Photographer Zoran Orlic Captures the Beauty of Mavis Staples, Nick Lowe, and Wilco Rehearsing "The Weight"

"The Weight" by The Band is one of those songs that's been around so long that it's taken for granted. There is the recorded version on Music From Big Pink, and everyone and his mom has recorded it. But everyone in the music-sphere has been aflutter about it all over again today, thanks to a rehearsal video shot by Illinois photographer/videographer Zoran Orlic.

Rehearsing prior to a Wilco and Nick Lowe show last month at the Civic Opera House in Chicago, the video, that includes Wilco, Lowe, and recent Wilco-collaborator, Mavis Staples, who also appeared on the original track with The Band and her family band, The Staples Singers, seems rather spur of the moment. Given the cramped room everyone was in, and the working-up of parts as they sang, how did this piece of beauty really get caught on film exactly? I was curious, I know others were curious, so I said, "What the hell," and contacted Orlic to ask.

It turns out that it was, in fact, a fluke. Orlic, who has been a "fly on the wall guy in the studio" and such with Wilco for many years now, says he saw Staples there that night, one of the five nights the band was performing at the Civic, and decided he'd hang out to see what might happen. "I saw Jeff [Tweedy] take everyone to the rehearsal room. They were trying to find Nick and I was 50 feet away when they began singing." When Lowe came in, Orlic said he started filming, using a small mic and the video feature on his Canon 5D/Mark2 DLSR camera and "praying the audio was ok because there had been no time to check anything."

Everyone involved clearly recognized how special the moment was. "My heart was pounding throughout," says Orlic, hoping he was able to capture it all, and the smiles on Lowe and the Wilco members are broad throughout. Orlic said he showed the video to another music industry person last week and the man's reply summed it up best: "Look at Wilco, it's like they've been reduced to children." For a band like Wilco, one who has played with a ton of greats in its career, to have such a response proves how witnessing musical feats of beauty like this can make you love music all the more. I know the hairs raised on the back of my neck when Nick Lowe came in the song, and in the words of a friend, "I'm having some very crazy days at work right now, and those 4 minutes and 58 seconds I just spent watching recharged me for the next crisis."

Jeff Tweedy and His Supplemental Hair Provide the Weather for Chicago Today

No we're really not joking, and yes, like you, we wondered whether Bizarro World had finally come to pass.

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco got his meteorological feet wet this morning at WGN, a Chicago-based news station, and delivered the 7-day forecast for the Windy City. "This is how it looks...You can read...I hope," to the laughter throughout the studio. We wouldn't count on Tweedy, "the hairy guy from Wilco," giving up his guitar for a green screen and weather patterns just yet.

You can see the clip here.

News: Wilco Splitting from Nonesuch, Possibly Forming Label

Doh! Rolling Stone reported today that Wilco has split from its current label, Nonesuch.

A new Wilco record is expected in early 2011. "It has not yet been determined who will release the next Wilco record, but forming their own label and releasing future albums through it is definitely a potential scenario," said a rep.

Wilco Split From Nonesuch, Consider Forming Label
Jeff Tweedy and Co. weigh self-releasing eighth disc, due in early 2011
By Daniel Kreps

Wilco have become the latest band to ditch a major label to explore their own independent options: A rep for Jeff Tweedy and Co. has confirmed to Rolling Stone that "Wilco's deal is indeed up with Nonesuch Records," a Warner Music Group subsidiary that was the band's label home for nearly a decade. News of Wilco's departure from Nonesuch was first revealed in an Express Night Out interview with guitarist Nils Cline. "Jeff [Tweedy] was basically not wanting to be on a record label for a while — he didn't renew his contract with Nonesuch — so we're striking out on our own, our own label," Cline said. While Cline added that Wilco might first release a "souvenir" 7" single through their nascent label to coincide with the Wilco-curated Solid Sound Festival, a rep tells RS, "It has not yet been determined who will release the next Wilco record, but forming their own label and releasing future albums through it is definitely a potential scenario."

Wilco will start work on the follow-up to 2009's Wilco (The Album) later this month before pausing for the Solid Sound Fest (August 13-15th in North Adams, Massachusetts) and other U.S. and European touring obligations. They'll hit the studio in the fall to finish work on their eighth album, which the band's rep says should be released in the first half of 2011. "The process of making the next Wilco record is going to be long in terms of the writing and arranging and demoing phase," Cline told Express Night Out. "I think we'd love to make a really uptempo alienating record — I think everyone agrees that would be enjoyable — but the natural course of music-making kind of precludes that."

Nonesuch Records had been Wilco's home since the release of 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. As depicted in the behind-the-recording documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Nonesuch swooped in to release Foxtrot after Wilco and their then-label Reprise Records (another Warner label) disagreed over the commercial viability of the now-landmark album; Reprise ultimately rejected Foxtrot and bought Wilco out of their contract. Nonesuch also released A Ghost Is Born, Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album).

Should Wilco opt to independently release their next album, they'll join an ever-growing list of marquee artists — including Jack White (Third Man Records), Pearl Jam (Monkeywrench), Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead — who have abandoned the struggling major-label system in the last few years.

Wilco Will Love You & Haiti, Baby: Wilco Giving Away Concert MP3s for Haiti Donation

Entertainment Weekly of all things reported yesterday that Wilco is giving away recordings of two shows from last year. One of the two includes last year's show in Coney Island, NYC, which had guest appearances Feist, Yo La Tengo, and Ed Droste from Grizzly Bear. The other is from last November in London.

The show downloads are free but the band is requesting that fans make a donation for Haitain relief efforts to Oxfam (here) or Doctors Without Borders (here). "In exchange for the free music, we ask that you make a minimum donation of $15 to one of the organizations listed if you are able." Considering how completely mind-blowing the Coney Island show was said to be, $15 is well worth it for that show alone. So please donate what you can.

Wilco Shows for Haiti Donations

Wilco: Keyspan Park, Brooklyn, NY (07-13-09)

-Donate to Oxfam here
-Donate to Doctors Without Borders here

Wilco: HMV Forum, London, UK (11-04-09)

Pre-Sales Galore Tomorrow! Wilco Announces "An Evening with Wilco" Global Tour Dates this Spring, Pre-Sale Tomorrow (1/6)

Wow, everyone's announcing tours with pre-sales tomorrow, and "full album" shows today! First Nada Surf, now Wilco just announced they'll be moving about the globe this March, April, and May. Like Nada Surf, pre-sales for these Wilco shows will be tomorrow (1/6) at 10 am (EST) via WilcoWorld. (editor grumble grumble "pre-sales this soon after Christmas, what's up with that?")

"An Evening with Wilco," as the shows are being called, will "feature extended, varied sets exploring material from each of the accomplished Chicago sextet's seven studio albums."

You think Bruce Springsteen knew he was going to start such a great trend?

Wilco - Spring 2010 Tour Dates (United States and Canada
Feb 7 - Adams Center, Missoula, MT *
Feb 9 - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR *
Feb 10 - Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA *
Feb 13 - Live City @ David Lam Park, Vancouver, BC, Canada *
Feb 15 - Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton, AB, Canada (free part of the 2010 Winter Games) *
Feb 16 - Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, AB, Canada *
Feb 17 - TCU Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada *
Feb 19 - DECC Auditorium, Duluth, MN *
Feb 20 - Overture Hall - Overture Center, Madison, WI *
Feb 21 - Cobb Great Hall - Wharton Center, East Lansing, MI *
Feb 23 - Hamilton Place Theatre, Hamilton, ON, Canada *
Feb 24 - Centennial Hall, London, ON, Canada *
Feb 26 - Imperial de Quebec, Quebec City, CA
Feb 27 - Olympia de Montreal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Mar 1 - National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Mar 2 - Forum Multipurpose Room, Halifax, NS, Canada
Mar 3 - Halifax Forum, Halifax, CA
Mar 22 - The Fillmore - Miami Beach, Miami Beach, FL
Mar 23 - Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL
Mar 25 -Johnny Mercer Theatre, Savannah, GA
Mar 26 - Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
Mar 27 - Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham, NC
Mar-29 - The National, Richmond, VA
Mar-30 - The Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD
Mar-31 - Scranton Cultural Center, Scranton, PA
Apr-02 - The Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
Apr-03 - The Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
Apr-04 - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI
Apr-06 - Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA
Apr-07 - Capitol Center, Concord, NH
Apr-09 - Bushnell Memorial Hall: Mortenson Hall, Hartford, CT
Apr-10 - Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
Apr-11 - Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, PA

Wilco - Spring 2010 Tour Dates (Asia, Australia, and Europe)
Apr-22 - Big Cat, Osaka, JP
Apr-23 - Zepp Tokyo, Tokyo, JP
Apr-27 - Civic Theatre, Auckland, NZ
Apr-28 - Wellington Town Hall, Wellington, NZ
Apr-30 - The Tivoli, Brisbane, AU
May 1 - State Theatre, Sydney, Sydney, Australia
May-02 - Factory Theatre, Marrickville, AU
May-05 - Forum, Melbourne, AU
May-06 - Forum, Melbourne, AU
May-28 - Primavera Sound - Parc Del Forum, Barcelona, ES
Sep-12 - End of the Road Festival, Dorset, UK
* w/ Califone

Get Your Rock On This Afternoon with Wilco

Wilco will be rocking a bunch of Amsterdamnians in person, but if you'd like to be virtually rocked at the same time, the band's webcast from the Paradiso in Amsterdam starts today at 2:45 p.m. EST (1:45 CST and 11:45 PST_).

Coney Island Becomes Music Lover's Dream with Wilco Show

It's official, I have GOT to get myself up to NYC sooner than later. Reports came in that last night's Wilco show at Coney Island in Brooklyn included guest appearances by Feist, Yo La Tengo, and Ed Droste from Grizzly Bear. It made even my most esteemed rock snob friends melt...and they're not even indie-hipsters! (Best quote: "Ed D. from Grizzly Bear and Yo La Tengo guest with Wilco in Brooklyn. Indie-hipsters question the point of even going on living...".)

Give a Listen: You and I-Wilco (with Feist)

Okkervil River to do Six Dates with Wilco and Austin City Limits Performance

While I've heard of Okkervil River, I can't say I've heard them much. I'd heard comparisons of them to Conner Oberst and as Oberst is like nails on a chalkboard to me, I wasn't going to willingly subject my tender eardrums to that.

But in the midst of doing some research on the Wrens for our interview this weekend, I'm kicking myself for not doing my own due diligence. (For those that don't know, Wrens guitarist/singer Charles Bissel has a few ties to Will Sheff and company. And yes I plan to ask Bissel about it all.) I love any band that can effectively tie two great tastes together, and in OR's case, it's a dynamic combination of punk and folk. How they meld each of these styles both collectively and individually throughout a single record is really something. Lead singer Will Sheff's voice is one that, depending on the song, can cut right to the center of your core (in a good way not in a whiny Oberst way).

Recently back from the land down under, the River's lovely and passionate sounds will be wafting through the ears of western US and Canada this summer. Tour includes six dates with Wilco.

June 14: Bonnaroo- The Other Tent, Manchester, TN
June 25: Wiltern Theatre w/ Wilco, Los Angeles, CA
June 26: The Mountain Winery w/ Wilco, Saratoga, CA
June 27: Greek Theatre w/ Wilco, Berkeley, CA
June 28: Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena w/Wilco, Stateline, NV
June 30: Britt Pavilion w/ Wilco, Jacksonville, OR
July 03: Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ Wilco, Morrison, CO
July 10: Ottawa Bluesfest, Ottawa, ON
July 11: Winnipeg Folk Festival, Winnipeg, MB

They'll also be recording an Austin City Limits performance on June 18.

Give a Listen: For Real-Okkervil River

In Homage...

One of my favorite songs from the Jay Bennett era with Wilco...
Jay Bennett Dies at Age 45



(Thanks)

Jay Bennett Dies at Age 45

Oh man, 45?? That's just too young....so sad. And such a loss of talent.

We are profoundly saddened to report that our friend died in his sleep last night. Jay was a beautiful human being who will be missed. (Source)

The LA Times chimes in here.

A couple weeks back, Bennett announced a lawsuit against Jeff Tweedy for royalties when Bennett was with Wilco. Bennett's Wikipedia page said this came out after he publicly announced "that he needed hip replacement surgery which he could not afford due to lack of health insurance." Hip replacement at 45, wtf?

Bennett's first solo record after Wilco, The Palace At 4am (Part I) is lovely and definitely worth a listen.

Give a Listen: My Darling (live, Cincinnati, OH, 11.5.99)-Wilco

News: Jay Bennett Suing Jeff Tweedy for Royalty Payments

From today's Chicago Sun-Times.

Wilco Lead Singer Sued by Former Band Member
They famously parted ways eight years ago, and now it appears that multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy may be headed for a courtroom showdown.

Bennett filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit Thursday against his former Wilco bandmate, saying he’s owed “artist royalty payments” and proceeds from a documentary about the band. Bennett left the band in 2001, and the parting was described in the vague terms of “creative differences.”

Those differences were captured in the 2002 documentary “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” which shows an argument between the two as they’re producing the album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” that sends Tweedy to the bathroom to vomit.

Bennett, who was with the band from 1994 to 2001, claims that while he had a significant role in the film, Tweedy “never obtained the necessary releases for the use of Bennett’s performance” and that he has not been compensated for that appearance.

Tweedy could not be reached for comment. But one line that suggests this is more bitter divorce than breach of contract: “Defendant [Tweedy] has repeatedly refused to compensate Bennett for Bennett’s membership in and contributions to Wilco despite Bennett’s numerous and repeated requests.” (Source)

Wilco doing new song, "Wilco," on Colbert Report

In Wilco News...

Just in time for the election, Wilco is appearing on the Colbert Report tonight...should be good.

In other related news, they sent this in a news blurb today. As it would appear they would benefit monetarily from the release, gotta give Tweedy and co. props for this bit of fan consideration.

Also, we have a CONSUMER ALERT. Without consulting us, the DVD company (not WB/Nonesuch) that released "I am trying to break your heart" is about to issue a Blu-Ray Edition which, no surprise, costs considerably more (nearly 2x) than the standard DVD. We're unsure as to the rationale for the release, given that the film was shot in beautiful grainy B&W and has a stereo-only audio track... there is, in our opinion, not much to be gained by spending the extra cash. It's your money... and in this case you should probably hang onto it.

News also mentioned that new material from the band should be out in early '09.

Go see Matt over at You Ain't Picasso for two new songs that Wilco debuted at the recent Bridge Benefit.

Free Wilco/Fleet Foxes Covering Dylan if You Promise to Vote

Everyone's in the spirit of giveaways this week it seems. If you pledge to vote in November's presidential election, Wilco will send you a free download, er, "audio postcard," of them performing Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" with the Fleet Foxes from a Bend, OR show in August. Not a bad deal for doing something you already plan to do right?

Such tumultuous times. And in the spirit of giveaways that seem to be sweeping the nation, we've got something free for you. No it's not a pile of cash (sorry) but rather an audio postcard of sorts from a summer's night in Oregon with our friends the Fleet Foxes & a lovely Bob Dylan tune. All we ask is you go to http://wilcoworld.net/vote/ and click the "I pledge to vote in the 2008 Election" button. If you can spare it, we also encourage you to consider a donation to Feeding America http://www.feedingamerica.org/ . Happy listening (and please feel free to pass this email along to friends, family members, etc.).

The Old 97s were supposed to do Mermaid Avenue with Billy Bragg??

My dear friend and SXSW travel partner John sent this to me today. John and I don't 100% agree in all of our musical choices. But he too loves the Old 97s as much as I (well ok, probably not as much as I'm rather certain that I am alone in my naughty Rhett fantasies), but he's stoically endured the "whither I'm a flower" mess I become in Rhett's presence more than once hence....a true blue friend. AND he sends me things like the video you see below.

For the life of me, I can't determine if Rhett's saying the Old 97s were supposed to tour with Billy Bragg in place of Wilco for the Mermaid Avenue tour, or they were supposed to record with Billy Bragg for Mermaid Avenue II...but still, it's rather neat to know they were supposed to be part of it. (If you don't know the backstory there, Billy Bragg and Wilco were supposed to tour behind the first Mermaid Avenue record (I think it was the first one), but they started to squabble and Wilco wound up turning the whole thing down. But then they did another Mermaid Avenue record, so you can see my confusion regarding Rhett's statement here at the beginning of the video).

ANYWAY, here's Stewart Ransom Miller doing an acoustic version of Wilco and Billy's Bragg's "California Stars."

We were too far apart...

Now, I love Wilco but have yet to see them live. In fact, it's almost a conspiracy theory....I've tried to see Wilco like 987876765 times and every time, something comes up....I either can't score tickets (something I'm typically pretty good at), or my system completely screws up while I'm trying to get tickets, or, as was the case when I had tickets to see Tweedy solo in upstate NY, my flight was cancelled about 2 minutes before boarding was to begin. It's become a running joke that the heavens have conspired against me ever seeing them.

I thought the same was true this time round when a meeting was suddenly scheduled at the same time the onsale for the 930 show was to start but then a friend hooked me up and got me one. Now of course, the running joke is "well she has to make it into the building..."

Anyway, the great blog Muzzle of Bees posted this commentary of the Chicago Riveria show including a great live version of "Too Far Apart". Check it out....