You Don't Need a Weatherman - just Jeff Tweedy

"You don’t need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows"


Wilco's Jeff Tweedy stops by the hometown television station to talk a little hirsute weather. 

Listening for The Tin Hearts

There is something magical about the mixture of folk, country and blues.   Something hardscrabble, dusty and soulful.  Call it Americana or alt.country or whatever.  It is the music of my home, my youth and my continued passion. 

Not surprising, I count My Morning Jacket, The Felice Brothers and Wilco as guideposts for my fervor.  Mix in some Blitzen Trapper, Band of Horses, Hayes Carll and some Ryan Adams and you have a well-rounded playlist of modern Americana. 

It is time to add another to the list.  The Tin Hearts, based out of Columbus, Ohio, is a welcome addition to the club.   

The tight, five-piece band plays honest, hard-working music that will keep the honky tonk lights burning until dawn. However, it is Matthew Sullivan's gritty vocals and harmonica work that make the band stand out.  Like the aforementioned bands, The Tin Hearts possess a rollicking honesty that will take them far. 

After releasing their self-titled debut album last year, The Tin Hearts will release their second album, "No Good Deed," on Singing Moon Records on September 10th.  I can not wait to hear more from this up-and-coming band of musicians. 

“Times Like These” by The Tin Hearts (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Wilco Going Wild: Live from Miami Beach

by marty

Halfway through the opening set of the opening date of its 2010 tour, frontman Jeff Tweedy gleefully declared it, "Wilco Gone Wild" and threw his head back with a laugh.

Imagining the laid-back, and often solemn, indie music godfathers at some Spring Break bacchanal is fairly ridiculous, especially for the 42-year-old singer and father of two boys. Not that the middle-aged, Chicago-based band is stuck in its ways. In fact, it is the opposite.

During its nearly 3-hour, 30 song set last night at the Jackie Gleason Theater, Wilco re-imagined many of their hit songs, ranging from a stripped down bluesy version of "Kamera" to a fusion frenzy on "Pot Kettle Black." For this scraggly country group turned indie rock band, Tweedy continues to push his bandmates forward to experiment in creating new and exciting sounds. The addition of true Guitar Hero Nels Cline to the band has put a razor's edge to Tweedy's musical explorations. Clines' solo on "Impossible Germany" was one of the show's highlights.

The enigmatic Tweedy was loose and playful. He brought a pre-teen up from the crowd to sing a couple of versus of Woody Guthrie's "California Stars." In the second half of the show, Tweedy did an amusing Carnac the Magnificent routine to introduce song requests from the sold out Miami Beach crowd. The lucky audience members were rewarded with a free meal at a nearby sushi restaurant.

The second half of the show started with an acoustic set where the band sat together surrounded by old-fashioned floor lamps - giving off a living room jam session vibe. But instead of playing the easier, long-winded, jam style of music, the band adheres to a jazz aesthetic, where improvisation and the silence between the notes are valued over the grandstanding solo. The interplay of the musicians and the melodies all through the night elevated the event from a great concert to something magical.

The "Evening With Wilco" tour continues for the next three weeks before it heads overseas. Better see your friendly, neighborhood scalper as the tour is sold out.

Setlist:

Price is Right theme music

1. Wilco (The Song)

2. Bull Black Nova

3. You Are My Face

4. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

5. One Wing

6. Shot In The Arm

7. At Least That's What You Said

8. Pot Kettle Black

9. Deeper Down

10. Impossible Germany

11. California Stars

12. Either Way

13. I'll Fight

14. Handshake Drugs

15. You Never Know

Break

16. Spiders (Acoustic)

17. What's The World Got In Store (Acoustic)

18. Kamera (Acoustic)

19. Hesitating Beauty (Acoustic)

20. Sky Blue Sky (Acoustic)

21. Casino Queen (Acoustic)

22. Outta Mind (Outta Sight) (Acoustic)

23. Misunderstood

24. Heavy Metal Drummer

25. Jesus, Etc.

26. Hate It Here

27. Walken

28. I'm The Man Who Loves You

29. Monday

Encore

30. Thank You Friends (Big Star cover)

“California Stars” by Billy Bragg and Wilco (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)