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Watch Sen. Tim Kaine jam with Tommy Stinson on ‘This Land Is Your Land’

by Jackie Renzetti

May 19, 2017

Well folks, it's finally happened. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) joined Tommy Stinson's band, Bash & Pop, on Thursday night for a harmonica solo in "This Land Is Your Land."

"You know who this is?" Stinson asked the Brooklyn, New York crowd, while instructing the former vice presidential candidate to keep playing. "He can wail on the harp."

When he wasn't breaking out his harmonica skills, Kaine fist-bumped and sang along to the famed verses. He gave a shout-out to his family, with whom he said he attended his daughter's graduation from New York University this week.

Kaine, who was born in St. Paul — which qualifies him as a true Minnesotan, depending on who you ask — has a well-documented love for the Replacements. Last year's Democratic nominee for vice-president gave shout-outs to the 'Mats last year on the campaign trail (including during a visit to the University of Minnesota) and put two of their songs on a playlist released a week before the election.

He's also name-dropped the Replacements well before the presidential campaign. In 2006, during his Virginia gubernatorial run, his banter with WCLM DJ Chris Bopst — after a Bob Dylan track — included a mention that his favorite LP was the Replacements' Let it BeBopst told Pitchfork the shout-out was "very real."

Though the campaign days are over, the bromance has continued to blossom, as documented on Bash & Pop's and Kaine's social media. In April, Kaine posted a video of a jam session with Bash & Pop to his public Facebook page. Whether it was meant to be an audition or not, it makes sense that it led to a real gig, considering the internet explodes any time they interact.

Watch the full performance here:

And, for your convenience, Youtuber Brett Hale has trimmed down the clip to just Kaine's solo:

Jackie Renzetti is a recent journalism and political science graduate from the University of Minnesota. She is also a proud Minnesota Daily and Radio K alum.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.