Magnetized

I've been lucky enough to see them live a few times and they definitely put on a good show. They're one of those bands, sort of like Drive By Truckers, where the songs are very different depending on who's taking the lead. David Hidalgo's songs are more ballads, and Cesar Rosas is more rocking Tex-Mex.

You know, I wondered about that. This was a very intimate setting (a tent in someone's back yard, about 75-80 people). In this setting their back and forth banter seemed maybe natural, but I wondered how much of it was canned. So in this case. . . shut up and sing!

Actually, he handed off a lot of those interviews to Spencer, but you're right, how long can you keep finding something fresh and interesting to say?

They blew us away. Real sisters with close harmonies a la Everly Brothers. They're from Muscle Shoals and their first two albums were produced by T-Bone Burnett.

Absolutely. They must be professional and road tested enough to take an occasional show like this in stride, but it's too bad for the band and the audience, especially for people who rarely get to see them.

Secret Sisters at a house concert tonight.

Well, that certainly sounds. . . interesting. Your report sent me off to Google to see if any local media had anything to say yet, and I read some enthusiastic coverage of the lawnmower races happening downtown. Maybe they were just tuckered out after all that excitement.

Sounds like a good one--and you have unbelievably great weather this weekend, Have fun!

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-songwriters There are some interesting and surprising choices here, but also some completely insane omissions. (No Townes Van Zandt??) And even though we could all question some of those included as well as the relative rankings, some of the inclusions are just objectively nuts. Have at it...

Scandalous! Where are the women?

What does that mean?

Thanks, Paul. I noticed you'd filled out the original report with more detail about the sonic experience, so I edited my original post since you addressed that issue. But the further clarification helps. I thought I had noticed Jeff having trouble picking a key for his vocals and sticking with it during Random Name Generator at Outside Lands. You're right, those are some tough songs to sing and play.

Thanks for the setlist and the expanded report. It definitely sounded like a freewheeling show. Company in My Back is always welcome.

Never ever, that I can recall anyway, have they ended a set, even a festival set, with Impossible Germany. Am I wrong? (I probably am.)

Yeah, I don't think I'm sufficiently discerning. Or the fact that 90% of the time I'm listening to music it's through my iPod. But I'm going to give the FLAC converter stuff another try.

I think it's because they're FLAC files, not mp3. No matter how many times I try to convert them into mp3s so I can import them into iTunes, I hit some stumbling block and can't do it. I know tapers often won't convert their FLAC files into mp3 format because you lose some degree of fidelity, but grrr, it's so frustrating.

I agree. While it would be great fun right now to see them playing the whole album through start to finish, I'm betting that will be a pretty temporary thing. I won't be seeing them until the end of September at Pilgrimage, and I'm hoping that by then they'll be blending the new songs in with the classics. Not least because it will be interesting to see how they work them in. Jeff puts a lot of thought into the flow of the setlist, I think.

Yeah, I hardly recognize myself anymore!

Yes, Instigator fits you perfectly, Candi! You inspired me to make a long-overdue change myself. I am now Magnetized. Considering this Wilco obsession seems to be permanent, it seems like a fitting name for me.

I should have posted info about subscribing to Lefsetz above. Here it is. I usually find it a worthwhile read. Although I don't always agree with him, he's prolific and knowledgeable and, obviously, very opinionated. Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

In a post about how musicians make a living these days, Lefsetz had this to say: 5. Hits don't guarantee live business. Iggy Azalea can barely sell a ticket and Wilco hasn't ever had a hit but performs to thousands a night. Who do you want to be? Of course you want to be Wilco, believe me. Here's the whole post: New Rules 1. You're a musician, not a recording artist. It's 2015 and not only have recording revenues declined, the whole world of music has gone topsy-turvy. Yes, there are a few superstars who base their careers on successful recordings, but everybody else is now a playe

I always download these things to my computer, then import them into iTunes and sync up with my iPod. I'm sure there are other ways to do it but maybe you can try downloading to your computer rather than a phone or iPad.

Alone in the Zone, thank you for this. I'm enjoying the trip with you guys!

I completely agree. And it's not only music that he can speak impressively about. Back in May, I drove almost 4 hours to Durham, NC, to hear him talk about American Movie, and it was better than I dared hope. He's just a smart, funny, thoughtful conversationalist.

I tend to buy CDs rather than mp3 downloads if the price difference isn't more than a couple of dollars. Why? I like to have the booklet, I like to be able to share the music easily with someone else, and I guess I like having the physical copy. Nine times out of ten, though, I add the music to my iTunes and put the CD in a stack, never to be looked at again.