The Inside of Outside

Waaaay better than the version on Don't Tell a Soul, and I am a fan of that record.

That does sound like a fun show! I love it when they pull out a few covers, and the writer is spot on that Kraig is a hidden gem in the band. Many of my favorite GS songs are his.

Aw man, I forgot to come here on Saturday and say I was going to see Iron Maiden.  I'm really not into metal very much, and I don't know much of their music, but that was a raging show.  I love how all the demonic stuff was a bit tongue in cheek.  Metal fans are no joke.  A weird combination of super nerds and scary hoodlums.

I love that about some metal bands, including Iron Maiden. It's all in fun.

Super nerds and scary hoodlums, all with future hearing issues.

^^^ Well, that's awesome news.

Curious as to whether Everyone Hides is going to be the exact same version as on the St. Vincent soundtrack. I would hope they don't simply run back that version but perhaps take a second crack at it with the full band. I really dig that song but am hoping for a reinterpretation. 

Agree - I love the song, and I am hoping for a Wilco version of it.

I'm hoping for some real curveballs on this one.  The band was totally underutilized on Schmilco, and I hope that isn't the case with this one.

 

I've read a number of interviews with the band members in which they talk about the various and wide ranging side projects, and how Jeff encourages it because it makes a richer tapestry when the group gets together.  The implication being that elements of each side project will work their way into what Wilco does, and as a result, Wilco's sonic universe will expand. But I haven't seen much evidence of that.  On the contrary, it sometimes feels like the side projects are a way for the members to get that stuff out of their systems so they can reconvene and back up Jeff on new batches of mostly standard folk/country/pop/rock tunes.  With the exception of the occasional Art of Almost or maybe Impossible Germany or Bull Black Nova, Wilco's sonic universe has contracted with the arrival of the new lineup.  The current lineup is probably the best ever/only one capable of performing the more experimental music in the back catalog, but the records this lineup has made only tap into that kind of experimentalism once (or zero times, in some cases) per album. 

I get what you're saying, especially the underutilized insight. Star Wars is the outlier in the recent Jeff Tweedy-related output; the others are waltz/folk heavy. Schmilco, to me, sounds like it fits more with Sukierae/Warm/Warmer than the rest of the Wilco catalog. I don't think Ode to Joy will be another Schmilco. At least I hope it is not, as I prefer the rock/experimental wanderings that Wilco does so well.

Reflecting back on the week (we were in the Berkshires from Wednesday-Sunday), it was all I had hoped for. Thirteen of us rented a house in Pittsfield, some 35 minutes away from North Adams. Four more in our group stayed elsewhere, but joined us on the field for Friday and Saturday night. A lovely group.

The rains came Wednesday, which interrupted the North Adams Steeplecats baseball game we were watching. Better that than, say Saturday night's Wilco set. We got our fill of summer collegiate baseball on Thursday night anyway, at a Pittsfield Suns game. Hot dogs and burgers at Jack's for Friday lunch, where we took up every seat at the counter for 20 minutes (sorry, other patrons).

I turned from Karaoke skeptic to convert on Friday night, as did most of our party. Best decision we made Saturday was to watch The Minus 5 from the comfort of the shade off to the side - a good 15 degrees cooler than the sunny section of Courtyard D. Stayed up until 3:15 AM on Saturday night, back at the house, yet did not feel any effects on Sunday (ok, I was a little tired). Sunday's Autumn Defense show was a treat, and I was intrigued by Wand earlier in the day. I got to hear the new track on Sunday in the surround-sound room, as well as a remix of Art of Almost, which was pretty cool. It was also a great way to wait out the rain.

All of our group is ready to re-up in 2021. Onward!

I like Nels’ guitar work on the new song, but I’m hoping the rest of the album moves away from the breezy acoustic feel of Schmilco, Warm, and Warmer.

Me too.

I agree with you on Nels' guitar work, but something about the vibe and sound of this tune leads me to think the rest of the record will feel 'bigger' than Schmilco, Warm, Warmer, etc. We may be at a point in Tweedy's career where this breezy, folksy sound is more or less what he is, but something about the arrangement of Love Is Everywhere leads me to think Ode will be a much fuller sounding record. 

I hope so. It is a personal preference - I enjoy the full rock sound of Star Wars over the breezy, waltzy folk of Sukierae/Schmilco/Warm/Warmer.

wow, that Idles/Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever show last night was something else.

 

 

That looks like a blast. I really want to see Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever.

The latest issue of GOLF magazine has a feature article on golfing/vacationing in the Berkshires. Wilco, MASS MoCA, John Stirratt and TOURISTS all get a mention. They have nice things to say about the museum and the new motel.

Photos from this year are now up on the SS website.  There's a nice photo of Vince's signs in action. 

 

 

https://solidsoundfestival.com/

I saw that, too. Loved the signs. I think the band liked them, too.

"Shake it Off" - I want to hear that vamp live because it would kill. Also, I've been shouting it since 2010 and all I get is push back from Jeff. No, Glenn did not put me up to this. 

 

Outside of that, I am requesting "ELT" because that's another song I've been chasing. I always hoped that "Cold Slope/King of You" would be part of the Star Wars rotation but we got "The Joke Explained" instead which, personally, is probably the last song I would have picked from the album. It's been a while since "One Wing" graced the SS stage and that's top Wilco for me so I would be happy to hear it. 

I saw them play "Shake it Off" in Vermont on the Sky Blue Sky tour - it rocked. I would welcome a return of that one.

So, I thought the vast majority of the 10 winners did a great job. I counted two instances of coming in early but that wasn't a huge deal. I thought only one performance from the winners (I won't say who) wasn't strong, it sounded like they were struggling with the key. I had been wondering if they shifted keys on any of the songs, I guess not! But ultimately because at least in the area close to the stage, with the lyrics on screen, everyone was singing along so loud it didn't really matter who was singing on stage. It was a fun supportive night and I had a blast.

Fun fact: it was my first Wilco show since the 2016 Seattle show where someone almost died, this was a much more enjoyable experience!

This was my experience as well. I thought, with the exception of Safety Girl and one other, the karaoke performances were solid. Handshake Drugs was blistering, and Monday, Say You Miss Me, and Poor Places were excellent. I was a skeptic going in, but I had fun. It helped that I love nearly every song they did in the karaoke section (the exception for me is Safety Girl - not a fan of that one). Glad to see the band having a good time with it as well.

i will be there for my 5th SSF.

Mine, too. Looking forward to it.

Staying in a rented house in Pittsfield, 35 minutes away. My daughter and I and a few friends will be there Wednesday. One of my favorite things about SS is getting there a few days early and hanging out in the area. We'll do the Clark Museum one day, and we will see a couple of summer collegiate league baseball games (Pittsfield Suns one night, North Adams Steeplecats another).

By Friday afternoon, we will have 14 of us staying in the house. Good times.

First time through the video tonight. Loving the heavy, crunchy "I'm Always in Love". A standout for sure.

I hope they do not replace them, but rather shift things around so there are not three acts on at the same time that I want to see (Wand, Quindar, and Jonathan Richman).

It is up on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwCluIB_C2c 

Thank you for posting this. I missed it today.

I love Country Disappeared. And love that they pulled it off the shelf last night. I'd love to get that at SS in two weeks.

This main set closing run looks like a winner, too:

Reservations>

Side With The Seeds

Red-Eyed and Blue>

I Got You (At The End of the Century)

The Late Greats

Jayhawks

Jealous.

Daily lineup is available here: https://gallery.mailchimp.com/4a616680c4505859bbc832df7/_compresseds/86009cdb-a8a1-4372-9cd2-0753beb5ca6e.jpg

 

Am I understanding correctly that Buck Meek's only performance is going to be a pop up? That seems sort of unusual.

I wonder if they lined up too many artists. It looks like Sunday is pretty packed. For example, from 2-2:30, three artists are playing at one time - Quindar, Wand, and Jonathan Richman. And I want to see all three. Quindar blew my mind last time, Wand looks/sounds great to me based on the KEXP concert, and I have never seen Jonathan Richman. An embarrassment of riches. I do not remember this overlap on Sunday from past years, though I could be wrong. Buck Meek looks like a casualty of this.

Interesting - no Art of Almost either night.

Got a pair in row R, center orchestra in Boston, night 1. Pretty happy with that. Just under $150 total.

Night 1 looked like a really good set list. Night 2 looks like an incredible set list - maybe the best (non-SS) set list I can remember from the past decade or so. You Are My Face, Muzzle of Bees, I'll Fight, She's A Jar, Hesitating Beauty, Laminated Cat, Reservations, Side with the Seeds, Theologians, and Ashes - top notch. Some fortunate folks in Knoxville tonight.

Loved reading about the a-ha moment of Ultra Orange Room.

The cash machine is blue and green.

Not a fan of the Friday night idea, but I figure it will at least be ok (the band doesn't want it to stink, either), and that it will be closer to 5 songs than 10. I have a sense that the collaborators will not be front and center in every song that they are involved in. And who knows, maybe we will get Courtney Barnett as a collaborator, or other artists.