Earlier this month we shared the news that Mavis Staples will be releasing a new album called One True Vine, produced by Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy, that’s due on June 25. When the track list was revealed, we were excited to see a cover of Funkadelic’s Can You Get To That on there.
Can You Get To That is the second track on Funkadelic’s landmark 1971 album Maggot Brain. This wasn’t your typical Funkadelic joint as it was acoustic-based has a gospel feel. Staples’s iconic voice is almost hidden in her version of the tune, but comes out at the most opportune times. Check it out…
Jeff Tweedy is one busy dude. In addition to all the work he puts in as the front man and mastermind of Wilco, he’s also an in-demand producer. Not only is Tweedy working with White Denim, but he’s reprising his role as Mavis Staples’ producer on her new album – One True Vine.
The name “One True Vine” may ring a bell for Wilco fans, as it’s the name of a criminally underlooked Sky Blue Sky outtake. Mavis’s version of the tune closes out the 10-track album which is set for a June 25th release via Anti-. Take a listen to Wilco’s version of One True Vine… READ ON
On Thursday night, Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy played his second and final benefit show of the month at the Vic Theatre in Chicago. These now annual shows are notable for the fact that the first 30 people in line get to pick the setlist for that night.
As the house lights dimmed shortly after 7:30, Tweedy emerged from behind the large black curtain to a rousing ovation. Sporting thick-rimmed glasses, jeans and a denim jacket, some may think he was channeling his inner hipster, but I suspect age has something to do with his fashionable specs.
The prior night, Tweedy referred to his array of guitars as “The B Team” noting that his main gear was already on its way to Australia for Wilco’s upcoming Pacific Rim tour, which begins later this month. Nevertheless, the six guitars – including one 12-string – ranged in color from a light wood shade to a dark amber hue. Despite having six guitars, Tweedy only indulged in using two of them.
Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy hasn’t been playing too many solo shows lately, and usually when he does they’re in his current hometown of Chicago. That trend will continue this March when Tweedy will play a pair of shows at The Vic on March 13th and 14th. Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon CST.
On Monday we kicked off the week with Polyphonic Spree’s gorgeous rendition of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s anti-war song – Happy Xmas (War Is Over), which can be found on the psychedelic choral-rock act’s new studio album, Holidaydream: Sounds of the Holidays Vol. One. Today we’ve got our second cover of the Lennon-Ono classic, that has some direct ties to the original, as last night the impressive pairing of Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples, the Harlem Gospel Choir and John and Yoko’s son Sean Lennon performed the song on The Colbert Report.
In the spirit of the season both Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and Good King Weneceles are currently available as digital downloads via iTunes with all proceeds going to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
Our friends at Thrash Lab have started a series of videos called Rituals in which they talk to musicians about the moments before “their big moment.” The latest installment features Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy. Tweedy discusses his rehearsal process, family time and pre-show interactions. Take a look…
The stage at Chicago’s Vic Theatre looked a lot different on Saturday than it did on December 15 when Wilco performed at the venue amidst their Incredible Shrinking Tour of Chicago. Gone were all of the amps, keyboards, drums and other noise making gear. Instead, four lights, six acoustic guitars, four audio monitors, a harmonica set and a few pedals made up the minimalist stage setup.
The annual Jeff Tweedy solo shows benefit Youth Scholarships for the Near North Montessori School in Chicago. It’s not that often that Jeff Tweedy plays solo shows, so I jumped at the chance to see him twice in a weekend. The unique thing about these shows is that the first 30 people in line get to pick the setlist. I wasn’t one of the first 30 people in line, but if I had been, my pick would have been Albuquerque by Neil Young.
Hey everybody, DaveO here – over the next few weeks I am turning Cover Wars over to some of the other Hidden Track contributors to change things up a bit. Please welcome, Andy Kahn.
Lefty Frizzell first recorded and released this haunting ballad in 1959. Written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin, it’s a first person, from the grave account of a man wrongly sentenced to death for a murder he didn’t commit. However, he’s unable to provide an alibi because that would reveal at the time in question he was sleeping with his best friend’s wife. The wife often goes to the narrator’s gravesite wearing the long black veil and mourning the secret that led to his execution. Since Frizzell’s original release plenty of other artists have tackled this heart-string-pulling ballad. A good lot of them are up for consideration below, but let me know in the comments if I missed your fav.
The Contestants:
Dave Matthews: Those not steeped in the earlier folk stylings of the song might be most familiar with one of Dave Matthews’ performances. A staple of the Dave Matthews Band repertoire for years now, having first appeared on the 1999 live album Listener Supported, Matthews has also played duets with Warren Haynes, Tim Reynolds and as part of a tribute to Johnny Cash with Emmylou Harris.
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READ ON for the scoop on the rest of this week’s contestants…
While the folks behind Coachella made their ticket holders wait until nearly the day of the fest to divulge their daily lineup, organizers of the second annual Solid Sound festival have gone the opposite route. Yesterday, the producers of the Wilco-curated event, which is set to take place from June 24-26, released their daily schedule, giving attendees over two months to plan their days at MASS MoCa. The Chicago-based act will headline both Friday and Saturday nights, while The Levon Helm Band will close things out with a late-afternoon set on Sunday.
Finally, in other Wilco related news, Jeff Tweedy recently appeared on the Canadian late-night talk show George Stroumboulopoulus Tonight, where he sat down with Strombo for two interviewsegments and also performed a new tune called Open Your Mind – which if we were to make a logical assumption may appear on the band’s debut album on its own dBpm Records label later this year. Tomorrow night, Jeff Tweedy will kick off a two-night hometown solo acoustic stand at the Vic Theater. Be sure to keep an eye on our Twitter feed on Saturday night, as our intrepid leader Scott Bernstein will be tweeting live from the show in the Windy City.
For Jeff Tweedy, the success of a solo performance depends on his audience. He wants to create a moment: during quiet songs he wants silence and during upbeat songs, he’s happy if you sing along. Meanwhile, on stage alongside him are six acoustic guitars and five speakers pointing directly at him. You may think one of two things: 1.) Jeff Tweedy is an asshole, or 2.) Jeff Tweedy loves music, knows music, and cares so much about how he sounds that he wants every note, ever moment, to be perfect. These would be the logical guesses, and it’s nearly impossible to tell which of them, if either, is the right answer.
In honor of the Boulder Theater’s 75th Anniversary, Tweedy played to two sold-out crowds, mostly seated, of college students and young professionals, many in flannel shirts and jeans but a few in dreadlocks and flowing skirts. On the second of these nights some of the most memorable moments came between songs as he joked sarcastically, criticizing the audience from the previous night – “they were horrible people.” For much of the night, at his request, each song was followed by a chorus of boo’s from his adoring fans, who loved him perhaps more, even after he publicly denied them autographs, “Are you the one who wanted me to sign the book for you last night? I won’t sign it for you tonight, either.”
READ ON for more on Jeff Tweedy’s recent Boulder show…
As I was watching the tapes roll in this week from recent shows, I had two thoughts about possible themes for this week’s edition: 1) Acoustic Performances/Sets 2) The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam. Not wanting to choose, we’re going to have a jumbo-sized Last Week’s Sauce and bring you six performances. We start out with three from the acoustic section: The Black Crowes, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds and Jeff Tweedy [with a little help from his friends]. Then, we’ll switch into high gear with some highlights from Asheville with help from Steve Miller, Umphrey’s McGee with John Bell and the brand-spanking-new Warren Haynes Band. This is a good one, so set aside some time and maybe even download the podcast if you want to take all of this audio with you.
You can download all of this week’s audio in one easy to listen to MP3 that we call the Last Week’s Sauce Podcast, click here to download.
[Thanks to tgakidis for this week's photo]
The Black Crowes – She Talks To Angels, My Morning Song Date & Venue: 2010-12-12 The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA Taper & Show Download: Fillmore Crowe
The Black Crowes have only three shows left before they start their next indefinite hiatus – three more shows at San Francisco’s historic Fillmore Auditorium. And they have already played three shows there so far. The locals are expecting big things this weekend in terms of special guests and I’m sure the Crowes will not disappoint. Recently, it’s been a formula of Acoustic Set I and Electric Set II and this run of shows has been no exception. These two hits closed Sunday’s first set.
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More acoustic action from Sunday’s show:
READ ON for tracks from Dave & Tim, Jeff Tweedy & The Autumn Defense, Steve Miller Band, Umphrey’s McGee, and The Warren Haynes Band.
Weekends in the NYC area are usually packed with rock shows, but we can’t remember a night filled with as many special moments around town as last night. We wanted to recap a few of the highlights from an amazing night.
[Photo by Rob Chapman]
Uptown at the Beacon, Hot Tuna was joined by a cavalcade of guests as part of a two-night celebration honoring Jorma Kaukonen’s 70th birthday. Larry Campbell spent the most time on stage with the band, adding fiddle and guitar to the proceedings. Bruce Hornsby’s guest spot included a blazing I Know You Rider, while Warren Haynes added slide to Come Back Baby and three other songs. Bill Kirchen, Chris Smither, Happy Traum, Byron House and John Hammond all sat-in during the concert as well. Head over to Jorma’s blog for his take on the evening as well as the setlist. Each artist made sure to wish Jorma a Happy Birthday and Jorma told the tale of his association with each of the guests. The marathon show ended around midnight and you can expect a whole new set of guests tonight. READ ON for more…
Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy kicks off a brief solo tour on Saturday night at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City with The Autumn Defense opening. To get you ready for the run, here’s a clip of Tweedy performing Theologians at a session for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation…
East Coast Wilco fans are in for a rare treat when Jeff Tweedy visits for a quick run of solos shows in December. The action starts on December 4th at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and continues on 12/6 at the Tarrytown Music Hall. Tweedy heads down to Charlottesville for a performance at the Paramount Theater on Dec. 8. Head to Wilco World for info on next week’s pre-sale and public on-sale information for all three events.
As we’ve previously mentioned, next month legendary gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples will release her highly anticipated new album You Are Not Alone, which was produced by Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy. The duo, who have appeared on-stage together a couple times already this summer, have released this video of their cover of CCR’s socio-political tune – Wrote A Song For Everyone, which also appears on Mavis’ new record…
, which was produced by Wilco front man 
