Tweedy "Low Key"

Parts of this work week were grueling . . . parts of the day-to-day grind of getting kids out the door, in the door, fed and into bed, were grueling.

I'm glad to end this week on a light note. 

I follow John Hodgman on Facebook, and he posted this Tweedy video, since he makes an appearance.

Tweedy won me over the moment I saw Jeff in the yellow suit.

And as I was watching the video, I was laughing at how deadpan Spencer is.  Then I recalled that (at least the one time I saw him in concert), he always seems kinda deadpan.

There are lots of little laughs in this one, straight through to the shocking conclusion.


See the video on Youtube.

Wilco "Sunloathe"

Here's another "I Looked At The Internet Today So You Don't Have To" feature.

Oftentimes, only one or two singles from an album will come to radio.  But with the ease of video distribution via Youtube, bands are making videos for songs even if they aren't the single (which was an unthinkable practice in the heyday of MTV, unless you were a) super-rich or b) pretentious).

Anyway, enjoy this crazy impressionistic animated clip!


Hear the song on Youtube.

Wilco "Outta Mind Outta Site"

Let me introduce a new segment on the blog, called, "Let Me Ruin This Song For You."

Why don't we pause right there for a second.

I promise, in any blog post where I plan to ruin a song for you, that I will alert you at the beginning of the post.

So if you see "Let Me Ruin This Song For You" and you look back at the artist and title in the header, and you think, "Hey, I'd rather you didn't ruin this song for me. I like this song," then don't read any further.

That said . . . let me ruin this Wilco song.

Every time I hear this the opening of tune, I can't help but be reminded of the opening of the classic version of the Sesame Street theme song.

Sure, Wilco's tune is a little more rocking, but listen to the electric guitar tutorial, and you'll hear it even clearer.

Sorry.

Hear the original "Outta Site (Outta Mind)"

See the very fun video that Wilco's old label won't let you embed.


Hear the song on Youtube.


Learn how to play the song on Youtube.

The Hold Steady "Sequestered In Memphis"

I had an interesting back-to-back concert experience. Nothing profound here, I just took note of the different approaches.

I went to see Wilco last week (yes, I seem to be going on, and on, and on about it).

In their nearly 90 minute regular set, they only played only one song that had ever been a radio single. And that was "I Might," their newest (and therefore, least familiar) single. Everything else was an album cut.

In contrast, I went to the Life Is Good Festival, and the one band I went out of my way to see, was The Hold Steady.

The Hold Steady opened the show with the beat poem/song "Positive Jam" and then launched into single after single after single.

I think they played every single off their last 3 albums ("Sequestered In Memphis," "Lord I'm Discouraged," "Hurricane J," "Stuck Between Stations"), filling the first half of their set. The effect was that every song was familiar to any mid-level fan. It was only later in the set that they dug a little deeper into their records.

I can only guess as to why each band approached their set list in such a way.

Wilco isn't really all about singles. They make some great ones, but they've really been an "album" band for a long time. Their singles are hooky, but the real power of Wilco is the artful noise and sonic dynamic the six guys on stage can make.

The Hold Steady, meanwhile, puts on a live show that seems designed to win you over by whipping you into a frenzy. They unload the magazine from the get-go, but have the power to keep up that pace even after delivering their hits.

Again, no agenda here. I just found it interesting.


Plus it gives me the chance to point out one of the funniest lyrics of the last several years, from "Sequestered In Memphis":

We didn't go back to her place.
We went to some place where she cat-sits

See the band on Letterman, on Youtube.

Nick Lowe "I Read A Lot"

It had been a reeeeally long week, and I was ready to relax and enjoy myself at the show.

Seeing Wilco in Boston, felt like a bit of a reward. And, truthfully, a respite.

The last stretch of time has been pretty taxing on my family. Good things were happening, but the transition has been pretty bumpy.

My wife spent the last year, out of work. She got laid off from her teaching job at the end of the 2010 school year, and she's been drawing unemployment since.

But she got a new job, which she's very excited about.

We managed things pretty well, with just unemployment and my paycheck, but the money was running out. As I was heading out the door to Wilco, I looked at our accounts. The checking account, the mortgage account, the Christmas account and the kids college fund were all down to less than 20 bucks each. And the credit card had only enough space for me to put 4 gallons of gas in the car and pay for parking in Boston.

No worries, though. My wife's first paycheck would be coming the next day. And we will be able to get on track after that.

Just in time too. Her 11 year old car had to have an emergency repair last weekend---the brakes went. My my 10 year old car was basically kaput. But now that she had a job, we could get a loan and buy a replacement vehicle.

More than the money chaos, has been the family chaos. While my wife was home this last year, daycare wasn't an issue. Now we needed to find coverage. Moms and Mothers-in-law, pre-schools and home daycare, pick ups and drop offs and the whole rigmarole have suddenly gone into effect as of 2 weeks ago. It's been quite a task to make sure we had every day and time covered. Logistically, it was like planning an invasion.

And with both adults now working, the house has gone to hell.

Piles of clothes. Piles of toys. Piles of paperwork. Piles of bills. Piles of dishes. Piles of dirt.

The only time we have to try to get a handle on the mess, to sort the piles, to tame the chaos, is late at night, after the kids have gone to bed.

I was clearing a path to my closet, when I saw another pile. A pile of books.

Every year for Christmas, my sister and my brother-in-law and my folks get me a few books. Music books. Nick Hornby. Humor. And over the course of the next year, I plow through them.

But since my first child was born, I was getting to fewer and fewer books per year. And when my second kid came, I only read a couple that year. And this year, just one.

There is a pile of books in my closet, a dozen or more, and it feels like I'll never get to them. Finding time for such indulgences is rare. It takes the moving of a mountain just to schedule things so I can go into Boston for the night to see a band I love.

So I was happy to be walking into the Wang with my friend Dave, knowing that for the next 3 hours, no one would need a diaper change, no one would poke me in their sleep. There would be no dishes to wash. No stack of bills saying "Pay me."

The time was mine.

"Who's the opener?" I asked Dave.

"Nick Lowe."

Bonus! I had no idea he was touring with Wilco. I've always been a casual fan and I've never seen him. Frosting on the cake!

He played "Cruel To Be Kind" and covered Elvis Costello's "Alison." And, because he's got a new album, he played a few new songs, including this one, "I Read A Lot."

Here are the first lines:

I read a lot, nowadays
Much more than before you left me high and dry
in a loveless land
with nothing but time on my hands

I listened closely to this song about being out of a relationship, reading, just to pass the time.

And I remembered what life was like a decade ago, when I didn't have a wife or kids or a house or debt. When I could do what I want, when I wanted, at whatever time I wanted, in whatever way I wanted.

I remembered what life was like. It was a bit lonely.

The paychecks will come. The kids will adjust to daycare. The laundry can be picked up. The dust, swept. And someday, in a few years, I might have some time to read those books.

I loved my freedom.

But I love my messy, messy life much more.

Family, love, friendship, responsibility? Versus freedom? It's a trade-up.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Jeff Tweedy "My Humps"

Well, I was a little surprised that I didn't hear anyone shout out this request from the audience when I saw Wilco on Tuesday, but I know people had to be thinking about it.

Have you heard that Jeff Tweedy performed some Black Eyed Peas songs recently? And "Single Ladies."

Pretty F-N hilarious!

Also, check out the last video. I found it on Youtube and by the title information, I thought I had stumbled upon something that would be akin to the scenario in Tuesday's blog entry, where Tweedy berates an audience member.

Instead, he says something pretty beautiful and powerful, about why people should shut the F- up.


Hear Jeff Tweedy read "My Humps" on Youtube.


"I've Got A Feeling" on Youtube.


See "Rock That Body" on Youtube.



Hear him do Beyonce's "Single Ladies" on Youtube.


Tweedy mocks some talking audience members, on Youtube.

Geraldine Fibbers "California Tuffy"

I saw Wilco in concert earlier this week.

It had been 10 years since I'd last seen them live. That was before Nels Cline had joined the band. So seeing him was the part of the show I was most looking forward to.

Cline has done a bunch of things in his career. I mean, you must be a hell of a player, if you're working with Charlie Haden and Sonic Youth and Willie Nelson.

I was reminded that he played in this kick-ass 90s band, The Geraldine Fibbers, who had the minor (but awesome) alterna-hit "California Tuffy."


Hear the song on Youtube.

Wilco "Bob Dylan's 49th Beard"

An interesting artifact from the Newport Folk Festival history books . . .

Do you remember that they tried to jump on the 1990s "Let's put together a Lollapalooza-like tour package!" bandwagon?

In 1998, The Newport Folk Festival Tour made its way across the amphitheaters and sheds of America, featuring Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Alison Krauss, John Hiatt and a cast of rotating acts, all loosely associated with Folk music.

My friends and I made it to a show, somewhere in North Carolina if memory serves me.

It was a great, long day, where I saw great headliners, but also caught some side stage and early-in-the-day lesser-known acts like Mark Eitzel and BeauSoleil.

And Wilco.

Yes, in their pre-"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" days, Wilco was a respected, but ultimately lesser-known band. They were consigned to an early slot on the main stage, during daylight hours before half the crowd had even arrived.

Funny enough, the thing I most remember about seeing Wilco that day was not any particular song. It was Jeff Tweedy, heckling an audience member.

I mean, it's not uncommon for an audience member to shout out crap at the band. But I don't know if I'd ever seen a lead singer, just zone in on an audience member and shred him.

Not that I can blame him.

We were way the hell back on the lawn in the cheap seats.

Between us and the stage was a sea of empty, blue stadium seats, reserved for ticket holders, most of whom hadn't arrived.

And right in front of the stage was a small clutch of fans who'd shelled out the money for good seats, and had arrived early enough to catch Wilco.

Then there was the guys who had gotten their early. Wanted to get in his seat. But apparently wasn't at all interested in Wilco.

Jeff Tweedy was laying into the dude, because while Wilco was playing, the guy who was sitting by himself somewhere in the first 20 rows, was reading the newspaper.

"I wouldn't come to your office and stand there and read the fucking paper while you were trying to tell me something you asshole."

And then, before starting the next song, he added this memorable non-sequitor:

"I don't care you if you do have a beard."

A few years later, Jeff Tweedy wrote a song with the great title "Bob Dylan's 49th Beard," and when I hear it, I wonder if it was inspired by the inattentive asshole who needed to read Dilbert while Wilco was on stage.

Needless to say, I won't be bringing a newspaper tonight, when I go to see Wilco in Boston . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.

Mavis Staples "You Are Not Alone"

I got to indulge myself a bit, during my vacation a few weeks back.

One of the biggest adjustments in my shift from long-time single guy, to father (of two) and husband (of one), has been the recalibration of my entertainment options.

When you blast the stereo at home these days, it really needs to be a consensus artist.

And, between the 4 of us, there are many. We all enjoy listening to The Beatles and the Glee Soundtracks and Michael Franti and Dan Zanes and many others.

Unfortunately, there are many, many artists and albums that I like that aren’t consensus. So many of my punk rock albums and hip hop records and LOUD ROCKING discs don’t get much play on the home stereo.

But for the first few days of vacation, I didn’t have to worry too much about consensus.

My wife had left for Chicago, for the wedding of a friend. And we sent my 3 year old daughter to Gramma’s house, for a few days in that wonderland.

That left me home alone with the boy. And let’s face it, at 6 months old, he wasn’t really going to argue with any of my entertainment choices.

Sunday morning, I put him in his Elmo car---a roll-y walker vehicle---and as I cleaned up the house a bit, I put on “The Last Waltz” DVD and cranked up the sound.

I was in and out of the room, singing along throughout, but when it came to the scene with The Staples Singers, I just stopped, unable to tear myself away.

How many times have I heard “The Weight” in my lifetime? Hundreds?

How surprised was I, to find myself getting goosebumps, as soon as Mavis Staples started her verse?

After all these years, she still has amazing powers.

Vacation week turned out to be a mini-Mavis fest.

Because I didn’t have to get up early, I was able to stay up and watch the late night talk shows. So I caught Mavis and Jeff Tweedy doing “Wrote A Song For Everyone” on David Letterman. And the very next night she was on The Colbert Report, once again moving me, this time with a Tweedy-penned track called “You Are Not Alone."

Good things come in 3s. And it was enough critical mass to make me run to the stacks when I got back to work, and make sure I had a copy of Mavis’ new record, also called “You Are Not Alone.”

Today on mvyradio, we’re giving away copies of her disc, as The Monday Free CD. Tune in to win.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Mavis Staples & Jeff Tweedy - You Are Not Alone
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

Check out the interview with Colbert that preceded the performance. I love her answer to Colbert's question, "Do you sing The Devil's Music?"

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Mavis Staples & Jeff Tweedy
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

Justin Townes Earle “Harlem River Blues”

Justin Townes Earle has every reason to sound he lives downstream.

He has every reason to sound like his Dad, Steve Earle, one of America’s great songwriters. How could he not be influenced by that?

He has every reason to sound like the man he was named for, Townes Van Zandt. His Dad was certainly a fan, and Justin most certainly grew up listening to Townes’ tunes.

But how refreshing that, at least on “Harlem River Blues” he seems to evoke the most upstream influence of both Townes and Steve.

Doesn’t this track sound like a Woody Guthrie song? Or at least an outtake from the Billy Bragg/Wilco “Mermaid Avenue” project?

Alex Chilton “Il Ribelle (The Rebel)"

When an artist dies, it’s pretty easy for music writers/critics/fanboys to slip into hyperbole about that person’s influence.

And maybe you’ve heard that Alex Chilton died this week, and have balked at some of the reverential coverage.

You may have never heard of Alex Chilton, though, at the very least, you recognized his biggest hit, “The Letter” from when he was the 16 year old lead singer of The Box Tops.

But it’s a testament to his enormous influence, to check out the music sampler below, to hear who counted Chilton as an inspiration.

And his obscurity, is probably a testament to his attitude and obstinance. After feeling that he and his music, were poorly handled at the end of the Box Tops and with his next group Big Star, Chilton was willfully rebellious against being boxed in by styles, trends, and simple marketability. “You can’t have me, not for free,” he once sang.

Big Star was set to perform this weekend at South By Southwest, with the 3 original surviving members playing together for the first time in 35 years. No doubt, it would have introduce Chilton to a whole new world of music lovers.

For today, we just have to celebrate is influence.

Check out just a few of Alex Chilton's fans, singing songs he wrote or co-wrote:

(when you get to the "Various Artists" cuts, click through to the album to see the various bands involved)

"You want me to do some audience-pleasing old style rock n roll? Sure, let me sing in Italian."


For better or worse, this is Chilton's most famous songwriting credit: