Wilco Annouce Spring Tour Dates
In support of their Grammy nominated Wilco (The Album), Wilco the band have announced a sixteen-date East Coast tour. Promising extended, varied sets in mid-sized theaters, the semi-intimate tour is being billed as “An Evening with Wilco”. Ticket pre-sales start January 6th through Wilcoworld.net. (more…)
Merry Christmas from the Wilco Archive (Download)
It’s been a while since the last Wilco Archive update, so this one’s a doozy (35GB). Hope you enjoy; full list is below. (more…)
Halloweening It Without Jeopardizing Your Indie Cred (An O&B How-To)
Call it Halloween, call it the day after Devil’s Night (if you’re a fan of The Crow), call it the day before All Saints Day (that’s for all you Catholics out there), or just call it a pain in the ass. Like it or not, it’s time to dress up. Whether fun or a chore, it’s more important than it seems, and wearing the wrong costume can be disastrous. The right costume, however, will not only get you through the night unscathed, but it could also do wonders for upping your rep. Most important, not wearing a costume is not really an option. You’ll be viewed as Halloween’s equivalent to Scrooge. Going to a Halloween party sans costume is like not dancing to a band that moves you. Don’t be a dick. Wear a costume. Dance. (more…)
Download: Blue Mountain – May 31, 2008 (FLACs)
Soundboard/Audience mic matrix/README/Download
I’m heading to Denver, Colorado in a couple hours, and I haven’t packed or prepared in any way, so we’ll have to skip this week’s Wilco Archive update. To help ease your pain, here’s a nice soundboard/audience mic matrix of Blue Mountain from May 31, 2008. If you’re unfamiliar with Blue Mountain and their relationship to Wilco, here’s the Wikipedia definition:
Blue Mountain is an American alt-country band formed in 1991 in Oxford, Mississippi by husband and wife duo Cary Hudson (guitar and vocals) and Laurie Stirratt (bass and harmony vocals), who is notably the twin sister of John Stirratt, the bass player for the like-minded Americana band Wilco.
There you go.
If you don’t like downloading the files individually, check out DownThemAll, a handy Firefox plugin that allows you to download files in bulk. If you like the downloads, let us know in the comments. Also, requests (for your favorite bands, not specific shows) are always welcome.
Review: The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
The Avett Brothers are all about feeling. On Emotionalism, their last proper full length, the Avetts certainly didn’t shy away from feeling; they celebrated it. The songs from Emotionalism were mostly led by banjo, upright bass, occasional strings and the just-twangy-enough vocals of one or both brothers. Everything about that setup said these guys were playing bluegrass music, but what came out of the speakers felt different.
That element, that unique style of bluegrass that sounded more like an alt-country-influenced indie band, clearly set the Avetts apart from anything I’d ever heard before. But there was more to them than that. There were also those straightforward and heartfelt lyrics, melodies that felt nostalgic and comforting, and an overall sense that these guys grew up loving American music and wanted to make it their own, to take it somewhere new while keeping everything that was great about it intact. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Local Natives (List)
Silver Lake-based Local Natives just completed a U.S. tour with Ben Kweller, then went to London, then stormed barns across the midwest. They even blog. Needless to say, these guys (and occasionally girl) are both creative and busy. They’re also great musicians who put on a rewarding and fun show. They have a new album called Gorilla Manor coming out soon.
Recently, the band recorded an acoustic version of their song “Camera Talk” (MP3) for the website Aurgasm, who pretty aptly summed up our feelings for the band:
The quintet’s unique brand of indie folk highlights their tight vocal harmonies without sacrificing on rolling guitars, keys and percussion or sharp lyrics. Their laid-back and layered folk is a perfect way to wind down the rest of summer.
Local Natives are also currently touring extensively in the west through late September, with a stop Thursday (9/3) at San Diego’s Casbah, and then they’re moving on to Europe for six weeks. Complete list of tourdates is below.
Meanwhile, we caught up Ryan Hahn, Taylor Rice, and Kelcey Ayer to talk Poetic Memory. Check it out. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Boy Without God (List)
Fact: there are more albums in existence today than ever before, and, as more albums are released in the future, that number will most likely increase. We, the intrepid writers for Owl&Bear, stand at the frothy frontline of this constant deluge of new music, bravely filling buckets with the good stuff and presenting it as sweet sustenance to our parched readers. We perpetually receive music from PR people, begging us to check out undiscovered artists, and a lot of it is, quite frankly, underwhelming. But once in a while we come across a diamond in the rough, something that grabs us by the ears and doesn’t let go. And so it happened that, mere seconds into hearing “If You” (MP3), I became a fan of Boy Without God.
Hailing from Massachusetts, famed home of the sassy Congressman, Boy Without God is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Birnbaum. His new album, Your Body Is Your Soul, which sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel if they’d been fronted by Johnny Cash, has been on constant rotation in the Owl&Bear offices lately and is shaping up to be one of the best albums of the year. Birnbaum was kind enough to share his influences with us for our newest installment of Poetic Memory.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. (more…)
Jim O’Rourke to Release ‘The Visitor’ Sept. 9 (Stream)
As a producer, Jim O’Rourke is responsible for fundamentally re-shaping Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (and the band itself); as a composer, his songs could accompany both sweet dreams and nightmares; as a lyricist, his turns of phrase are pretty much enviable.
Yet perhaps because of his boundary-testing nature, the Chicago experimentalist doesn’t like to outstay his welcome. Even his album art, though always amazing, is tough to digest sometimes.
The better part of a decade has passed since O’Rourke released anything solo. Granted, he did record those two Loose Fur albums with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche, and he recorded and toured with Sonic Youth, but that’s a whole different thing. This year, Drag City also re-issued some of O’Rourke’s early work—including a three-hour two-disc epic described by the label as a “double-disc drone-gasm”—but it’s just not the same. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Kissing Cousins (List)
L.A.-based Kissing Cousins, an “all female sepulchral counter-pop” band led by Heather Bray Heywood, began with a few modest EPs. Since then, they’ve had a song featured on Nip/Tuck and recorded a full-length album, Pillar of Salt. Kissing Cousins recorded Pillar live to tape—a rarity in today’s mostly digital landscape—with the help of Richard Swift. The band used Wilco’s old TASCAM 8-track to record the album, bestowing a second life upon the piece of equipment that has produced some of Wilco’s greatest songs. Kissing Cousins definitely do the machine justice.
Music videos for Pillar are in the works, and the vinyl will be released in July (see tour dates below). For samples, check out “In Too Deep” from Pillar, as well as “Deathhouse“, Heywood’s personal favorite song from the album.
After the jump: 10 bands that influenced Heywood’s songwriting “in some shape or form.” (more…)
Poetic Memory: The Rest (List)
The last time Ontario, Canada’s The Rest played at the Casbah, we missed it. But we won’t make that mistake again. After all, according to their MySpace page, The Rest like all the things that we like: doing push-ups, shooting each other with water guns, howling at the moon, and delicious Thai food. (More details below.) We have other reasons, too. For one, their new album, Everything All At Once, is amazing. For another, they graciously agreed to write the latest installment of Poetic Memory. Also, they use the word “rascal” in their lyrics.
We’ve featured The Rest on our podcast a few times, but in case you missed it, here are a couple of MP3s. The wondrously haunting “Drinking Again” is definitely one of our favorite songs of 2009. Also, be sure to check out “Everything All At Once“, the epic titular track from their new album.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Alan Wilkis (List)
Brooklyn’s Alan Wilkis calls himself “a sponge type of listener” who is “influenced by many different artists, genres, and time periods” and it’s easy to tell from his music. His new EP is called Pink and Purple, and it’s a blast. To describe his taste, Wilkis says, “One day I might be listening to some death metal, next day it’s 80s hip-hop, then Bach fugues, and then it’s Elvis Costello all weekend.” His style will take you by surprise, but it’s a good thing—and it’s plain that he writes for sheer enjoyment.
We described his last album, Babies Dream Big, as “reminiscent of anything from funk to deep soul to something like the soundtrack to Ghostbusters,” and Pink and Purple operates in a similar dimension. Given last week’s passing of Michael Jackson, it seems only appropriate to publish Wilkis’ list of influences, which he readily admits is “a little 80s funk-heavy.” Below are Alan Wilkis’ top 10 influences.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. (more…)
Download: Jay Bennett’s Best Shows
As news of his passing spread across the Internet, many people made sincere and moving tributes to Jay Bennett, the polarizing but astoundingly influential former member of Wilco who died unexpectedly on May 24, 2009.
In the search for our own fitting tribute to Jay Bennett, we decided to round up some of his best live performances from the Wilco Archive and let his talent speak for itself. We polled members of Wilco’s ViaChicago fan community, and they obliged with eloquence. (more…)
Breaking: Pitchfork to Give Wilco’s New Album a 5.8
Yesterday, we received a disturbing email from a Pitchfork Media staffer, detailing how senior management re-shaped his review of Wilco (The Album), which is set to be released on June 30, 2009.
The distressed staffer writes, ”With high profile releases like this one, management will tell writers what an album’s rating will be. You have to write your review around the predetermined rating, which is partly why our reviews often contain weird metaphors and seem so hackneyed.”
He goes on to write that Pitchfork goons threatened to remove him from their staff—and office—if he didn’t comply with their wishes; he quotes one manager as saying “As you know, Pitchfork is so over Wilco, and the rest of the world should be too, whether it’s right or not. Actual merit is irrelevant. Look how much attention we got from our review of the Black Kids album. If you care about quality, you can go write somewhere else.”
According to the writer, here’s a breakdown of what should’ve been vs. what is. (more…)
How to Hug Your Independent Record Store
“Indie record stores,” says Chrys Hansen of Modern Music, the Caribbean’s most visited record store, “are where you go when you first realize there’s a whole new world of music for you to explore.” The Internet notwithstanding as perhaps one’s first stop when searching out what the world has to offer musically, Hansen’s words ring sentimental and otherwise true.
Independent record stores, unlike the CD sections of Wal-Mart and Best Buy, often feature carefully procured selections of good popular music and local and alternative groups that are either too vulgar or not Hoobastank-y enough for other outlets. The quality of independent record stores is only enhanced by the personal touch offered by the staff.
Wilco Does Monday
“Monday” from Wilco’s ‘Ashes of American Flags’ DVD, out 4/18.
Jeff Tweedy & Wilco on Colbert
As (implicitly) promised, here is a great exchange between Jeff Tweedy and Stephen Colbert, as well as the performance of their new limited edition Wilco song:
Video of “Wilco the Song” was removed by YouTube.
Wilco to Play Colbert Tonight!!
Last night’s Colbert Report featured the indomitable Stephen Colbert announcing, like many influential conservative figures, his coveted endorsement for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Despite this, Colbert won’t be voting for Obama. He’s a conservative, for Chrissake.
Promise to Vote, and Get Free Wilco/Fleet Foxes
From The Onion’s Audio/Visual Club:
The A.V. Club is delighted to point you to a free download of a new live collaboration between Wilco and Fleet Foxes, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” which was recorded in Bend, OR on the recent Wilco tour. Wilco’s working with Headcount.org, “a nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to voter registration and inspiring participation in democracy through the power of music.” So when you download this track, you’ll be asked to click a simple button, pledging to vote in the upcoming national election on November 4. And if you’re feeling particularly generous, Wilco’s also suggesting you make a donation to Second Harvest/Feed America.
Without further ado: Go here to download the track!
Interview: Dan Murphy of Golden Smog
Yesterday, I sat down with Dan Murphy, Golden Smog’s affable guitarist, to talk about Barack Obama, Brian Wilson, the band’s early days, Soul Asylum, The Jayhawks, Jeff Tweedy, nonexistent Swedish brides, and the music industry.
Murphy’s Midwestern supergroup will release Stay Golden, Smog on September 23. The record is made up of tracks from the band’s early years, but also features two unreleased tracks: a demo version of “Until You Came Along” and an unearthed cover of Brian Wilson’s “Love and Mercy.”
Last Chance to Enter Golden Smog & Wilco Contests!
Owl&Bear contests to win Golden Smog’s latest release, Stay Golden, Smog, and a digital copy of the WilcoFilm (U.S. iTunes users only), I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, will expire at 23:59 PST on 9/19/08!
Entry information after the jump.
Enter to Win a Free Digital Download of the WilcoFilm, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”
Note: this contest is open only to people using the USA iTunes Store.
iTunes Download – I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco
Jason writes to tell us that
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco is now available for digital download on iTunes.
Download: Owl and Bear’s Top 20 Albums of 2007
Owl and Bear writers’ favorite albums of 2007.
(more…)
Review: Wilco; September 12, 2007 at Millennium Park (Pritzker Pavilion); Chicago
After 13 years, 6 studio albums, hundreds of shows, and several personnel changes, the collective that is Wilco is having fun. That much was apparent at Wednesday night’s performance.Throughout their albums, a common theme of well-crafted songs is present, though styles have changed drastically and each incarnation of the band shines through with each new release. For this performance at home in Chicago, Wilco showcased all of their styles–unexpectedly playing songs from each of their albums.
