It’s been two and a half years since we said goodbye to R.E.M. but in recent days some of its former members have announced their next projects. First off, Peter Buck is due to put out his second solo album, with the unbelievably cool title I Am Back To Blow Your Mind Once Again. It will be a vinyl only release scheduled to come out next week through the small label Mississippi Records. And Buck won’t be promoting it, but he will do a short tour with Alejandro Escovedo. In an amusing post on R.E.M.’s site, he explains his approach:

I spent over 30 years in what is laughably called the professional music business, and I came to the conclusion that there were 3 things that I loved: writing songs, recording songs, and playing songs. So that is how I run my business in conjunction with Mississippi Records: no interviews, no photos, no videos, no promo copies for radio play or reviews. The record is out there. It can be found. And I am pleasured beyond belief that 6,000 of you managed to find the last one. We have pressed up more this time so they should be easier to get. I am doing exactly what I love in exactly the way I want to do it.

Second, Buck joins his former bandmate Mike Mills along with Steve Wynn, Scott McCaughey, and Linda Pitman in the band the Baseball Project for their third album, titled 3rd. The record contains songs about baseball (including one about Doc Ellis, whose acid-tripping no hitter was the subject of a documentary scored by Ad-Rock at Sundance this year) and that band’s tour will feature performances not just in music venues, but baseball parks as well. It’s due 3/25 via Yep Roc Records.

Meanwhile, Michael Stipe remains active on Tumblr (NFSW).