another recording, The Baseball Task, Vol. 2: Large and Inside, made an appearance in 2011 and included even more baseball-centric tunes carried out up within an option rock and origins style. In 2013, the Football Project extended to a five-piece when previous R.E.M. bassist and mentioned Atlanta Braves lover Mike Mills became a member of the lineup, plus they rolled in to the studio room to record their third recording, simply known as 3rd. The recording also featured visitor shows from Josh Kantor, the state organist using the Boston Crimson Sox (in addition to a person in the Divided Squad), and trumpeter Alex Gonzalez (no, not really the shortstop using the Baltimore Orioles).