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Wilco (the Album)
Wilco
2009
MusicVixen Rating:
Recommended if you like:
Wilco, Pernice Brother, camels
As the years go by, Wilco seems to work harder and harder to make people dislike it based on meandering whims (A Ghost is Born, anyone?), heartbreaking line-up shifts (Jay Bennett, RIP) and, well, pretty much every word that comes out of Jeff Tweedy’s mouth when he isn’t singing.
So, with its seventh album, is Wilco still worth listening to? Or have fans simply invested too much time in the band to turn away from it now? Continue reading »
Vultures Culture
ABOVE: A quick sneak preview of a new Them Crooked Vultures track, “Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I.”
Until recently, supergroups seemed like a relic of the ’70s (Hi, Cream). However, it seems that the phenomenon is coming back in fashion as groups like 7 Worlds Collide (featuring members of Radiohead, the Smiths and Wilco) and the Monsters of Folk start to take shape.
Them Crooked Vultures is making a play for the title of top supergroup, and with a line-up boasting members of Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age, the new power trio just might be top dog, er, vulture.
It’s not too surprising that the latest hard-rock supergroup would feature Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme, his knack for putting together an all-star band is well-documented. Similary, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl scored the Germs’ guitarist, Pat Smear, as a bandmate early on (and we already know all about his other band, Nirvana). The third vulture is some guy named John Paul Jones? Apparently, he played bass in some old timey band– Led Zeppelin, or something like that. Ahem.
The superstar band made its live debut in Chicago over the weekend, but we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out how the new CD turns out.
Of course, the group already has a website, and while there isn’t much music available on it, there is merchandise for sale: Namely, a $30 t-shirt.
Rock’n'roll.
Are you excited about the upcoming Them Crooked Vultures CD and tour?
Which “supergroup” is your favorite?
Which musicians would you like to see form a new “supergroup”?
Tell us about it in the comments section!
More Supergroup News:
Supergroup! Radiohead, Wilco, Smiths Team Up for Band, CD, Tour
Supergroup? Introducing…Chickenfoot: Featuring ex-Van Halen, Red Hot Chili Peppers and a Guitar God
New: Them Crooked Vultures–Best Supergroup Ever? | Music Vixen BlogABOVE: 7 Worlds Collide live: Jeff Tweedy leads members of the Smiths and Radiohead through a cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.”
It seems like an unlikely match, putting rootsy alt-country strummers Wilco together with increasingly experimental Brit-Rock noodlers Radiohead and iconic mopers the Smiths, but that is exactly what has happened during the recording sessions for the new album, The Sun Came Out.
The strange musical combination arises as part of the upcoming album by Continue reading »
Post Product Recall Fallout | ReviewSomething.com
ABOVE: Bennett, Tweedy and Wilco perform “California Stars.” Lyrics by Woody Guthrie.
Following weeks of speculation, Illinois coroners concluded their investigation and announced on Tuesday that ex-Wilco guitarist Jay Walter Bennett, 45, died of a drug overdose.
AP reported the findings, stating that the Champaign County coroner found that Bennett had overdosed on fentanyl, a pain killer often packaged as a patch and normally used in the treatment of chronic pain.
Bennett was due to undergo hip-replacement surgery, and had written openly about his ongoing pain in his final MySpace blog entry. Several varieties of fentanyl patches had been recalled last year due to safety issues-namely, a leak in the patch that increases the risk of accidental overdose.
Authorities have not confirmed that the defective patches were a factor in Bennett’s death, which has been ruled accidental.
Bennett was with Wilco from 1994 to 2001, but exited due to his strained relationship with bandleader Jeff Tweedy. The disintegration of their partnership is captured in the 2002 documentary I am Trying to Break Your Heart.
Bennett passed away May 24, 2009. Earlier that month, Bennett’s hip-replacement surgery had reportedly been denied by his insurer. Shortly thereafter, Bennett filed a suit against Tweedy for breach of contract regarding his split from Wilco.
Often working as a studio musician with the likes of Sheryl Crow and Billy Joe Shaver, Bennett’s most recent solo album was 2008’s Whatever Happened I Apologize, currently available as a free download from Rock Proper Records.
REVIEW: Lemons by Ty Segall Destroys Boring Indie Rock | Music Vixen BlogAbove: Gorillas, Mexican wrestler-masked guitarists and retro go-go girl triplets doin’ the twist-sure to brighten up your Monday a little.
Mondays can be kinda tough, so, because we like silly music videos, monkeys and alliteration, we’re revisiting a feature we like to call Monkey Monday. (Ok, so technically we invited a gorilla over for Monkey Monday, but he does the twist, so we think it’s ok.)
Eccentric, instrumental surf-rockers Los Straitjackets hit the road with go-go dancing burlesque triplets and glittery Mexican wrestler masks for a tour with equally entertaining trailer gothic “countrypolitan” moonshine-rock weirdos Southern Culture on the Skids (something like a backwoods B-52s, maybe). Retro surf-rock and wigged-out country music? It makes perfect sense, really.
Fun fact: Southern Culture on the Skids are one of Stephen King’s favorite bands.
Adding to the creepy fun, the band’s new songs “Soulful Garage” and “It’s All Over but the Shoutin’” have been featured on HBO’s new vampire series, True Blood.
After the jump: Find out where to catch Los Straitjackets & Southern Culture on the Skids on tour.
Plus: Flash back to 1995 with a Southern Culture on the Skids classic featuring camels and oat meal pies. (Not to be confused with Wilco (the Album)’s camel and party cake.)
Layaway for concert tickets? We can’t decide whether this is a nice way to help people afford to partake of a fun music event, or bad set-up that is just encouraging people to keep spending themselves deeper into debt, $50 at a time. Maybe you can help us decide.
Before you go stand in line (or hop online) to buy Bonnaroo 2009 tickets when they go on sale Saturday February 7, you might want to take a minute to consider how you’re going to pay for those pricey bits of paper.
Setting up a four-day music festival is expensive, and the fans get stuck with the bill. We’re sure it’ll cost plenty to pay all of the musicians involved, including Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, Elvis Costello, Animal Collective, Beastie Boys, and about a zillion other performers.
So, how much do tickets to Bonnaroo 2009 cost?
Well, a V.I.P. package goes for a whopping $1,349. Cheap by comparison, general admission tickets fall in the $250 range. However, in a move that makes Ticketmaster’s fees seem tame, there is a service fee of $23.50 per ticket.
In light of the country’s economic downturn, this year Bonnaroo organizers are offering fans a new option when it comes to paying for the expensive tickets: Layaway. Continue reading »
Bruce Springsteen seems pretty unstoppable these days, and the just-confirmed news that the Boss is taking his show from the the Super Bowl to Bonnaroo is music to fans’ ears.
Also confirmed, is the appearance of a recently-, perhaps only temporarily-, reunited Phish. (Insert your own patchoulie/hippie/Phish sucks joke here.)
However, the strangest factor in this music festival trifecta is probably the inclusion of industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails as the third big band on the bill.
Fake hippies and mall goths camping together at a music festival in a field somewhere in Tennessee?
Maybe 2009 really is a year of change. Continue reading »
