Basil II Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Arlo's a nice guy.....with a good talent for song. but he leans towards Goodman and Prine style of writing I'm glad he did not have the opportunity........he's too close from the source. -Robert Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Arlo's a nice guy.....with a good talent for song. but he leans towards Goodman and Prine style of writing I'm glad he did not have the opportunity........he's too close from the source. -Robert That's a good point. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 so will this be the 3rd Gob Iron installation? I know there was gonna be a second that hasn't come out yet. Farrar is a busy man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KramkonG Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Jay Farrar was allegedly contacted by Nora Guthrie to take the Mermaid Avenue reigns. CHECK IT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Jay Farrar was allegedly contacted by Nora Guthrie to take the Mermaid Avenue reigns. CHECK IT I think this is exactly what Jay Farrar needs. I mean having a stack of coherent lyrics for him to tackle instead of his own. However people will forever compare his Mermaid Ave with the two Wilco installments. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Some discussion of this over in Someone Else's Song a while back: http://forums.viachicago.org/topic/24695-mermaid-ave-iii-sorta/ As you say, I guess Greg Graffin must have passed on the whole thing. But it looks like Jay Farrar, Jim James, Anders Parker and Will Johnson didn't. Think this is from a Will John/centro mail list, but don't have a link: 'Will Johnson is the Swiss Army knife of indie rock. During rare downtimebetween his bands Centro-matic and South San Gabriel, the prolific localsongwriter is taking a backseat to the Monsters of Folk Bright Eyes' ConorOberst and Mike Mogis, M. Ward, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket on anational and European tour, following the release of the quartet's eponymousdebut Tuesday. "I play [drums] as much as I'm allowed on recordings, butit's been a little while since I've played live," says Johnson, who lastgigged behind the kit with Jandek in July 2007. His return coincides withthe November release of Jason Molina & Will Johnson (Secretly Canadian), hisdebut collaboration with the Magnolia Electric Co. frontman, which Johnsondescribes as "a pretty subdued listen." Here's the real bombshell, though.Alongside Jim James and Anders Parker, Johnson is also taking part in JayFarrar's version of Mermaid Avenue, recording original music based onunpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics at the behest of his daughter, NoraGuthrie. While no details have been confirmed as far as a release date orlabel, the album, which was recorded in New York in March, is currently inthe mixing stage. "Jay sent me a priority mail package full of the lyrics,and I opened it at 4:30 in the afternoon," Johnson recalls. "Within 17minutes, I had already documented this one called 'Chorine My Sheba Queen'to the recording machine. That speaks far more about the song than anythingI did. The lyrics struck me in a way that the music sounded automatic. Itmade such sense to my soul and my spirit. It's got an empty and regretfultone but in a very beautiful way. I just latched onto it." Personally this is friggin' huge news. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Although this is a probably a real coup for Jay, I can't imagine that it won't been seen as a continuation of the imagined rivalry between Jeff and Jay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I don't understand this. He's already spent the past decade and a half in Wilco/Jeff Tweedy's shadow and this will certainly not help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wendy Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Merged! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bhickman Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Q. What can you say about the reported Woody Guthrie project you’re working on? A. It actually won’t be a continuation of “Mermaid Avenue” [as has been reported]. It’s something that I started working on with [Woody’s daughter] Nora Guthrie that’s still in the works, and if everything goes well, it could be ready for release sometime next year. from: Chicago Sun-Times Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 All kinds of folks are putting music to this old material. In fact the Guthrie Family itself is touring with this type of material as part of its act. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IRememberDBoon Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 All kinds of folks are putting music to this old material. In fact the Guthrie Family itself is touring with this type of material as part of its act. LouieB Not sure whos doing what but for me personally it would be hard as hard to touch Mermaid Ave. I love almost every song on there just about more than anything. The MUSIC and the way its built around the lyrics is unreal to me. I think it way up there as an album for me.I remember listening to "I Guess I Planted...." or whatever its called. LOVE that one and every other one. Im gonna look up the track listing and come back. 1."Walt Whitman's Niece" – 3:532."California Stars" – 4:573."Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" – 4:064."Birds and Ships" – 2:135."Hoodoo Voodoo" – 3:126."She Came Along to Me" – 3:267."At My Window Sad and Lonely" – 3:278."Ingrid Bergman" – 1:509."Christ for President" – 2:3910."I Guess I Planted" – 3:3211."One by One" – 3:2212."Eisler on the Go" – 2:5613."Hesitating Beauty" – 3:0414."Another Man's Done Gone" – 1:3415."The Unwelcome Guest" – 5:09 good lord. thats some good ones. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ThisIsNowhere Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 It doesn't matter what he calls it, it's still going to be compared to Mermaid Avenue. And I agree, it's going to be hard to top. Especially the first one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I don't understand this. He's already spent the past decade and a half in Wilco/Jeff Tweedy's shadow and this will certainly not help.How the hell was he in Wilco's shadow in 1994? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pmancini100 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 this is pretty huge news. i leave for a little while, and this happens? sheeet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pmancini100 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 personally, i think nora might be trying to stir the tupelo pot a bit. im sure she heard 'okemah and the melody of riot' and had the idea or something like that. that being said, im glad jay gets a shot too. i always pictured him being secretly bummed wilco got to do it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 personally, i think nora might be trying to stir the tupelo pot a bit. im sure she heard 'okemah and the melody of riot' and had the idea or something like that. that being said, im glad jay gets a shot too. i always pictured him being secretly bummed wilco got to do it. Does anyone have a picture of Jay looking "secretly bummed"? That would be cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Is there any reason to believe Nora Guthrie has any idea who Uncle Tupelo was? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The High Heat Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Is there any reason to believe Nora Guthrie has any idea who Uncle Tupelo was?Any reason to believe she wouldn't? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lizish Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 yeah - didn't she speak of a knowledge of UT at the time of MA I. If may have just been wilco, but I would find it hard to believe that she wouldn't. Regardless, the Kerouac thing is making me want this even more. Never thought I'd again see the day when I enjoyed Son Volt/Farrar stuff more than Wilco. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I still think this an odd move for Jay. What's next for him, an album with songs featuring non-standard noise with a cover shot of an interesting piece of Chicago residential architecture on it that gets rejected by his label? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pmancini100 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Is there any reason to believe Nora Guthrie has any idea who Uncle Tupelo was? uncle tupelo is one of the most important american bands ever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 uncle tupelo is one of the most important american bands ever that never sold over 200k copies of any single album. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maggie Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I say good for Jay giving this a try. Obviously he's a pretty devoted Guthrie fan - did anyone see the guitar he had made for himself? http://sonvolt.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/jays-new-guitar/ (I actually found that to be kinda overboard, but whatever.) Either Jay doesn't care what people think, or he wanted to take a shot at outshining Jeff. I would tend to assume (and hope) it's the former, but what do I know. I just look forward to hearing the music. Since hearing the Kerouac project I have a very good feeling about what he's capable of. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 uncle tupelo is one of the most important american bands ever.And I guess that means that Nora is familiar with their music? Wilco entered the MA project through Billy Bragg, with whom Nora was well acquainted (as a listener, anyway). I don't recall her mentioning Uncle Tupelo during Man in the Sand, but she certainly could be aware of their history. Ascribing Jeff/Jay motives at this point seems a bit...manufactured, i guess. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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