Superblast!

U.S. Virgin fest is amazing: Dylan, Kanye, Stooges

Baltimore's upcoming Virgin Mobile Festival (8/9-8/10) just got a lot more awesome. The inital announcement included Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Stone Temple Pilots and Kanye West. Yawn. What else you got? How about:

Bob Dylan, Wilco, Iggy & the Stooges, Lil Wayne, Cat Power, Bloc Party, Andrew Bird, Chuck Berry and the Silver Beats, Moby, the reunited Shudder to Think, the Black Keys, the Go! Team, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the Swell Season, Paramore, Underworld, Lupe Fiasco, She & Him, Erol Alkan, Chromeo, Gogol Bordello, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Soulwax, Richie Hawtin, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ferry Corsten and more to come. Again, you get Dylan, Kanye, Chuck muthafuckin' Berry , Iggy, Go! Team AND Lil Wayne all on one (or probably more like 4) stage. Wow. Good job, Virgin!

Clusterfuck alert! This fest is the SAME weekend as the similar, but Radiohead-including All Points West Festival in N.J., which also has a pretty killer lineup.

Lolla lineup revealed? Go! Team! Kanye! Wilco!

Those Lollapalooza lineup rumours are gaining traction. The Chicago Sun-Times (waazzzuuppp, Ebert?!) music guru Jim DeRogatis is saying thus:

Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Raconteurs, Kanye West, Wilco, Go! Team, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Kid Sister, Cool Kids, Office, Battles, Gnarls Barkley, the Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, Bloc Party, Cat Power, Grizzly Bear, G. Love & Special Sauce, Blues Traveler and Mates of State.

Sweet, lotta Chicago dudes there, which is cool, because it's in Chicago August 1-3.

Then again, it could be bullshit -- DeRogatis did "confirm" Led Zep was playing Bonnaroo...

Poster of the Week: Wilco by Ken Taylor

Wilco @ The Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, 3/26/08. Art by Ken Taylor.

Wilco, BSS, more added to SF's Outside Lands fest

Sweet. First, Radiohead, Tom Petty and Jack Johnson, now Wilco, Broken Social Scene, Black Mountain, Cool Kids, Beck, Bon Iver and way more. Yes, these are the bands that will be playing San Fran's big, 3-day music fest Outside Lands on August 22-24. There are a bunch of lame jammy bands too (Ben Harper, Widespread Panic, etc), but you win some, you dance around like an idiot to bongo solos some. Tickets go on sale March 30.

Total lineup:
Radiohead, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jack Johnson, Beck, Wilco, Manu Chao, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Widespread Panic, Primus, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Steve Winwood, Café Tacvba, Broken Social Scene, Regina Spektor, Devendra Banhart, Cold War Kids, Galactic’s Crescent City Soul Krewe, Lyrics Born, Andrew Bird, Steel Pulse, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, M. Ward, Drive-By Truckers, ALO, Matt Nathanson, The Cool Kids, Two Gallants, Dredg, Little Brother, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Donavon Frankenreiter, The Mother Hips, Black Mountain, Sidestepper, Nellie McKay, The Coup, Goapele, Bon Iver, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Sean Hayes, The Felice Brothers, Rupa & the April Fishes, Back Door Slam, K’NAAN

Wilco, Rage at Lollapalooza?

The latest Lollapalooza rumors? Wilco (sweet!) and Rage Against the Machine (yawn. Again? Are these guys ever going to do a non-festival show again?) In theory, they would join alleged headliners Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails. The official line-up  should be revealed next week somtime. The event will be held in Chicago 8/1-8/3.

Listen to Wilco.

On February 27, Wilco and X's John Doe played Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club. And you can listen to it here. Thanks, NPR!

Ellen Page, Wilco on SNL

Know who's hosting the Saturday Night Live this week? Ellen Page. How can that get hotter? What if I told you that the musical guest is gonna be WILCO?! It's true!

That's one of the coolest host/band combos since Jeremy Irons and Fishbone!

Extended Play takes in 5 X Wilco in Chicago

Remember how Wilco did a 5-night stand in Chicago this week, with each night devoted to a different album in their catalog? Don't be bummed you missed it, because Extended Play's Todd Martens was there and his rundown will make you feel like you were there... Well, you're still allowed to be bummed. Here's the final wrap-up.

Check out the sweet poster series up on the eBay.

Wilco taking over Chicago

Wilco is planning on playing their entire catalog live over five nights in their home town of Chicago. Each night will be devoted to one of their albums, and they'll probably throw in some B-sides, covers, what have you. Awesome. They're also on a regular ol' U.S. tour:

1/26 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre (Jeff Tweedy solo)
2/15 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
2/16 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
2/18 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
2/19 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
2/20 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
2/22 - Cleveland, OH - Lakewood Civic Auditorium
2/23 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
2/24 - New Haven, CT - Schubert Theater
3/02 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
3/03 - Mobile, AL - Mobile Civic Center
3/04 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
3/05 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
3/07 - Houston, TX - Verizon Theater
3/08 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
3/09 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
3/18 - Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
3/19 - Brisbane, Australia - The Tivoli
3/20 - Byron Bay, Australia - East Coast Blues Festival
3/22 - Auckland, New Zealand - New Zealand Festival
3/23 - Wellington, New Zealand - Front Room
3/26 - Melbourne, Australia - Palace Theatre

Wilco announces U.S. tour

Ah, spring. Birds are in the air. All the snow is melting. Some kind of sport is starting a new season. And Wilco is on tour. These dates only include part of the U.S., but more dates are sure to come.

2/22 - Cleveland, OH - Lakewood Civic Auditorium
2/23 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
2/24 - New Haven, CT - Schubert Theater
3/02 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
3/03 - Mobile, AL - Mobile Civic Center
3/04 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
3/05 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
3/07 - Houston, TX - Verizon Theater
3/08 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
3/09 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom

Tweedy, Albini, Deals team with Second City

The famed Second City improv troupe continue their awesome holiday tradition by inviting musical luminaries from Chicago and beyond to take part in the sixth annual improv extravaganza "The Second City That Never Sleeps: Letters to Santa." This year's edition will include performances by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, Mekons' Sally Timms and Jon Langford, Will Oldham, Robbie Fulks, legendary producer/Shellac singer Steve Albini and, best of all, The Deal Sisters (as in Kim and Kelly from the Breeders)!!!

They'll be performing music of course, but some may jump in on the clownin'. Jeff Tweedy is one of the funniest live performers I've ever seen. Seriously. Watch his concert film Sunken Treasure for proof. Also, for the past three years, Tweedy has used this event to auction off his talents (musical talents, sicko) for charity. Tweedy went to the winner's house and played an intimate acoustic set. Seriously. Click here for proof. Why do you need all this evidence? Can't you just take me at my word? She was already dead!

Andrew Bird expands N.A. tour

A little Andrew Bird told me that the Chicago violinist has (sort of) announced some (sort of) new dates.

In addition to opening for Wilco and Bright Eyes (as a solo act!), Andrew-san and his killer band (including the GREAT Dosh on the drums) have set a pair of headlining dates in California, and will be playing an end-of-the-year bash in MPLS.

Says his site: "p.s. for you Minneapolitans, we will announce the last show of the year in your fair city shortly."

To recap:

9/25 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House^
9/26 - Montreal, QC - La Tulipe
9/28 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground^
9/29 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar+
9/30 - Richmond, VA - Toad’s Place Richmond+
10/1 - State College, PA - State Theatre+
10/2 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall+
10/6 - Kent, OH - The Mac Center at Kent State University
10/8 - Plymouth, WI - The Bradley Theatre at Lakeland College
10/9 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom (Bird solo)*
10/10 - Minneapolis, MN - Northrup Auditorium*
10/11 - Omaha, NE - Orpheum (Bird solo)*
10/13 - Kansas City, MO - Crossroads (Bird solo)*
10/14 - Iowa City, IA - Main Lounge (Bird solo)*
10/15 - Nelsonville, OH - Stuart’s Opera House
10/16 - Columbus, OH - Wexner Center - Mershon Auditorium (Bird solo)*
10/19 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater - (Bird solo)@
10/20 - Kalamazoo, MI - State Theatre (Bird solo)@
11/29 - Providence, RI - Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
11/30 - New York, NY - The Beacon Theatre
12/7 - Los Angeles, CA - The Orpheum Theatre
12/8 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
^ with Plants & Animals
+ with Howe Gelb
*opening for Wilco
@opening for Bright Eyes

SF Bluegrass fest features Tweedy, Harris, Mekons, Earle

Wilco can put on a damn fine show, but know what? So can their fearless leader Jeff Tweedy, all by his lonesome. He's joining the stellar lineup for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in the San Francisco, october 5 -7.

Also on the bill are Emmylou Harris, Mekons, Charlie Louvin, Jason Isbell (of Drive-by Truckers), Steve Earle, Nick Lowe, Bill Callahan (AKA Smog), John Prine, The Sadies, Earl Scruggs, the Del McCoury Band, Hazel Dickens, Blanche, Heartless Bastards, the Knitters, Los Lobos, Doc Watson, Gillian Welch, T Bone Burnett, and more.

Best of all, this fest-of-all is FREE. Let's bold that: FREE. That is amazing. Throw some Neko Case in there and it'd be perfect.

Review: Wilco @ The Greek Theater

8/29/7, Los Angeles: Chicago rock gods Wilco, led by singer-guitarist Jeff Tweedy, went the mellow route for the most part at the Greek last night.

Touring behind their recent laid-back CD Sky Blue Sky, the band was content to keep it light for much of their set, which suited the tranquil environs of the picturesque venue. The trouble was (as often happens at the Greek) the sound was too low and the crowd (at least in the back of Section B) had trouble getting into the performance.

Lead guitarist Nels Cline goes beyond the usual rock shredding by injecting some experiments from his other life as a jazz-influenced innovator, but his solos were too frequent, even cropping up in older Wilco material like "Too Far Apart" and "A Shot in the Arm." He's an amazing guitarist, but sometimes less is more.

Drummer Glenn Kotche is likewise a bona fide monster on the drums, fattening some of the slower, leaner songs with some unpredictable and exciting fills.

Tweedy's onstage banter was typically hilarious, as the singer even jokingly compared himself to Don Rickles after poking fun at an audience member.

Playing a short-for-Wilco set of only an hour and a half, the sextet managed to cram in quite a few songs from all phases of their 15-year career. The highlight of the performance came at the end, as the band played "Heavy Metal Drummer" and atheir Krautrock-inspired "Spiders (Kidsmoke)", during which Tweedy got just about the entire crowd to clap along.

As always, check out the amazing Wilcobase.com for the setlist.

Poster of the Week: Wilco by Florafauna

Wilco at Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, art by Florafauna.

This show was re-scheduled from 8/14 to 9/4. Don't shoot the messenger.

Odds and sods and news

Skipping the Twin Cities in favor of playing their last two Minnesota shows in Duluth (including the upcoming 9/4 show), Wilco is finally heading back to Minneapolis on October 10. They'll be hitting up Northrop Auditorium with Dr. Dog opening. Sweet.

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Some Bruce Springsteen tour info may have been leaked from the Ticketmaster. More deets here.

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R.E.M. has never released a live album? What's the deal? Well, that's all in the past come October 16 when the Georgia band drops the 22-track CD/DVD chronicling the band's February 27, 2005 performance in Dublin. They played all the hitz, plus some rarities. Sorry, raritiez.

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Ain't it Cool's got a link to Scorsese's Rolling Stones docko Shine a Light. Looks RAD. "You mean like, flames?"

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And here's a cool vid of Lush playing "The Childcatcher" in SF circa 1996. HOT. Thanks to We Miss Miki.

'I'm Not There': Hopefully better than 'Velvet Goldmine'

Can Todd Haynes' "experimental" take on Bob Dylan, "I'm Not There," sound any cooler? Cate Blanchett? Check. David Cross? Check. Just-announced soundtrack featuring Eddie Vedder, Stephen Malkmus, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Jeff Tweedy and John Doe? Ummmm...CHECK.

And, like his "Velvet Goldmine," Haynes' "I'm Not There" will have a "houseband" playing on many of the tracks. The so-called Million Dollar Bashers was assembled by Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo and also features SY's Steve Shelley on drums, Television guitarist Tom Verlaine, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline (all better!), Beck guitarist Smokey Hormel, keyboardist John Medeski (as in "...Martin and Wood") and Dylan bassist Tony Garnier.

Wilco postpone two shows

* Wilco have postponed two shows (Duluth and Winnipeg) due to guitarist Nels Cline's chicken pox. That baby. Hendrix used to play with small pox. It just made him sound better.

For the rest of you Wilco fans, business as usual:

8/17 - Calgary, Alberta - Jubilee Auditorium
8/18 - Edmonton, Alberta - Jubilee Auditorium
8/20 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Malkin Bowl
8/21 - Seattle, WA - Marymoor Park
8/22 - Troutdale, OR - Edgefield
8/24 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
8/26 - Santa Barbara, CA - County Bowl
8/27 - San Diego, CA - SDSU Open Air Theater
8/29 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
9/01 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
9/02 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
9/04 - Duluth, MN - Bayfront Festival Park
9/11 - Madison, WI - Overture Hall
9/12 - Chicago, IL - Pritzker Pavilion
9/13 - Southaven, MS - Snowden Grove Amphitheatre
9/14 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
9/16 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
9/18 - Little Rock, AR - Robinson Auditorium
9/19 - Columbia, MO - 9th Street Summerfest
9/21 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Slugger Field
9/28 - New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Music Experience

*Not from this tour, just a cool-ass poster from their October '05 MPLS shows.