Do You Consider Wilco A Jam Band?

[Bart]

I always tell my friends "I really dislike Jam Bands.

 

I agree, but I love the Grateful Dead. But to me there's the Grateful Dead and then there's the jam bands and the only similarity is that both play long stretches of instrumental music.

 

To build on to what someone else said, I agree about the "song supporting the jam" vs. the "jam supporting the song". The GD had some amazing, poetic lyrics that worked as a poem or as a short song, they just happend to surround them with lots of instrumental music. While I'm hardly a literary scholar, I am almost physically unable to listen to Phish because of the dopey lyrics. I get the feeling that they just throw any combination of words together and call it a song.

 

For me the other difference between the GD and jam bands is the vocals. Jerry had a soulful, emotion filled voice and could actually sing. I find the vocals in most jam bands to be (again) and afterthought to the jam. Most of them remind me of my own vocals, which have been known to make grown men weep in horror and run screaming from the room.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I haven't yet gone to a Wilco concert and seen someone in a tie-dyed peasant skirt spinning so... NO.

 

Actually, I have. But I think they were there for Dr. Dog.

But to answer the question...No. They are not a 'jam band'. They are a band that stretches out a bit and kind of 'jam' at times.

But they are not a jam band.

[DewieCox]

I ask this because I have heard them played twice lately on the Jam On station on Sirius XM. I admit I do love to hear the intricate instrumentals they create, but a jam band? When I hear jam band, I think the likes of Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Phish, Dave Matthews Band, The Band, Allman Brothers. I hesitate to put Wilco in that same category.

 

 

No and I don't think I'd put The Band in there either.

[xTonyWonder]

 

 

No and I don't think I'd put The Band in there either.

 

I agree. I was hesitant after i listed The Band, but i decided to throw caution to the wind...

[Ghost of Electricity]

In short, no.

 

Having said that, there are some elements of jamminess that Wilco does embrace. I tend to think of jamming as extended improvisations. This is not something that Wilco does live, but One Sunday Morning, for example was apparently recorded in one take, the take in which Tweedy was introducing the song to band. So that would mean that 5/6 of the band was improvising, or jamming. I've hear that they have in fact done whole records this way- improvisational songs in real time- as a musical exercise. (I would live to hear one of these btw) So that could also be considered jamming. But the difference between Wilco and the Dead or Phish, is that they treat these improvisations as a means to an end, whereas jambands treat them as an end in itself.

[bleedorange]

All jam bands suck. Wilco does not suck. Therefore, Wilco is not a jam band.

 

Case closed.

[skip]

Not that I think Wilco's a jam band, but having lyrics isn't what makes a band a not a jam band.

Agreed. That was a... joke.

[Oil Can Boyd]

Although Wilco was part of the 1995 H.O.R.D.E. tour ...

[jff]

 

 

No and I don't think I'd put The Band in there either.

 

The Band is a kind of weird case. When Big Pink came out, a lot of musicians reacted by getting away from the never ending guitar solos/jams of the late '60s (at least temporarily) and getting back to more traditional song forms (Clapton and the Dead, to name two). But now, a lot of the jam bands sound sort of like The Band, but with never ending guitar solos. So, the Band were sort of the anti-jam band, but now they're heroes to a lot of jam band acts. It doesn't really make any sense.

[LouieB]

Nope.

 

LouieB

[choo-choo-charlie]

Although Wilco was part of the 1995 H.O.R.D.E. tour ...

 

Had to start somewhere.

[IRememberDBoon]

All jam bands suck. Wilco does not suck. Therefore, Wilco is not a jam band.

 

Case closed.

 

you dont sound like you know very much

[SeattleC]

 

you dont sound like you know very much

 

 

All jam bands do not suck.

 

Wilco is not a jam band.

 

Wilco does not suck.

 

Therefore, Wilco and some jam bands do not suck. Some jam bands might however. I'm not naming names.

[bleedorange]

 

you dont sound like you know very much

 

I was getting tired of all the agreement in this thread. Thought I would try to shake it up. But I'm personally not a fan of jam bands.

[Autumnteeth]

The term jam band is almost a slam. I think of string cheese incident (I am sure they are great, by the way, just not my thing) and am put off. I am a Dead fan, like Phish, but the jam part of their thing is secondary to their talent. I think of jam bands as less talent, more time. Again, a total bias, but Wilco is talent that takes the concert goer on a ride of sorts while they explore their sound in different ways. Reading that, it sounds like maybe they are a jam band, but I think their shows exhibit a lot more cohesion than a typical jam band. Had this argument with a string cheese fan who likes wilco. He made a good point that my favorite live songs, Impossible Germany,misunderstood, At least that;s what she said, and hotel arizona, are classic jam type songs. We came to the conclusion it is just a word. And Wilco is great.

[IRememberDBoon]

 

I was getting tired of all the agreement in this thread. Thought I would try to shake it up. But I'm personally not a fan of jam bands.

 

 

:-) have you thought of listening to any Phish at all?

[RaspberryJam]

I don't consider Wilco a jam band. I enjoy some jam-ish type bands; Phish, longtime Dead fan, Allmans. But generally I don't love the bands that fall into that camp. I went to Moe.Down earlier this month (I was offered free passes). I enjoyed TV On the Radio, but Moe.? Ugh. They just don't speak to me. I have friends who are fans of jam type music and we have endless debates about this. It often comes down to a matter of staying within the song structure. If it goes outside, jam band. It bugs me when the music turns into noodling with no direction. Phish keeps things moving along in a different way, and they bring an eclectic tone. My jam band friends look down on other non jam bands as being non challenging. I look down on jam bands as taking advantage of kids doing better drugs that were available when I was a kid.

[calvino]

Handshake Drugs works in this category.

[I Loathe the Sun...]

I don't consider them a jam band at all. For Wilco to "jam" is to make an exception to the rule, the rule being "write intricate and concise pop songs." My Morning Jacket is much more of a jam band than Wilco and even their music is more poppy than it is jammy.

 

Plus "jam band" implies a backseat role of the songwriter and dominance of extended guitar freakouts. In Wilco's case, Jeff Tweedy's singing and songwriting create the most appeal. While there are plenty of guitar freakouts in Wilco songs (especially in a live setting) they are always there to complement the songs and never to distract.

[spongebob]

maj dnab. ocliw si doog dnab! tahw si maj yawyna?

[worldrecordplayer]

Wilco simply does not jam. My expectation of listening to a jam band (and I've spent decades doing just that) is that there will be improvisational sections where certain band member will take an improvised solo, and that baton will or may get passed around to the other musicians at any point in the jam or later in the song. And those solos/jams are unique from show to show. I just don't hear that in Wilco's performances. But jam or no jam, they are the best band in America

[Cam Jones]

I dont think they're a jam band in the sense of the music. I'm not bored by Wilcos music but I can't really take much by Phish or the Dead before I'm bored stiff.

 

I do think they sort of create the sense of community that is found in the jam band scene. Taping, trading, online communities, people taking in multiple shows on a single tour. etc. And thats really cool. Community, its what I'm all about, yo.

[hwllo]

Wilco is not a jam band, and neither is my morning jacket.

 

both bands are similar in that they write intricately structured songs which include guitar solo sections which more often than not are played pretty similarly night in night out.

 

both bands might play some songs a little longer on any given night, but they are planned. I personally do not care for jam bands, i know it takes talent, but it reeks of indecision to me. Like they can't decide what they want to do so they play a song 20 minutes and do everything haha.

 

I go by the theory that shorter is better because it forces you to make decisions and make everything count. I don't mean i want songs to be 2 minutes, i just mean i like that wilco is thoughtful enough to write a song how they like it, and play it that way.

[SarahC]

 

Plus he can jump really high.

 

 

They are not a jam band.

To me, jam bands don't really have a lot of structure to their songs. Wilco has structure.

[SonicPDubs]

I dont consider Wilco a jam band. 1) the setlist is fairly predictable. For instance, It looks this tour is going to be Art>I Might>Probably IATTBYH>Maybe Bull Black Nova>Possibly One Wind and so on. 2) There isnt really much improv (except maybe some Nelsgasms). And there improv stays the same with regards to live versions of songs. Things begin to get fairly predictable. I am getting tired of Via Chicago, they need to change that up. Dont get me wrong, I enjoy Wilco live. I have seen them 3 times over the last few years and going to see them in Nashville. I dont really listen to Jam Bands except for Phish. Over the past few years I have really gotten into what they do live. Ofcourse its exciting that for one that their setlist is totally different night to night. I have recently stated that Phish is my fav band. But I usually come back around to Wilco. I really appreciate and enjoy what Wilco does in the studio. And my love for YHF has exponentiated lately. Just great stuff. Phish has the ability to bring immense amounts of energy and creativity, or in Phan terms face melting.