Thrasher's Blog: 12/01/2004

Wilco at Fillmore, 11/15/04 Streaming Now

In case you missed the original webcast, over on Wilco World, the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, concert from November 15, 2004 is now posted for your listening pleasure.

It's always nice when bands stream their live shows on their websites. Hopefully, we'll see more of this in 2005.

While listening to the stream, here's a good read -- an in-depth interview in RES Magazine with Jeff Tweedy on the new Wilco book :

"I love the idea of looking at music as a transient art form. It's like ice sculptures or something; you make a song, and then you forget how you did it. And hopefully that allows you to make a different song next time."

Tweedy also discusses upcoming projects, the Greg Kot book and life as the front guy for Wilco.

Happy Holidays!!!

June and Johnny Walk The Line

Here's a promo photo from the upcoming film on June and Johnny Cash Walk the Line. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon look to be doing the Cash's proud. Thanks to Chromewaves for the link.

Also, Billboard reports (via Americana UK News) that the long out-of-print documentary "Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music" will be reissued March 8 on DVD via Sanctuary. The Bob Elfstron film -- which includes interviews with the late country music legend conducted in late 1968 and '69, as well as footage of him on stage, in the studio and at home with his family.

More on Johnny Cash.

The Pixies Cover "Winterlong"

The reunited Pixies, with Frank Black, have been out on tour this Fall and have been routinely covering Neil Young's "Winterlong".

Over on EasyTree, comes word of a FLAC Bit torrent of the Camden, NJ show on 2004-12-05. The cover version is an updated re-working of the song that the Pixies covered way back in 1989 on the Tribute for The Bridge School album.

Link thanks to Large Hearted Boy.

Barenaked Ladies - Deck The Stills

This is pretty funny. The new Barenaked Ladies CD, Barenaked For The Holidays, has a parody of the holiday classic "Deck The Halls". Only they've changed the lyrics a bit.

Here's are the lyrics to "Deck The Stills" (to the tune of "Deck The Halls"):

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Crosby
Stills, Nash, and Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and
Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash
And Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
Crosby, Stills
Nash, and Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and
Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Crosby

Ho, ho, ho. They're so witty, those Canadians.

Download MP3.

More on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young .

Also, here are some other Neil Young song parodies.

Steve Earle's "Rich Man's War" Video

The new video for Steve Earle's "Rich Man's War" directed by Jonathan Demme has just been released.

Also, tour dates with Allison Moorer have been posted on Earle's website.

More on Steve Earle's The Revolution Starts Now.

Thanks to Chromewaves for the link.

Randomly Noted Downloads

Craig over on songs:illinois: has some MP3's of Patterson Hood of Drive By Truckers fame doing some solos on "Rising Son", "Assasin", and "Francis Farmer".

Also, over on Large Hearted Boy, a few Neil Young download links of note:

On Pure Live Gigs, Neil Young: 1999-10-30, Bridge School Benefit (acoustic) [flac]

On EasyTree, Neil Young: early demos & outtakes, 1965-1967 [shn]

Also, check out Traders Den Uncle Tupelo: 1992-12-02, Munich [shn]

And in the bizarre file from THE TOFU HUT, The Osmonds performing "Crazy Horses".

Jonathan Richman on Neil Young

Jonathan Richman is interviewed in the Montreal Gazette by Bernard Perusse and discusses songwriting and musical influences including some of our favorites.

"A question about what kind of music he's listening to these days rekindled the enthusiasm, drawing high praise for Tajik vocalist Aqnazar, Argentinian pop group El Simbolo and singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt. And, as often happens when Richman tackles that topic, conversation turned to Neil Young. The voice on the other end of the line began to croon Are You Passionate?

"I still play that on guitar. Ah, what a great melody," he said. A suggestion that Young is an underrated melody writer almost had him shouting: "Damn right!," he said, singing Lotta Love to support the argument. "What a guy! What melodies he makes!"

Another bona fide legend, David Bowie, covered Richman's Pablo Picasso last year, but a query about Bowie's version committed the fatal sin of bringing the talk back to Richman's music. "I haven't heard it yet," came the credibility-straining answer. "But it's always nice when people do stuff.""

Wilco 2005 Concert Dates Announced

Upcoming Wilco concerts in 2005 are now posted.

FEB-08 CHAMPAIGN, IL FOELLINGER AUDITORIUM
FEB-09 COLUMBUS, OH WEXNER CENTER
FEB-11 CINCINNATI, OH TAFT THEATRE
FEB-12 MEMPHIS, TN ORPHEUM THEATRE
FEB-13 BIRMINGHAM, AL ALABAMA THEATRE
FEB-15 ORLANDO, FL HOUSE OF BLUES
FEB-16 TAMPA, FL TAMPA BAY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
FEB-17 POMPANO BEACH, FL POMPANO BEACH AMPHITHEATRE

FEB-18 SAVANNAH, GA SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN
FEB-19 MYRTLE BEACH, SC HOUSE OF BLUES
FEB-21 CHARLOTTE, NC OVENS AUDITORIUM
FEB-23 WASHINGTON DC 9:30 CLUB
FEB-24 WASHINGTON DC 9:30 CLUB
FEB-25 CLEVELAND, OH HOUSE OF BLUES

Thanks for the tip from Largeheartedboy.

Wilco is featured on the cover of the new Big Takeover, comes word from Chromewaves. It's a semi-annual, large and expensive magazine -- but high quality.

Bob Dylan on 60 Minutes

Bob Dylan was interviewed on CBS' 60 Minutes last night -- his first TV interview in over 20 years. Not so incidentally, CBS is owned by Viacom which owns Simon & Schuster which just published Dylan's new book. Interviewer Ed Bradley kindly pointed that out to us at the end of the interview.

And what did Bob say? As expected, not much. Never one to reveal himself, Bob was his usual cagey self.

"I never wanted to be a prophet or a savior. Elvis maybe. I could see myself becoming him. But prophet? No. My stuff -- they're songs, they weren't sermons. If you examine the songs I don't believe you're going to find anything in there that says that I'm a spokesman for anybody or anything really."

That's about as enlightening as you'll get.

Over on Dylan Pool, fans were less than thrilled, especially that only about 10 minutes of the 90 minute interview made it to air. Poor_Howard posted:

"I found the interview disappointing. I had hoped Bradley would be able to get to Bob more, get him to come out from behind the wall more. The interview sounded to me mostly like a shill for Chronicles. They almost completely ignored everything that happened after Rolling Thunder. And I also agree about there being too much archival footage. I suppose Bob or his people may have vetoed so much of the interview itself that CBS had no recourse but to fill in with all those clips from "Don't Look Back."

About the same time Fox Network ran an interview with Dylan, also. And with about the same amount of enlightenment. Dylan was asked "What religion are you considering next?"

Dylan's reply: "mumble, mumble, mumble."

Today Fox's Brit Hume edited together all of Dylan's "umms" and "errs" into a somewhat amusing cheap shot. Maybe Fox will edit together Hume's teleprompter gaffes next?

More on Bob Dylan's influence.

Whisky A-Go-Go Remembered

Los Angeles' famous club the Whisky A-Go-Go is fondly remembered over on The Rock & Roll Report.

Take a look at some of these schedules of amazing linups like this one:

May 23-27, 1966 - Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band/Buffalo Springfield/The Doors

Sounds like it must've been a great show.

Hanif - A "Swedish Buffalo Springfield"

On the Mansion On The Hill internet radio station, the band Hanif's song "Blame It On El Nino" from Halfway To Hell has been voted #1 by listeners. So how would you describe Hanif? Here's what Mark blogged:

"Hanif is a really exciting band to watch. I have described them as the Swedish Buffalo Springfield. Others seem to think that they have a bit of a Jayhawks type sound."

Sounds good to me. Check out Hanif now playing on Mansion On The Hill.

One Star Hotel's "Good Morning, West Gordon"

Over on songs:illinois MP3's from One Star Hotel's newest release Good Morning, West Gordon. "This Philadelphia band name drops Flaming Lips, Neil Young, Wilco and Big Star."

Good stuff. Check out the track "Frustrated and Free" with it's fine little feedback meltdown and see who's sound it reminds you of.

"All Along the Watchtower" : Top 50 Cover Versions

Over on The Rock and Roll Report, a listing of the Top 50 Cover Versions from a poll conducted by the Daily Telegraph. The Bob Dylan song "All Along the Watchtower" performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience topped the list.

UPDATE: 12/6/04: A poster commented that the #21 cover is Neil Young's song "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" covered by St Etienne, 1990.

Thank you readers!

Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers Interview

Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers is featured in an extensive interview in Pulse of the Twin Cities (01 December) by Tom Hallett.

Patterson Hood: “I was raised by a very Atticus Finch-like person,” says Alabama-born and bred Patterson Hood, when asked about his early Southern upbringing and the decidedly liberal bent his songwriting eventually took. His reference to the sympathetic lawyer of Harper Lee’s racially-charged, classic novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” is matter-of-fact, tossed off almost with a shrug, as if anybody who’s ever heard those songs should just know. “Atticus probably comes closer to capturing the essence of my great-uncle George than anybody else I can think of,” he gushes. “He and Gary Cooper. I spent every weekend with him until I was 14 or so, and started chasing girls. He still lives there, on a farm that’s been in the family since the 1800s. I wrote ‘Sands Of Iwo Jima,’ on our last record, about him.”