The Minus 5 is a psychedelic folk pop rock'n'roll vehicle that is primarily driven by Scott McCaughey, with Peter Buck of R.E.M. It has been (and meant to be) a revolving cast of savory characters spread across the globe, from Seattle to Jackson Heights to London to Norway to forever base camp in Portland.

Career highlights: 1995 debut Old Liquidator, 1997 Lonesome Death Of Buck McCoy (co-written with Peter Buck), 2001's Let The War Against Music Begin and appearance on Conan O'Brien, 2003 release of Down With Wilco (collaboration w/ Tweedy & Co.) and performing on David Letterman, 2004 re-issue of In Rock and first of several Coolest Song In The World on Little Steven's Underground Garage, 2005's classic The Minus 5 (a/k/a The Gun Album), 2008's Portland-centric Killingsworth with help from The Decemberists, 2013's five-LP 57-song set of new material Scott The Hoople In The Dungeon Of Horror featuring ten-minute opus "Michael Nesmith", Christmas album Dear December in 2017, Stroke Manor in 2019 (composed during and after hospitalization from, uh, you guessed it), 2023's Calling Cortez (Neil Vol. 3), and finally Oar On, Penelope (with Spencer Tweedy, Patterson Hood, and mixed by the legendary Ed Stasium!) in 2025.