Jeff Tweedy, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound among acts to play Second City fundraiser

Posted by Frank

Jeff Tweedy

Second City is gearing up for this year's 24-hour "Letters to Santa" fundraiser kicking off on Tuesday, December 14 at 7 p.m., and has revealed a very solid initial music lineup for the event. So far, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, Steve Albini, Robbie Fulks, The Blisters, Bill Callahan and Danielson Famile are scheduled to perform. In addition to the musical appearances, both current Second City cast members and alumni will provide comedy throughout the benefit.

Proceeds will go toward helping local families in need. Tickets cost $15 dollars and will only be available at Second City (1608 N Wells St) starting at 6 p.m. on December 14. Letters to Santa is an all-ages event.

Video: Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy on Letterman

Posted by Frank

Tuesday night, Windy City gospel/soul legend Mavis Staples and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and as you might expect, delivered a superb performance. Whether you've been long aware of the singer's greatness or are a more recent convert (her outstanding Lollapalooza set made me see the light), you can't deny the power of her voice and presence. The two performed their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Wrote a Song for Everyone," a track from Staples' excellent new LP, You Are Not Alone. Check it out below.

Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples share thoughts on collaboration

Photo: Spencer Tweedy (spencertweedy.com)

Recently, Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy and iconic gospel singer Mavis Staples joined in Wilco's Chicago studio, The Loft, to collaborate on Staples' upcoming album, You Are Not Alone (out September 14). Not only is the record produced by Tweedy, it also features two songs that he penned - the title track and "Only the Lord Knows." Now, the two are sharing their thoughts on the songs and their experiences working together.

"I have almost everything she's ever recorded, and I dug back through very thoroughly when I was given this job to do," Tweedy said in a press release. "I thought that if I refreshed myself about where she's been, it would help her figure out where she wanted to go. I wanted to be sure that we were making a record that she really wanted to make."

Of her time working with Tweedy, Staples said, "He would listen to my conversations, my words, and then feed off that...The songs he wrote take me places I wouldn't normally go. I wasn't used to singing this way, but it felt really good."

The release also provides a bit of detail on both Tweedy-penned songs. It explains how Staples was so touched by the emotional title track that she shed tears while singing it, thinking of her father. The singer describes the other track, "Only the Lord Knows," as politically-themed.

"You talk to this one, listen to that one, pick up the paper, but you can't get any answers. The White House, the church - I can't get any straight answers to the things I want to know," she said. "So for now, we're on our own, and we have to go to the Lord. He's the only one who knows."

For more details on the album, check out this post from our friends at loudlooppress.com.

Staples is set to perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park on Friday, August 6.

Wilco - 'Wilco (The Album)'

The fact that Chicago rock veterans Wilco named their seventh studio record simply Wilco (The Album) is telling. While previous releases - such as 2004’s A Ghost Is Born, 2002’s widely- renowned Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and 1999’s Summerteeth – established singer/guitarist Jeff Tweedy and company as architects of a constantly evolving, unpredictable sound, the new album plays out more like a Wilco sampler, oscillating between the group’s straightforward and experimental sides. Rarely does a band as established and respected offer up a record that feels more like a summary than an expansion of their vision, but that’s just what Wilco (The Album) delivers. The result is a generally worthwhile collection of material that sometimes sounds worthy of the band’s legacy, but other times comes and goes without leaving much of an impact.

The Wilco that kicks off the album with “Wilco (The Song)” is the band at their most accessible, tongue-in-cheek and lighthearted. Tweedy sings, "Do you dabble in depression?/Is someone twisting a knife in your back?/Are you being attacked?/Oh this is a fact that you need to know/ Wilco will love you, baby" over a chugging, infectious beat, sounding radio-ready and wrapping up neatly in three minutes. “Deeper Down” showcases the band’s penchant for gentle, 60s-inspired psychedelia and “One Wing” references the pleasing, polished folk rock of 2007’s Sky Blue Sky. Anyone longing for the experimental Wilco by this point should find satisfaction in the next track, the noir, murder-themed “Bull Black Nova.” The remainder of the album features a similarly diverse pattern, albeit focusing on straightforward alt-country/folk rock a bit more than usual.

First single “You Never Know,” which sounds like a tribute to George Harrison (“My Sweet Lord,” in particular), delivers another dose of upbeat, straightforward folk rock. The song has been criticized by some as derivative and uninventive, but what it lacks in originality it makes up for in its instant melodic appeal; it boasts quite possibly the most instant hook in the band’s catalog. Other standouts include “Country Disappeared” and “Solitaire,” which are pretty, plaintive numbers that achieve a solid balance between accessible and adventurous.

The weaker moments on the album aren’t weak because they’re bad, but because they verge on inconsequential. “You and I,” a sweet duet with Feist, is appealing, but it’s hard to keep from thinking it could have amounted to something much greater. Similarly, album closers “Sonny Feeling” and “Everlasting Everything” are simply very pleasant tunes that never manage to transition from good to great.

In the end, Wilco (The Album) proves to be an overall strong – if not groundbreaking - collection of songs. It probably won’t go down among most fans as an album as essential or classic as Foxtrot or Summerteeth, but it offers enough great moments to make it a welcome addition to the band’s catalog.

R.I.P. Jay Bennett

Multi-instrumentalist and former Wilco member Jay Bennett died in his sleep the morning of Sunday, May 24. He was 45 years old.

Bennett, who was part of the band from 1994 to 2001, had currently been running a recording studio in Urbana, IL.

In a late April blog post on his MySpace page, he expressed trepidation over imminent hip surgery and a lack of health insurance, but remained positive about the future:

I will continue to stay as active as I possibly can, making music, and staying in touch with all of you (my friends), as the surgery approaches, and later, whilst I am recovering. With any luck, by mid-summer, I should be a new man (albeit bionic---“we can rebuild him”). This whole experience has really taught me to look both inward and outward for support, and I’ve learned things about myself that I thought I had completely figured out years ago. Family and friends have helped me to keep faith in a future that will actually be much more carefree than my constricted present state. I encourage you all to tell me stories of recovery, as they really do help…if you don’t mind. All in all, I’m “in a really good place” right now; I’m just waiting until I can make it all happen.

Bennett filed a lawsuit against Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy earlier this month over royalties from work released with his contributions and from the group's 2002 documentary, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart." Portions of the documentary detail the strained relationship between Bennett and Tweedy, which ultimately resulted in Bennett's departure from the band.

Tweedy said in a statement today that he was "deeply saddened" by Bennett's death, describing him as a " truly unique and gifted human being and one who made welcome and significant contributions to the band's songs and evolution."

For more information, see reports from the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Wilco set to release DVD, new record in 2009

In 2009, Wilco will build on their reign as one of Chicago's most high profile and widely-respected bands with their first DVD release and a brand new LP.

The DVD, dubbed "Ashes of American Flags" (the title of one of the tracks from the band's 2002 album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"), is scheduled to hit in either February or March, and will be Wilco's first live concert DVD. It was put together by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green of Trixie Films, and will include footage from the band's winter 2008 tour.

If that's not enough to excite fans, the band has announced that they will spend the early part of 2009 completing their next studio album, which will follow up 2007's "Sky Blue Sky." According to a recent Billboard article, the album is expected to stray from the performance-oriented vibe of the last record, instead allowing "a little bit more leeway in terms of sculpting the sound in the studio and doing overdubs and using the studio as another instrument." The record is scheduled for a spring release, after which the band will resume touring.

Until then, front man Jeff Tweedy is scheduled to perform solo gigs in Champaign, IL, Kalamazoo, MI and Ann Arbor, MI. Click here for more information.

Wilco set to release DVD, new record in 2009

In 2009, Wilco will build on their reign as one of Chicago's most high profile and widely-respected bands with their first DVD release and a brand new LP.

The DVD, dubbed "Ashes of American Flags" (the title of one of the tracks from the band's 2002 album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"), is scheduled to hit in either February or March, and will be Wilco's first live concert DVD. It was put together by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green of Trixie Films, and will include footage from the band's winter 2008 tour.

If that's not enough to excite fans, the band has announced that they will spend the early part of 2009 completing their next studio album, which will follow up 2007's "Sky Blue Sky." According to a recent Billboard article, the album is expected to stray from the performance-oriented vibe of the last record, instead allowing "a little bit more leeway in terms of sculpting the sound in the studio and doing overdubs and using the studio as another instrument." The record is scheduled for a spring release, after which the band will resume touring.

Until then, front man Jeff Tweedy is scheduled to perform solo gigs in Champaign, IL, Kalamazoo, MI and Ann Arbor, MI. Click here for more information.