Wilco

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Wilco offers free song if you promise to vote
By Jeremy Medina
on September 25, 2008 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)


With the Nov. 4 presidential election looming and slowly becoming a reality (after what feels like an eternity of campaigning), Wilco has decided to take it upon itself to rally people to vote.

Through their website, Jeff Tweedy (above) and company are offering a free download of a cover of the 1967 Bob Dylan song "I Shall Be Released," recorded with Fleet Foxes live on tour in Bend, Ore. All one has to do is simply enter a name and e-mail address and click the button "I pledge to vote," and a download link is sent via e-mail.

"Such tumultuous times," the band says on the site. "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 check the 'I pledge to vote in the 2008 Election' button below."

Notice how they never even mention either candidate. How diplomatic of them. Head here to give Wilco your pledge, and here to register to vote.

Wilco offers free song if you promise to vote :: Music News :: Articles :: Paste
 
:heart: Wilco :heart:

I got this email and forgot to download the song. I'll do it during lunch.

Now go look at that video I posted and tell me you love it. :angry:
 
I love Nels's explosive solo at the end of live versions of Muzzle of Bees. I think Hummingbird remains my favorite track from A Ghost Is Born, but this one and Handshake Drugs are close seconds. I've seen that video before, and it's a terrific version.

Wilco will be playing the Bridge School Benefit October 25 and 26 and will be hitting the road opening for Neil Young in late November. They're spending the next month in the studio, though :up:

I'll end with that, instead of gushing more. Suffice to say Wilco is largely to blame for why I'm not around here much anymore :shifty:
 
I heard yet another Wilco song on the radio that I did not hate...





In all reality, I enjoyed the song and listened to hear who it was at the end, when they said it was Wilco, I instantly purged the track title from my mind because of the horror of thinking one day I may have to do the biggest musical 180 of my life
 
greetings all from HQ,

We'll try to be concise here as we've got a lot of news to report. First, some upcoming Wilco appearances:

On the TV this Thursday night (30 Oct. ) Wilco appear on the Colbert Report on Comedy Central @ 1130 edt. Be there or set your DVRs.

In person, this Saturday (1 Nov.) in Madison, Wis. Messrs. Tweedy, Stirratt and Sansone (the Wilco 3?) perform a "Concert for Change" at the Wisconsin Union Theatre (doors 11am/show noon). They'll be ably supported by words of inspiration from Wis. U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold and others.. More info here.

We've just added two headline shows for December on off days on the Neil Young tour. Rochester NY Auditorium Theater (6 Dec., on sale now) and Baltimore MD Lyric Opera House (14 Dec., onsale 31 Oct.). Info here.

There are also assorted solo shows upcoming. Among them: Mikael Jorgensen's Pronto @ Santos Party House New York 7 Nov.; Glenn Kotche w/ eighth blackbird @ Harris Theater Chicago 18 Nov.; Nels Cline Singers @ Cafe Du Nord San Francisco 19 Nov., and Jeff Tweedy @ the Ann Arbor (MI) Folk Festival 30 Jan. 09. Info at the assorted relevant sites.

Other news:

The band are just back from the Bridge School Benefit in SF -- their second time at one of the more beautiful events any of us have ever seen or been a part of. And to top it off, we got to witness the guys finish their set on Sunday with a moving version of "I shall be released" with a guest appearance by Neil and Pegi Young. Amazing stuff.

They've also been working away at The Loft on the as-yet-untitled next studio album. Lots of great stuff tracked already and much more to come. Expect to hear something out there in the world in the first half of '09. More updates on this as things develop.

Speaking of "I Shall be Released", the version recorded this summer with the Fleet Foxes is still available for download at the cost of a mere pledge to vote in the US elections next Tuesday (4 Nov.). We should add that if you are not a US citizen or for other reasons ineligible to vote, we'll settle for a good deed of your choosing (how about, for instance, giving someone who CAN vote a reminder phone call or a ride to the polls?). Click here for the download and more info.

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.

Lastly, we implore you to vote next Tuesday, if not sooner. Many states are still offering early voting. For info on that or about your polling place, etc. go to: W I L C O It's never been more important. Fear and complacency are our silent enemies.

see you out there soon.

Wilco HQ
W I L C O
 
The main page of Wilco's website features this picture today:

WilcobamaOnConan.jpg


Jeff Tweedy was spotted in Grant Park last night, and there's already plenty of rumbling about the possibility of Wilco playing at an inaugural celebration of some sort.
 
Been checking out that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album in recent weeks......maybe it's early days and I need to listen more....but they seem quite average as a band, nothing majorly remarkable, critical acclaim seems attributable to the fact that the frontman sings like an American version of Thom Yorke.....

Radio Cure is a beautiful song, the Heavy Metal Drummer tune is rather nice, Kamera chuggs along nicely and is catchy yet could pass off as a Gin Blossoms song in all fairness, just with a Thom Yorke vocal.....

I'll listen more......
 
In what way is Jeff Tweedy similar to Thom Yorke?

Just something a little whiny and breathy and wimpy about the voice and that's not a criticism, and there's something appealingly raw in the pronounciation of the lyrics, very rustic vocal....
 
I've got a ticket and plans to meet up with friends who are flying in from St. Louis on Friday for the Wilco/Neil Young show in Philly, and because of the goddamned weather I'm most likely not going to be able to go. I'm so upset. I've been looking forward to this trip since August. I'm bummed out about the show, but I'm more upset about not getting to see friends I don't get to see that often.

I saw the band last weekend in Rochester, and it was a fairly standard setlist but one of the best Wilco shows I've ever seen. Plenty of noise, and Nels's solo in Impossible Germany was one of the finest pieces I've ever heard him play.

You know what I've realized about Wilco? People either get them or they don't, and the people who don't are really missing out.
 
You know what really sucks? I've just recently gotten into Neil Young, in a big way. I can't stop playing After The Gold Rush, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, and On The Beach. When tickets went on sale a few months ago, I just wasn't that interested. Fail on my part.
 
You know what I've realized about Wilco? People either get them or they don't, and the people who don't are really missing out.

The live Wilco experience is what it's all about. I love the records but it all sounds exponentially better live. Every member of the band has a powerful onstage presence and it becomes immediately evident that they are all incredible musicians and they work their asses off onstage. They are a joy to watch. The Tweedy-audience banter is a serious plus as well. I like a witty, smarty pants frontman, and Jeff Tweedy is that and more.
 
Wilco 2009 news... live DVD, new record, tour. :drool:

Greetings friends,

As we hope you've noticed, we've been lying low on the emails, trying to avoid being part of the last-minute discount, order-now-before-the-holiday-crush deluge of spam that is presently blowing up your inbox.

That said, we do want to thank all of you out there for making this, yet again, a great year for Wilco. Thanks to you guys for supporting the band & the entire Wilco org. by continuing to turn up in droves at shows and frankly, for buying stuff. Your support makes everything possible.

We've got a lot to look forward to in to '09 -- many cool things on the horizon. First, we (w/ Nonesuch) will be releasing Wilco's first concert film/DVD, and despite the obvious negative connotations associated with that category, we think you'll really like this one. It's called "Ashes of American Flags" and was put together by our friends Brendan Canty and Christoph Green at Trixie Films (Sunken Treasure, Burn to Shine, etc.) Filming took place on the band's February '08 tour and includes material from Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, The Ryman in Nashville, and more. "Ashes of American Flags" should hit store shelves and the internet in February/March '09. Look for clips and other information at Wilcoworld.net beginning in January.

Post-holidays, the band will head back to the loft to resume work on their next studio album which we suspect will see the light of day in Spring '09. Again more details, streams, photos etc. coming to the site soon. So hang in there.

Re: touring: Well, there's not much until Spring. Jeff Tweedy has a handful of solo shows in late January (Kalamazoo, MI; Champaign, IL; Ann Arbor, MI). Ticket information here. Nels Cline also has a run of shows in January, info here. And there'll undoubtedly be other solo-ish events popping up here and there. But Wilco have no shows planned between now and April as they'll be pretty much hunkered down in the studio. We are in the final phases of working out a handful of gigs in southern US (April) and an extensive tour of Spain (May) followed by, most likely, the usual summer hijinks with a new record and gigs everywhere imaginable.

So, without further adieu, happy sledding through the holidays and into the New Year. And remember, when it comes to gift giving, it truly is the thought that counts (spoken like a true last minute shopper....). On that note, we'd be remiss if we didn't add that there's a sale on in the Wilco store and we've extended it through January 15. So feel free to, you know, order something and put a note in the card, saying "coming soon....", or whatever.

thanks again for everything. Here's to you guys. Happy Holidays... with love.

the HQ staff.


W I L C O
 
Wilco just gave us an early Christmas gift. This is all amazing news.
 
Sunken Treasure is marvelous. I can't wait for the film in particular. Especially since they said it will be available for download? Awesome.

And I never expected another album so soon. That's great.
 
It's going to be a busy first quarter of 2009 for the Wilco boys. They'll be in the studio for part of January and part of February. Jeff has a few solo dates in January, along with his annual run of living room shows recently auctioned off at the Second City Letters to Santa event. Glenn is playing some shows with the Bang On A Can All-Stars (I'm catching them in Philadelphia at the end of February) and also has a few solo gigs coming up. Mikael's side project Pronto's first album comes out March 10. Nels's next solo album comes out February 10, and his jazz trio the Nels Cline Singers will be back in the studio to record their fourth album at the end of March.

I was shocked in the best way possible to get the Wilco HQ email the other day. I figured the DVD was just going to be bonus footage or something, not a full-fledged concert DVD. I'm assuming from the title that Ashes of American Flags will be on it, which makes me :drool: I figured late summer or fall at the earliest for the new album, but I guess their recording session in October went really well.

I caught Wilco seven times this year. Here's hoping I can make it to that many shows again next year.
 
This is the best Christmas news ever. DVD plus album, wow. Here's hoping they will come to Europe in 2009.
 
Back
Top Bottom