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Beggar Weeds will release Tragedy in U.S. History on February 20, 2026 via Strolling Bones Records. The 13-track collection serves as a long-overdue career overview, bringing together the Jacksonville, FL trio’s 1988 five-song EP, six previously unreleased tracks co-produced by Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and filmmaker Jim McKay, plus two bonus cuts.
Named after the stubborn native plant found throughout Southern yards and fields, Beggar Weeds’ limited catalog remains strikingly singular—loose-limbed and familiar, yet unmistakably its own. Drawing inspiration from the jangling melodies of R.E.M., the barely-held-together chaos of the Replacements, and the muscular hooks of Hüsker Dü, the band filtered those influences through gritty country roots and back-porch folk instincts. Then they cranked up the volume and played it like their lives depended on it. These songs could only have come from three young musicians growing up in Florida in the late ’80s.
“We wanted to follow our own path,” says vocalist and guitarist Adam Watson. “We were blending punk with pop, country, and folk. Someone once called us the Everly Brothers on speed, which felt about right.” Onstage, that restless spirit translated into unpredictable, high-energy shows. While opening for bands like X, The Meat Puppets, The Feelies, and the Dead Milkmen, Beggar Weeds were known for nonstop movement, swapping instruments mid-set, and leaning hard into volume, velocity, and unhinged joy.
Listen above to previously unheard track “Seer,” which features Michael Stipe on keyboards. Reflecting on the song, Scott Leuthold and Watson explained that its inspiration came from a chance encounter with a Christian fanzine describing the Medjugorje apparitions in Yugoslavia. “It brought us back to that big ‘What are we doing here?’ question,” they said. “The song wrestles with faith, doubt, and envy of those who claim certainty. Michael played piano to drive the song forward and was fascinated by the line about ‘some of your luckiest friends’ getting to see Mary. He didn’t want to sing, but he absolutely insisted on delivering the emphatic ‘Damn!’ that kicks off the bridge.”
When Beggar Weeds recorded the Stipe- and McKay-produced sessions that followed their debut EP, the alternative rock boom was only beginning to take shape. The band, worn down by constant travel and internal strain, soon drifted apart, and the recordings were shelved—until now. Their inclusion on Tragedy in U.S. History marks the first official release of this material, making the album an essential snapshot of Southern underground rock at a pivotal moment.
“When Michael asked to work with us, we were close to calling it quits,” Watson recalls. “We were exhausted, but that opportunity gave us a reason to keep going and lit a new fire under us.” In 1991, Stipe described the band this way: “Beggar Weeds couple keening voices with authentic lyrics that echo the tradition of rural Southern storytelling. If the Deep South’s beauty, humor, pain, and extremes could live inside six songs, you’d be holding them right now.”
Today, Beggar Weeds’ music feels like a missing link—bridging the scrappy indie underground of the 1980s with the rise of alt-country in the 1990s. These recordings stand as long-hidden gems finally given their moment.
Tragedy in U.S. History will be released on streaming platforms, CD, and a green vinyl edition that includes an autographed band photo.
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