yankee
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Posts posted by yankee
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A new session at the Old Town School starts soon, so if you're in Chicago and want to learn some Tweedy/Wilco tunes, sign up!
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(G) i feel like a book but i (Gaug) just can't start it
(G6) feel like a lover, (E) broken hearted
(Am) i look in the mirror at the (Am#7) face in the glass
i (Am7) look like a question (D) no one ever asks a-(G)-lone
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You are clearly the King of the Pedal Steel... the "bacon of music that makes everything better." Sounded great.
Ha! Yes, I think one of our ensemble members did get on the mic and describe pedal steel as the bacon of music. Delicious work on the steel indeed!
The ensemble has now learned about half of the new album and we're currently working on some stuff such as Cars Can't Escape, Radio King, and a really rockin' out version of Laminated Cat/Not for the Season. At some point in the next few months we'll probably get out to perform the stuff we've been learning lately. So hopefully some people will join us again for another tribute to Wilco!
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You did a great job organizing this, too. I think this is something we should do every year, not just album release years...
The band had a blast too! we played and sang Wilco tunes with the crowd from 9:30 or so until around 1 a.m. Good times. And nice singing Dude!
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A few revisions to the list . . .
We should be able to play the following:
A Shot in the Arm
Airline to Heaven
Box full of Letters
California Stars
Candyfloss
Casino Queen
Company in My Back
Far far Away
Forget the Flowers
Handshake Drugs
Heavy Metal Drummer
Hoodoo Voodoo
How to Fight Loneliness
I am Trying to Break Your Heart
I Must Be High
I Thought I Held You
I'm Always in Love
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Is That the Thanks I Get
It's Just That Simple
Kamera
Late Greats
Less Than You Think
Monday
Muzzle of Bees
Not for the Season
Outta Mind (outtasite)
Outtasite (outta mind)
Passenger Side
Pick up the Change
Shouldn't Be Ashamed
Sky Blue Sky
Someday Soon
Too Far Apart
Via Chicago
War on War
What Light
What's the World Got in Store
When you Wake Up Feeling Old
Wishful Thinking
And after some discussion and a couple of rehearsals, we added:
Jesus, etc.
You Are My Face
I Got You
Hate It Here
Ashes of American Flags
Theologians
Either Way
Pot Kettle Black
Reservations
Hell Is Chrome
HummingBird
Misunderstood
Say You Miss Me
Sunken Treasure
Kingpin
Someone Else's Song
nothingsevergonnastandinmywayagain
ELT
Special requests might also be considered. But you have to be really nice to the band!
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i have mixed feelings about MJ. for me, he died after the Bad album and some other guy assumed his identity. thriller was the first vinyl i ever owned
Yeah, Thriller was also the first album I ever bought, back in maybe 5th grad. I memorized all the songs and sang them with my cousins and friends. We were totally fascinated by the music, the dancing, the videos, and that charismatic young man.
I guess the thing that strikes me with this news is that in my mind, that person I admired died a long time ago.
I look at the sweet little boy in those early videos, and I feel sad for him.
I see the beautiful young man from the Thriller era, and I wonder what ever happened to him.
But when I see the pale, mutilated, mask-like face -- the one we saw leaving the courthouse -- the face they keep showing on TV along with the news of his death, I don't recognize him. I can only wonder what went wrong, and ask, "Oh Micheal, what happened to you? What have you done?"
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I sang "Poor Places" at the AGIB party. Good times.
Start thinking about what you want to sing this time! The band could probably play any of these . . .
A Shot in the Arm
Airline to Heaven
At my Window Sad and Lonely
Box full of Letters
California Stars
Candyfloss
Casino Queen
Company in My Back
Far far Away
Forget the Flowers
Handshake Drugs
Heavy Metal Drummer
Hoodoo Voodoo
How to Fight Loneliness
I am Trying to Break Your Heart
I Must Be High
I Thought I Held You
I'm Always in Love
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Is That the Thanks I Get
It's Just That Simple
Kamera
Late Greats
Less Than You Think
Monday
Muzzle of Bees
Not for the Season
Outta Mind (outtasite)
Outtasite (outta mind)
Passenger Side
Pick up the Change
Shouldn't Be Ashamed
Sky Blue Sky
Someday Soon
Too Far Apart
Via Chicago
War on War
What Light
What's the World Got in Store
When you Wake Up Feeling Old
Wishful Thinking
Special requests might also be considered. However, if you ask for Spiders, be prepared for it to go on for about 20 minutes. Once we start that one, we can't seem to stop.
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yeah and it's been well documented the type of pain that jay was dealing with.. so im hoping we can all just continue to admire and mourn jay.. and leave it at that.
This whole situation really reminds me of how hard it is for musicians and other artists to get access to affordable health care. I worry a great deal about my musician friends who can't get insurance through an employer and can't afford to buy their own insurance plans. I've seen too many injuries and illnesses go untreated or get ignored until someone ends up at Cook County Hospital in the emergency room.
I also have a close friend who struggles with his pain killer dosage for the pain from coping with stage 4 sarcoma. The cancer is in his muscles, liver, lungs, spine and bones and is breaking his bones. He is in his 20s and did not have health insurance when he was diagnosed. With severe pain, you need to go to the hospital at times to get help managing the proper dosage. Without health insurance, you might be forced to try to cope on your own. My friend is lucky that he has friends who work in the medical field and in social services. They helped him find ways to get access to medical care despite lacking coverage. He was put into clinical trials at a university hospital and gets good care. Accessing that sort of care is more difficult for a heath problem such as an injury or chronic pain.
I guess my point is that this sort of sad situation is all too common due to the lack of access to affordable health care. Artists and young people often have no choice but to go without coverage and the results can be tragic.
Does anyone know of a good charity that helps provide musicians with access to affordable health care? Perhaps a donation to such a fund would be a good way to honor Jay.
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With Wilco's busy schedule and all the time away from home, I'm guessing it's the time commitment rather than cost of travel that keeps these shows in the Chicago area. Jeff can fit them in while Wilco is on a break from touring since Jeff and Sue can just hop in the car and go, then be home later that evening. (Two members of our group were lucky enough to get a ride with Jeff and Sue this year. Pretty hilarious to have Jeff drive you somewhere, eh?)
But who knows . . . Say if you know that Wilco will be touring in your area . . . and they have a little break in their schedule . . . who knows . . . ? You'd have to talk to the Tweedys I guess.
Also, the other tricky thing is that these living room shows have been arranged through a charity auction that takes place in Chicago. A representative of the group had to be present and had to be ready to front the money then and there. That's the other thing you'd have to sort out.
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Only 1 spot left on Tuesday nights if anyone wants to join. The Saturday session has plenty of space but sign up now if you wanna get in on it. If registration is low on Saturday, it might all just get rolled into one Tuesday night session.
http://oldtownschool.org/classes/register/CourseDetail.php?course=3661
In the session that just ended we learned 6 songs off the new album and revisited some of the classics. Good times!
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For the third Wilco album in a row Laurie's Planet of Sound is teaming up with the Hideout to bring you a night of singing along to your favorite Wilco tunes as played by The Late Greats (Wilco Ensemble from the Old Town School of Folk Music)! There should be cool schwag for everyone who gets up on stage and of course the album (in as many formats as they choose to offer it to us) will be on sale at midnight! I for one cannot get the amazing memory of Kris and Lou duetting on "Hotel Arizona" at the Sky Blue Sky Party.
June 29
9pm
The Late Greats are getting ready to rock it out! Start thinking about your song choices for Wilco Karaoke! It's gonna be fun! Oh, and if anyone is interested, I could post our list of the songs we're prepared to play.
(Of course, if anyone has a song they really, really want to sing that's not on the list, we might give it a shot if you're really nice to the band!)
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A new session is about to begin and there are still some spots open! http://www.oldtownschool.org/classes/register/CourseDetail.php?course=3661
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So cool! Congrats to the happy couple.
Clearly I need to join this group...any single dudes left?
Hmmm, actually there are a few single dudes --not sure how many since I don't know the status of the new guys.
Actually, the Old Town School can be quite the dating scene. There really should be a guide: "The Music Lover's Guide to Dating and the Old Town School"
There are so many things to consider if you're hoping to find a special connection with fellow music lover there . . . The table of contents would look something like this . . .
How do I pick the right instrument?
Which musical genre will attract the type of people I'd like to meet?
Which classes foster the best social scenes?
Am I more likely to meet someone in class at 909 Armitage or at the Lincoln Square location?
Which instructors have been the catalysts behind the most love connections?
Should I consider dating one of the instructors?
etc . . . .
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How did it go? I missed the performance because we were getting in a last minute run-through, but I heard there was some excitement...
It was a blast. One member of our group sang "I'm the man who loves you," then dedicated it to his girlfriend, whom me met in class at the Old Town School. He asked her to come on stage . . . and well, long story short, we celebrated the second Wilco ensemble related engagement!
Ah, the magic of making music together!
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What songs are you guys doing? I'll try to make it out
We discussed doing Hoodoo Voodoo and War on War. There were also requests for Company and I'm the Man.
I think we're gonna try to get there by 6:30 to sort out the details and run the songs.
Hope to see you there!
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I agree. I've been taking classes there for the past few years and it really starts to feel like a family.
The performance space is very cool - just saw Loretta Lynn there last week. And I'll be performing there myself on Friday with my go-go class
It's a great place, and we should consider ourselves very lucky to have it in our own backyard.
FYI, the first session of the new Jeff Tweedy ensemble was a blast and we're gonna play a couple of tunes at the Old Town School's First Friday festivities.
Music starts at 7:30 at the Lincoln Ave location of the school.
Rock on.
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MAAAAAN can I not wait to see photos from this. Have a great time all.
Photos from class? From First Friday?
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I don't believe we've met, but Bob was my Guitar 1 Rep teacher. Really nice dude!
Do you think they'll offer Tweedy ensemble again? I'm hesitant to sign up for it since I know I'll only be able to make about half the Saturday classes. Darn June weddings...
I'm thinking there's a good chance that this class will run again. And since there will be a new Wilco album soon . . . that's more material to learn!
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I agree. I've been taking classes there for the past few years and it really starts to feel like a family.
The performance space is very cool - just saw Loretta Lynn there last week. And I'll be performing there myself on Friday with my go-go class
It's a great place, and we should consider ourselves very lucky to have it in our own backyard.
Cool! Hmmmmm, have we met? Do you know any of the usual suspects from the Wilco Ensemble or Bob's other groups (Bowie, Proto Punk)?
And I nearly forgot it's First Friday this week.
I'm really hoping that the Jeff Tweedy ensemble will play a couple of tunes with in the showcase of student groups! We'll only have one class under our belts, but with so many Wilco Ensemble alumni returning, it should be a piece of cake to get a couple tunes ready.
First Friday is a good time!
Do you need a fiddle?Couldn't hurt. (We have one fiddle player, but he also plays guitar and is working on keys.)
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I wish I could be involved in such a fine institution.
Six spots left in the Jeff Tweedy Ensemble for those who do want to be involved. And I suspect some of these will get snapped up between now and the first session this coming Saturday.
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I am soooooo jealous.
Yeah, it's gonna be sooooo fun.
More cities need places like the Old Town School! It's an amazing institution and an amazing community.
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I might drop by tomorrow night and check it out. Thanks for posting!
Cool. I'll probably be playing keys and maybe a little acoustic guitar.
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I can't believe he actually showed/shows up. That's incredibly nice of him.
Yep, on one occasion Jeff has dropped in on one of Bob's classes at the school.
These photos are actually from the most recent living room show with the Wilco ensemble. For the 4th year in a row, a Wilco ensemble member entered and won the letters to santa auction for a living room show with Jeff. The rest of the crew then contributed toward the cause. When Jeff heard that the group who'd won a living room show was the Wilco ensemble, he said he'd heard about us and he actually requested that we jam together in lieu of Jeff playing a solo show. He really seems to enjoy it every year and sticks around for a long time jamming, talking music, joking around, comparing instruments and such.
He now knows quite a few of the group members by name and remembers us from year to year, which is really cool considering how many fans he must meet.
This year he was really funny about thanking us for taking the time to learn his songs. Of course we all immediately thanked him for writing them. A real community has grown up around this music with this group -- there's even been a Wilco ensemble wedding, with the crew playing the reception.
But don't be intimidated by the tight-knit nature of ensemble alumni. New people are welcome. Just be friendly, and keep showing up and you'll become part of the family in no time. Joining the gang for food and/or drink after class is also encouraged!
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I'm having errors on the website - will have to call. I may do this. $20 per session ain't bad.
Yeah, it's quite a good deal really, particularly since classes run around 90 minutes. Also, this group tends to perform at the end of each session or every other session, so there are sometimes additional rehearsals outside normal class time for those who are interested. The Tuesday session is full, but there are currently 7 spots left for the Saturday session.
I suspect that Tuesday night spots were snapped up by the usual suspects the moment the class was announced - the usual suspects being those who've previously been involved in the school's Wilco ensemble. Saturdays are likely to be a mix of Wilco ensemble alums and people who are new to the school/and or "the Wilcult." If you're considering it but still on the fence, here are some shots of the usual suspects jamming with Jeff earlier this spring.
I'm not sure what the mix of instruments will be this session, but of the people I know who have enrolled, we have lots of guitars (acoustic and electric) at least one keyboard player, pedal steel, drums, bass, and a part time guitar/part time fiddle guy.
You should be pretty comfortable with your instrument for this class. You can expect to see lyric sheets with chords and some tabs for guitar licks so you should know your basic chords and have some grasp of bar chords (for guitarists). Of course, Jeff/Nels use some very funky chords, so Bob will explain any that are unusual.
Still on the fence? You could always drop in to observe the Tuesday class before deciding whether to sign up for the session that starts on Saturday. Just let Bob (the instructor) know you're thinking of signing up and wanted to check it out first.
Interested but don't know how to play an instrument? Check out the other classes at the Old Town School. You can learn to play anything from guitar to oud. After guitar 1 you could be strumming away on some of the simpler Wilco tunes like California Stars.
I am so looking forward to starting this session tomorrow night! It's gonna be a blast.
I want to talk to Jeff Tweedy.
in Just A Fan
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1. You and every other Wilco fan with a guitar and the inclination to write a tune. Get in line.
2. There are people on this board who have personal contact with Jeff, but they respect his privacy. They aren't going to give out his contact information to their closest friends, let alone someone they've never met who posts a request online.
3. If you want to get heard, get out there and perform. Work every little venue that will let you play and build a fan base. Make a video and post it on You Tube and hope it goes viral. That's how a lot of musicians get heard these days. And get over the whole, "my stuff is so great someone's going to steal it." It doesn't matter if it's great if no one hears it. Please.
4. Did you get this idea from watching "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" on Disney Channel?