jff

Don't really know her, but I saw that she has The Breeders opening part of her tour. That's pretty badass.

Also, if I recall, a lot of the track lengths are on the long side, so there may not be very much to choose from for singles.

I am too. Hopefully that means the rest of the album is weird as hell.

Sam Evian is one of my favorite current artists. I think his output so far is as good as anyone else currently in the business. Somehow, nobody I know has heard of him, which is a good thing in a way, selfishly. The more important it is to me to see a band, the less I want my friends around talking in my ear during the show. He played a good mix of songs from his newly completed, but not yet released album, and songs from his three previous records. Plus a note perfect cover of Still Crazy After All These Years. I felt generally that they brought some extra heat to their perfo

This is more like it.

I kind of see it like eating at the same restaurant over a long period of time, but in the last few years they've been removing more and more of the things from the menu that I most enjoy. For a while now I've still been returning to the restaurant, albeit not as frequently or as enthusiastically. But now they've announced a revamp of the menu, so hopefully some of the things that I found so stimulating about the restaurant in the first place will return.

Cate Le Bon

This is exciting news. I've been on a three record losing streak with Wilco. Hopefully this new one will be something very different than the last three and my streak will come to an end.

Again, you’ve misrepresented the situation, this time by conflating “pulling the plug” with “offering refunds.” I’m sure you’re correct about them (Dead and Co) having better lawyers, though. That seems plainly apparent, and is frankly the most favorable light in which to view this if you’re looking to excuse Tweedy. The alternative, less favorable view, is that Tweedy does have great lawyers but he chose not to go to bat for his fans.

That's less than half the story, and the irrelevant part, at that. Dead and Company were offering refunds at the end of December (with the full intention of the festival going on for those who chose to attend.) Mayer got Covid on January 5, which forced the cancellation. But that happened a week after refunds were offered. https://variety.com/2021/music/news/dead-company-refunds-festival-mexico-covid-concerns-1235144609/

They could have done exactly what Dead and Company did.

Lawyers break or renegotiate contracts everyday. No contract is ironclad, and if Wilcos lawyer thinks contracts are unbreakable, they need a better lawyer.

Same. I'll come right out and say it...I'm pretty much retired from Wilco over that experience. Tweedy and his lawyer could have gone to bat for his fans in a number of ways and at least tried to find some kind of a solution, but he chose not to.

The Joke Explained?

Did someone really buy that obnoxious cow guitar for $999,999?

This adds little to nothing to the conversation, and is more like an excuse for me to post here for the first time in a long time, but I recently read an interview with Bill Frisell (not a musician one would necessarily associate with the Allmans) and his quote about the Allman Brothers was interesting to me. I love when people are inspired by something and use that inspiration to create something drastically different, as Bill has. https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/it-was-just-so-shocking-bill-frisell-recalls-seeing-jimi-hendrix-perform-in-1968 “By that time, my paren

I've heard virtually nothing released this year. Weird music year for me. For some reason, I just didn't give a crap about the new albums by artists I've been following for a long time. The Wilco, Big Thief, Julian Lage crowd. None of that is connecting with me for whatever reason. Today I listened to Jim Lauderdale - Game Changer. (Very good country music.) Last week I listened to Dolan, Mendel & Wong - Rhythms of the Apocalypse (very good instrumental guitar rock) I guess I've mostly been listening to old music this year.

Hate is such a grossly misused word. Unfortunately, it is as ubiquitous as the Dead, for whom nobody here has expressed hatred.

I think it's plainly obvious that the whole world has gotten carried away with the Grateful Dead thing.

I'm under no illusions that Tweedy will ever hire a producer. Why would he? He's very comfortable, happy, and financially prosperous staying the course he's been on for the past several records. I'm only stating what I would like to see happen, and what I think might be necessary in order for the band to pull my waning interest back from the cliff. I'm certain that is of zero concern to Tweedy, nor should it be. I'll try again when they put out the art-pop record that always seems to be next in line but never materializes. It does seem a bit weird, though, that as

I think that's an accurate description. There's obviously nothing wrong with the Highway 61 style, but even that could be helped along with a good producer. It might be interesting to hear Wilco lean harder into that approach by using someone like Buddy Miller or T-Bone Burnett. I'd also like to hear what they sound like under the production of, say, Nick Lowe. Or Daniel Lanois. Or going in a more baroque direction, Todd Rundgren. It'd be really interesting to see them do a series of singles or EPs, each with a different producer at the helm, and see what comes of it. An expe

I think they do and it would help me like their newer material more. I'd love to hear what they come up if they worked with a strong producer somewhere other than the Loft. The Loft is great and all, but It's good for a band to get out of their comfort zone, especially when the comfort level has reached critical mass, which I think has happened to Wilco.

Even with the five LP Summerteeth box set that I bought last year, after one play through the full set, I'll only end up playing the studio album in the future, and even that might not be worth the trouble of digging through a pile of vinyl and inserts. If I ever want to hear the extras again, I'll stream them. I've been a dedicated vinyl listener since the '80s, but these mega sets, of which I've had many, don't translate to vinyl imo. They're just not a pleasant enough experience compared to listening to a few regular albums. They're like the coffee table book that looks rea

With the vinyl delays causing problems all over the globe, I think we're at a point where no band should be allowed to put out 11 LP sets. At least until the supply issues are worked out. How many bands do you suppose have had their vinyl releases sidelined in part because of these types of vanity projects? YHF deserves to be celebrated, but creating 11 LP sets causes damage the music ecosystem and is a selfish ego stroke. Tweedy should have read the room and scaled it back.

Hope it'll happen. Cruel Country is still averaging out at mediocre to me.