Sloan’s bassist and frontman, Chris Murphy, expressed excitement about an upcoming tour across the United Kingdom and Ireland with an R.E.M. tribute band featuring actor Michael Shannon. The opportunity to visit Ireland, especially as a Murphy, was particularly appealing to him. Despite primarily playing original Canadian songs with Sloan, such as “Money City Maniacs” and “The Rest of My Life,” Murphy faces the challenge of learning around two hours of note-for-note music from the American rock band, R.E.M., with just one rehearsal before the tour.

Although Murphy has previous touring experience with groups like Trans-Canada Highwaymen, where he played Canadian classics from the 1960s and 1970s, the level of preparation for this tribute band is different. In Trans-Canada Highwaymen, Murphy mainly plays drums live and jokingly mentioned his ability to “fake any of that stuff.”

The upcoming tour, titled Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy And Friends, will feature R.E.M.’s 1986 album, “Lifes Rich Pageant,” along with other songs from the band’s catalog. Shannon, known for his acclaimed acting roles and previous Academy Award nominations, has been performing with Narducy for over a decade, covering albums by artists like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and The Smiths.

The idea for the tribute band’s tour originated after a successful show in Chicago honoring R.E.M.’s “Murmur,” with a subsequent guest appearance by R.E.M.’s Mike Mills. This led to the pair’s first-ever tour, receiving praise and approval from R.E.M. members. Murphy highlighted R.E.M.’s equal income distribution among band members as an inspiring business model for Sloan and described the group as “untouchably cool.”

Despite the irony of playing R.E.M. music, Murphy’s Sloan bandmate, Jay Ferguson, who is a huge R.E.M. fan, will coincidentally be in London during the tribute band’s performance. Murphy humorously mentioned Ferguson’s potential involvement in a U2 cover band as a playful counter to his R.E.M. tribute band going to Dublin, Ireland.