[Originally Published: September 27th, 2012]

Last weekend I walked into my local Berkeley coffee shop and Bob Dylan’s Desolation Row was playing on the stereo. I turned to my friend and asked if he had any way of identifying what verse we were at – but neither of us could place how far into the song we were, or how likely it was the song would still be playing when we left. It was, in fact, still playing when we left. Later that night, I saw Wilco at The Greek Theatre open with One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend) – yet another song with numerous (albeit short) verses, and thus was born this week’s B List. Interestingly, both of those songs, and many listed below, share the characteristic of also not having a chorus.

Hurricane – Bob Dylan

There was a time in high school where I could recite all eleven verses from Dylan’s protest song for boxer and accused murdered Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. If I had time to dig through enough songs, we could probably make a B List of only Bob Dylan songs that have eight or more verses. In addition to the mention of Desolation Row in the intro, Tangled Up In Blue, Lily, Rosemary and The Jack of Hearts, the list goes on and on.

Bob Dylan – Hurricane – 1975 Live by movisfree

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As if we weren’t excited enough for this summer’s AmericanaramA outing featuring HT faves Wilco and My Morning Jacket, we’ve got one more legendary artist who will join part of the tour – Furthur / Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir. Weir will play solo acoustic sets at the first four shows of the AmericanaramA tour this June according to BobDylan.com.

Here’s a look at the dates Bobby has signed on for:

June 26th @ Cruzan Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, FL
June 27th @ Live Nation Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL
June 29th @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA
June 30th @ The Lawn at Riverfront Park – Nashville, TN

Tickets for the first three shows go on sale this Saturday morning at 10AM local time, while tickets for the Nashville show go on sale May 4th at 10AM local time.

This summer HT faves Wilco, My Morning Jacket and Bob Dylan will headline a North American tour dubbed “AmericanaramA.” All three bands have revealed their participation and they will be joined by Richard Thompson Electric Trio and Ryan Bingham for select dates.

The dates were briefly revealed on Bob Dylan’s website before they were taken down and the bands involved will hit a mix of sheds and unorthodox outdoor venues. AmericanaramA kicks off on June 26th in West Palm Beach and is currently set to run until August 4th. Along the way the tour will visit the Southeast, the Midwest, the Northeast, a small smattering of venues out west and more.

Here’s the full list of AmericanaramA tour dates…

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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…
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As previously reported, Wilco offered a free, live audio and video stream of this evening’s show at the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia, which took place in the early morning hours for those of us in the states. In another sign that Wilco loves you (baby), the band has archived the entire broadcast for our on-demand viewing pleasure.

You can watch the whole 2:20 broadcast here and switch between two cameras…

Set: Less Than You Think, Art Of Almost, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, I Might, Via Chicago, Spiders (Acoustic), Impossible Germany, Born Alone, Laminated Cat, She’s A Jar, Say You Miss Me, Whole Love, Box Full Of Letters, Hummingbird, California Stars, Forget The Flowers, Dawned On Me, A Shot In The Arm

Encore 1: Jesus, Etc., Hate It Here, Heavy Metal Drummer, Walken, I’m The Man Who Loves You

Encore 2: The Late Greats

[via Via Chicago]

The time difference between those of us in the states and those in Australia can run upwards of 16 hours which makes watching webcasts from Down Under a bit of a predicament. For instance, Wilco is kindly streaming video and audio from their show at the iconic Sydney Opera House tomorrow via their website. Live in the band’s hometown of Chicago? Better set that alarm for 5:30AM tomorrow.

But hey, it’s free live Wilco from across the globe – who are we to complain? Keep in mind that those of us out east should tune in starting at 6:30AM, those in the Central Time Zone should tune in at 5:30AM, those in the Mountain Time Zone should tune in at 4:30AM, while those out west should tune in at 3:30AM. Tomorrow’s show is the band’s last in Australia before they head to New Zealand.

HT faves Wilco have been off the road for five months (with the exception of a one-off gig at Vail in December) which for many bands isn’t a particularly long time but for these road warriors that much time off is a rarity. Jeff Tweedy and Co. kicked off a three-week tour of Australia, New Zealand and Japan yesterday with a set at West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots Festival in Freemantle, Australia.

[Photo by Mikael Jorgensen]

The group delivered an 11-song set that included four songs from 2011′s The Whole Love, an album which hadn’t been released when Wilco last visited Australia. Here’s the complete setlist…

Set: Art of Almost, I Might, Ashes of American Flags, Born Alone, Laminated Cat (aka Not For The Season), Jesus Etc., Handshake Drugs, Impossible Germany, Dawned On Me, Shot in the Arm, I’m The Man Who Loves You

[Setlist via Wilco Facebook Page]

In other Wilco-related news, Tweedy recently penned a letter to the editor of his hometown paper voicing his support for same-sex marriage. The Wilco front man feels that “everyone should be able to marry the person he or she loves and enjoy the dignity and respect that comes with that commitment.” You can read the letter in its entirety on the Belleville News-Democrat’s website.

Jeff Tweedy @ The Vic Theatre – March 14

Words and Photos: Jimmy Coulas

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.

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When Wilco made their debut of Britain’s Glastonbury Festival back in 1999, they delivered a set chock full of gems from the Summerteeth LP which was released a few months before the fest. They also threw in a handful of tunes from 1996′s Being There including the opening track – Misunderstood.

Professionally shot videos from Wilco’s Glastonbury ’99 have popped up on YouTube, one of which is the wicked version of Misunderstood featuring the late Jay Bennett on guitar. Check it out…

Wilco – Misunderstood (Live @ Glastonbury ’99)

Wilco will headline and curate the Solid Sound Festival which takes place at Mass MOCA in North Adams, Massachusetts on June 21 – 23. Jeff Tweedy and Co. will perform on both Friday and Saturday. They have just revealed a most-interesting concept for Friday’s set.

On Friday night the band will play a set filled exclusively with songs requested by fans that includes both originals and covers. In a twist, Wilco promises to learn 50 songs selected by fans for Solid Sound. During the set they will play 20 of those tunes selected at random. Then, for the encore, Wilco will play more fan-requested songs submitted via Twitter, via a live version of “Stump the Band” in which “audience members will request songs and attempt to stump the band, a variation on the original ‘Stump the Band’ segment featured on The Tonight Show.” Wilco has enlisted John Hodgman to stand in for Johnny Carson as he’ll ask members of the crowd for suggestions on songs that will “Stump The Band.” Tickets are currently available through the Solid Sound ticketing website.

Detroit native Bob Seger kicked off a six-week tour last night with his Silver Bullet Band at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. Among the 24 songs Seger performed was a cover of California Stars from Wilco and Billy Bragg’s Mermaid Avenue album.

Video has surfaced of Seger’s horn-augmented version of the tune…

Bob Seger – California Stars

Seger also performed Detroit Made by John Hiatt and dusted off Like A Rock.

Bob Seger opening night set list:

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With the volume of tweets that ?uestlove sends out on a daily basis, it’s not surprising to find out that he has channeled some that energy into something that can be consumed at more then 140 characters at a time as yesterday it was announced that he will be publishing his memoirs this spring. The book, entitled Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove, will chronicle the drummer’s life from growing up in West Philadelphia in the 1970′s to founding The Roots to his various collaborations in the world of music. According to a press release for the book, which will hit retailers on June 18, the tome will touch on music criticism, the state of hip hop and “also questions the nature of memory and the idea of a post modern Black man saddled with some post-modern Blues.”

• List Time: 18 Songs About Being On Government Assistance
• Carlos Santana is reuniting the original Santana band for his new album
• Cover Alert: First Aid Kit tackle Simon & Garfunkel
• JT & Marcus Mumford collaborating on the soundtrack for the new Cohen Brother movie
• Download This: Coventry Music MIX – Steve McQueen, Bitch!
• Japandroids’ The House That Heaven Built was voted the Canucks’ new entrance music

Finally, while it took nearly two days for the full lineup of Wilco’s third installment of their Solid Sound Festival to be announced, we’re thankful that organizers decided to avoid that drawn out approach when it came to revealing the daily breakdown of when each of the acts will play. Now a three-day affair, the fest will see host band Wilco headline on both Friday and Saturday night, with support from a mix of eclectic acts including alt.county singer Neko Case to indie-rockers Yo La Tengo to jam-prog-rock act White Denim to psychedelic-gospel band The Relatives. Early bird single-day tickets and three-day passes are currently on-sale now.

Here’s the breakdown of what to expect over the course of the weekend…

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The promoters of Wilco’s Solid Sound Music and Arts Festival have come up with either an interesting or annoying way of announcing the event’s lineup, depending on how you look at it. Today at noon ET they started rolling out the lineup and activities in alphabetical order with each new letter announced every 30 minutes. The lineup unveil will run through 5:30PM ET this afternoon and then concludes tomorrow between 10AM and 4:30PM.

In addition to Solid Sound headliners Wilco, the acts announced so far include Sam Amidon, Border Music featuring Marc Ribot and David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), The Blisters, Neko Case, Steve Wynn’s Dream Syndicate and Medeski Martin and Wood (with special guests). Keep your eyes on HT or the event’s Facebook page for future updates.

Previously Announced: Wilco, Al Madrigal, Jen Kirkman, John Hodgman, Reggie Watts

A. Sam Amidon & Al Madrigal

B. “Border Music” (featuring Marc Ribot and David Hidalgo) & The Blisters

C. Neko Case

D. The Dream Syndicate

E. Euclid Records Pop-Up Shop

F. Foxygen

G. Golden Eagle (no falconry this year, but there will be birds of prey) & Mt. Greylock (the highest peak in MA)

H. John Hodgman

I.  is for “I Got You”, which we’re pretty sure Wilco will play either Friday or Saturday night.

J. is for Mikael Jorgensen & Greg O’Keefe, as well as Jen Kirkman – Comedian.

K. is for Glenn Kotche & Darin Gray (On Fillmore), providing a live soundtrack to WNYC Radio‘s Radiolab.

L. is for Low and also Lucius

M. is for Medeski Martin & Wood with special guests, Mark Mulcahy

N. is for Nels Cline & Julian Lage.

O. is for Os Mutantes.

P. is for Pat Sansone of The Autumn Defense

Q. is for is for Questions? Visit Solid Sound FAQ.

R. Reggie Watts & The Relatives

S. Story Pirates

T. is for Early Bird Tickets, which will be gone soon. Get yours now.

U. Urban Birding

V. V is for Valentine’s Day and “You and I” is the perfect soundtrack, right? V also =  vegetarian & vegan food options.

W. W is for White Denim

X. X is for artist Xu Bing

Y. Y is for Yo La Tengo, playing a full set and live-scoring the film “The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller.”

Z. Z is for Ze Full Lineup

The 2013 edition of the Solid Sound festival will take place from June 21 – 23 at MASS MOCA in North Adams, Mass. Early bird tickets are currently on sale for $124.

For today’s Full Show Friday selection we look back at a professionally-shot Wilco show that took place just about six months after the group’s first gig. Recorded on May 23rd, 1995 at Boulder’s Fox Theater, these vids feature an early version of the band that saw Jeff Tweedy backed by Ken Coomer on drums, John Stirratt on bass and multi-instrumentalists Max Johnston and Jay Bennett.

Wilco performed over 30 songs on this night including 11 of the 13 tracks from their debut album A.M. and two that wound up making Being There in 1996. There’s also four covers, the best of which is a rollicking take on Listen To Her Heart by Tom Petty. So blow off work and check this shit out…

Wilco @ Fox Theater – 5/23/95

Set: We’ve Been Had, I Must Be High, Box Full Of Letters, Too Far Apart, Shouldn’t Be Ashamed, Walk Where He Walked, No Sense In Lovin’, Its Just That Simple, New Madrid, Pick Up The Change, That’s Not The Issue, Passenger Side, Passenger Side (fast), Casino Queen (MISSING), The Long Cut, Screen Door, Black Eye, Gun, Wait Up, Reincarnation, Pecan Pie, Give Back The Key To My Heart, Who Were You Thinkin’ Of, I Got You, Outtasite, Listen To Her Heart, Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down, Acuff Rose, Let’s Hear It For Rock N Roll, Henry And The H-Bombs, I Can’t Keep From Talking

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.

The trio closed out the political satire show’s Christmas Carol Week that had previously seen Diana Krall, Elvis Costello and Marc Ribot perform Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Audra McDonald with Baby, It’s Cold Outside and Michael Stipe and Mandy Patinkin doing Good King Wencelas – who were all assisted by Mr. Colbert on vocals. For their take on the tune, Tweedy, Staples and Lennon swapped verses, with some gorgeous assistance from the choir. Let’s check it out…

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.

[via The Audio Perv]