Words: Tyler Fassnacht | Photos: Ed Oliver

Wilco have always had an affinity towards Madison, as they seem to come back almost every other year. So I wasn’t surprised when they announced their show back in Madison. I remember it was warm, and it sold out the day after tickets went on sale and then I kind of forgot about it. All these months later, when the date was finally coming up, my excitement came back to me, in anticipation of seeing one of my favorite bands of all time.

After having some difficulty parking, because all the ramps were four dollars cash only and it was just my luck that I happened to have only three, I made it to the Overture Center, with mere minutes to spare before the sold out show started. Openers Califone came out, to a disappointingly small amount of people in their seats. The band played mostly songs from their excellent album All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, and their percussive, noisy, experimental folk music benefited gorgeously from the great acoustics in the Overture Center. Unfortunately, they only played for approximately twenty minutes, so just as I felt a lot of people were really getting into the band, they stopped. I think they were a little surprised at the shortness of their set too, because they all looked prepared for another tune when they looked to the side of the stage where I assume someone was cutting them off.

Within fifteen minutes the seats around me filled up at an increasing rate, until I couldn’t see a single empty one. Then the lights went down and the members of Wilco walked on, with a full house all jumping to their feet to applaud. The band went right into “Wilco (the song)”, which included weird spotlights and introductions for each member of the band. They kept playing song after song for the a good twenty minutes before really acknowledging the audience and making banter, which is something that Jeff Tweedy is a pro at. When he finally did talk to the crowd, it was about how they just played at the Olympics and how they won a medal for curling (this all came with a comical miming of curling with their guitars).

Over the course of the evening, the band blew through around twenty eight songs, with seven off of their latest release. Besides that, the setlist was fairly evenly distributed amongst their older album, so I don’t think anyone could have left the concert displeased. For me, some of the standouts were an epic version of “At Least That’s What You Said,” a classic “A Shot in the Arm” and the one two punch of rocking stompers “Casino Queen” and “Hoodoo Voodoo”. Another highlight in itself, was Nels Cline’s guitar playing.

I think hiring Nels Cline was one of the best decisions Jeff Tweedy ever made (as did someone else, who actually yelled out to Nels every other song). He has an amazing capability to go full out, noise crazy on some songs, ripping out speeding solos and then melodically and tastefully accenting Jeff’s acoustic guitar on others. He changed guitars every song and often pulled up a chair to whip out some mean slide guitar. Also, although looking like the oldest member of the band, he had the most energy in the band, hands down. He spazzed out, jerking his unusually long arms around his guitar, which he often accompanied with jumps into the air, while everyone else simply rocked back and forth, but even though Jeff Tweedy may not have been the most mobile performer, he definitely made up for it with charisma.

Towards the latter part of the evening, Jeff became more and more chatty with the crowd. At one point he even questioned Madison’s love for Wilco by complaining that our mayor wasn’t at their show, like Duluth’s was the night before. I think the audience/performer connection came to it’s highest point when Jeff Tweedy had the crowd sing the first two verses of “Jesus Etc.” without him, only after he went through certain lyrics that people often get confused by (first “you can combine” and theeeen “you
can come by”).

By the end of their encore, after a solid two hours of music, Wilco left the stage, to a roar of the audience, only slightly louder than when Wilco came out. The great thing about this band is that they rarely play the same show twice and they always make sure that something is special about each performance. This was my fourth time seeing them and the band kept my attention and excitement the whole way through. I left satisfied, feeling like I just attended some awesome party at an old friends house who hosts one every year. Here’s to hoping that Wilco comes back next year.

Set List: Wilco (the song) / Bull Black Nova / You Are My Face / I am Trying to Break Your Heart / One Wing / A Shot in the Arm / At Least That’s What You Said / Sonny Feeling / Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway Again / Deeper Down / Impossible Germany / When the Roses Bloom Again / Country Disappeared / Hand Shake Drugs / You Never Know / Jesus Etc. / Hate it Here / Theologians / I’m the Man Who Loves You / Hummingbird

Encore: Broken Arrow (Neil Young) / Via Chicago / California Stars (with members of Califone) / Walkin / Heavy Metal Drummer / Kingpin / Casino Queen / Hoodoo Voodoo

Discuss: What did you think of the show? Drop a comment with your thoughts/review of last night. Anyone catch the show via internet connection and the live webcast?

Buy: Wilco

By Jon Stone | @jwstone

Retribution Gospel Choir. What are we to make of this name? A gospel choir. Ok, got that — sounds kinda holy. Let’s keep this going. So, retribution? Apparently this is the gospel choir — the one that you sing in as a reward for, uh, a life well sung; or, wait… was that punishment. I’m confused. I kind of love it. And I don’t usually get excited about band names. Sometimes they seem more like a necessary evil than working to productively represent (as an abstraction) a band. There is something about the name Retribution Gospel Choir that just totally works for me.

Alan Sparhawk from Low fronts the band. And RGC doesn’t feel like a side-project. Their second record (titled, aptly, 2) came out last month, and it both builds on Low’s foundation and moves that jarring, heavy Sparhawk sound to a new place. It’s an excellent record.

They came through Champaign-Urbana to the Canopy Club a few nights ago and played a 16 song set that included most of that record, and several from their eponymous debut (2008). It was a small show — only fifty people at a too-late-for-such-a-good-band time (they didn’t go on until 11:30 pm). But I digress (and show my age).

Highlights:

• Huge sound, three dudes. This is the Sparhawk signature thing, I realize, but here it is again. It comes across strongest on long, heavy tunes like “Electric Guitar,” “Your Bird” and the amazing single (and the track that opens the LP) “Hide It Away.”
• Pop sensibilities: Like a friend of mine said on the way out of the show, “Fun — like Low but upbeat.” And it’s true. There is still a darkness here, but we get some pop in there on tunes like “Workin’ Hard” and “White Wolf” — both which clock in at under 3 minutes. This tunes had punch on stage — really fun to watch.
• Great drums and bass playing. Mimi Parker’s drumming does a lot to create the Low sound, so drummer Eric Pollard offers the element that does the most to separate RGC from Low (fast, very technical playing) and he kills as a back-up vocalist with really high and strong harmonies. Steve Garrington (also of Low) is aggressive and powerful. His move into the bass position on this record (replacing Matt Livingston) solidifies my feeling that RGC is Sparhawk’s new main musical vehicle.

It was a fun night. I look forward to seeing this band start to move. I bet we see them all over the summer festival circuit — and with much larger audiences to boot.

Setlist: Breaker / For Her Blood / Workin’ Hard / Destroyer / Hide It Away / Poor Man’s Daughter / ’68 Comeback / White Wolf / They Knew You Well / Your Bird / What She Turned Into / Electric Guitar / Take Your Time / Encore: cover song I can’t place (ends with “it takes a friend to stop a friend”) / Kids Lyrics

Buy: Retribution Gospel Choir – 2

By Jodi Root

I almost feel like St. Vincent and I are some pair of star crossed lovers. That might be pushing it a bit, but the past 3-4 times I’ve tried to see her live, something or another has prevented it last minute from coming to fruition. Used to the disappointment, I was a bit on the skeptical side so I wouldn’t get my hopes up when I got confirmation for her Thursday night at the Metro. Well, sweetheart, I’m pretty sure after last night, we are meant to be. Along with several others in the sold-out full house Chicago venue, I finally had my Annie Clark rite of passage–and I gotta say, I had severely underestimated what this mighty songbird guitaress rock star is capable of.

Unsure what to expect, I wound up getting in just as St. Vincent had kicked the set off around the 10:00 PM mark. It was as if I had walked into a lush, sweet dream sequence twisted with honey dripped madness – the band was in full throttle, in the midst of “Save Me from What I Want,” with a gorgeous Miss Clark slyly seducing the mic. The next hour passed in an incredible whirlwind – Clark is definitely more than a pretty face with a nice set of lungs – the girl can wail on her guitar and she owns the stage. Even with her petite feminine frame and full head of curls, Clark makes rocking look simple with her adorable stage banter and walking in place, strutting dance moves. The orchestration of the back-up band was downright jaw dropping; from the variety of chimes, keys and light percussion to the smooth sounds of sax, the light flute and clarinet melodies, dreamy violins and of course, heavy guitar work and molasses-coated harmonic vocals, I felt as if I had stumbled into a twisted, party dimension from Alice in Wonderland.

Clark and co. primarily showcased several tracks from Actor, along with a handful of Marry Me numbers as well. Perhaps the highlight of the evening, however, was Clark’s adorable spoken interpretation of Ice Cube – “I mean, how nice is it to have someone cook you breakfast?,” she joked – “You don’t get your car jacked either – I feel like that happened a lot in the 90’s – wait do carjacking still happen? Things to think about after the show, maybe not with the mic.” Charisma at its best, Clark continued to woo the crowd with her simple humor, “He wins at dominos and craps, then meets a girl he bones, smokes hydro and gets drunk – When I say this aloud, it’s not as romantic as I thought. . .” Half expecting her to start into some folksy rendition of “It was a Good Day,” I was not let down in the least when she instead led into her “folky, melancholy analog to Ice Cube,” – a cover of Jackson Browne’s “These Days.” Eloquent and heartwarming, girl killed it.

Closing her sweet one-night affair with Chicago, whom she reflected upon saying multiple times how nice it was to be back playing, after having “spent many nights here doing terrible things, so it’s nice to do constructive things . . . for the planet,” Clark concluded the set with a 2-song encore with a solo rendition of Marry Me’s “Paris is Burning” and the band, backed-up, “Your Lips are Red.” Every detail, from the Metro’s sharp acoustics, quality of sound, and warm, red/blue and green/violet lighting and overall energy contributed to what I believe may be one of 2010’s top stellar performances. Until you see St. Vincent live, you may never know Miss Clark’s full musical capabilities – while her recordings are beautiful and melodic, her live performances are pure majesty, magnified tenfold.

Setlist:

1. Save Me from what I Want
2. Laughing with a Mouthful of Blood
3. Actor out of Work
4. Jesus Saves, I Spend
5. Just the Same but Brand New
6. The Bed
7. These Days (Jackson Browne cover)
8. Black Rainbow
9. Marrow
10. The Party
11. Paris is Burning (solo – encore)
12. Your Lips are Red (encore)

Elsewhere: Photos: St. Vincent (Pitchfork)

Buy: St. Vincent – Actor | St. Vincent – Marry Me

We are thrilled to announce our free SXSW day party going down at Habana Calle 6 in Austin on Thursday, March 18th. Across two stages, from 11am-5pm, we’re showcasing Milwaukee’s best alongside some of our favorite national acts.

Underground:

11:00 – Peter Wolf Crier
12:00 – Blair
1:00 – Charlie Parr
2:00 – Invade Rome
3:00 – Juniper Tar
4:00 – Roadside Graves

Patio:

11:00 – Group of the Altos
12:00 – Conrad Plymouth
1:00 – Strand of Oaks
2:00 – Common Loon
3:00 – Pezzettino
4:00 – Kings Go Forth

Admission is free, RSVP here.

Sponsored by MindPool Live & MillerCoors

Flier: Erik

Welcome to the 39th podcast/download I’m co-hosting with Ryan Schleicher at 91.7 WMSE.

Muzzle of Bees + 91.7 WMSE Podcast :: Volume 39

Galactic – “Friends of Science” / The Growlers – “Wet Dreams” / Drakkar Sauna – “Nuclear Medicine” / Post Data – “In Chemicals” / Roadside Graves – “Jesus Is A Friend Of The Family” / Kasey Anderson – “Bellingham Blues” / Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Round & Round (It Won’t Be Long)” / Juniper Tar – “Strings” / Frank Hoier & the Weber Brothers – “Time Flies (When You Are With The One You Love) / Sharon Van Etten – “Love More” / The Low Anthem – “Keep On The Sunny Side” / Eef Barzelay – “Two Tickets To Paradise” / Carolina Chocolate Drops – “Your Baby Ain’t Sweet Like Mine” / Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore – “Sweet Marie” / Bakers at Dawn – “Undefined” / Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – “The Seedling”

Download: Muzzle of Bees + 91.7 WMSE Podcast :: Volume 39
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Subscribe: Muzzle of Bees + 91.7 WMSE Podcast

[photo by Haley Jane Samuelson]

By Jodi Root

If members of The xx, Metric and The Kills managed to produce some form of love child, (or children, rather), in a hot, musical orgy, the final result would sound a lot like Phantogram. This Saratoga Springs native outfit first came across my radar this past October at CMJ. The 30 or so minutes I had spent in a random bar basement checking this sexy, sultry synth pop duo stood out as the most impressionable find in my week long NYC adventure and I knew this shit was about to blow up. Fast forward to last night, where I joined a mass pack of friends and other eager fans at Schuba’s to find my prediction to have come more than true.

Opening up the night was Illegal Art’s Junk Culture, who typically presents as a two-man outfit, but was missing his drummer due to “getting married, which is a pretty good excuse,” as Deepak Mantena explained to the crowd. My first time hearing Junk Culture, it was pretty decent for having to pull off as a one-man show. Homey leapt around behind his synth set up, at one point even jumping into and around the crowd like a sweaty, mad, animal outta the cage. The set was very Animal Collective-esque, and you could totally tell he shares his label residence with Girl Talk with all his dancey influences. Even though JC may not have been the reason I was there, I gotta give credit to Mantena for his enthusiasm and energy – at one point he even led the crowd into a Happy Birthday sing-a-long for Sarah, (who, I’m assuming is the same Sarah as Phantogram) and other members of the audience who drunkenly shouted their way into inclusion (thanks Caroline, but it was NOT my birthday). All in all, it was a decent warm-up for what was about to come.

Around 10:20, Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel approached the dark, intimate stage illuminated by strobe effects and an intense audiovisual backdrop of city scenes. Murmurs of eager anticipation floated amongst the enveloped crowd, “This is gonna be so good,” and more than a handful of “Oh my god’s!” built and eventually ceased as the club exploded with bass, combustive guitar action and mad synth work. The next forty-five or so minutes of the set passed like a dream – the sound was top notch and the chemistry between Carter and Barthel was undeniable. Barthel seemed to channel a lush vocal style similar to Emily Haines, which complimented the sultry and sexy contributions of her partner.

The AV presentation transitioning from city night life to country fields took the audience on a secret journey into a digital underground of pulsing bass, electrified guitar, entrancing synth work and sexy vocals. Their hypnotic, pounding, electronic lullabies lulled the crowd into a deep trance – subconsciously getting everyone to move in unison, while being both mesmerizing and unforgettable at the same time. The transition from track to track in the set was seamless, and the coordinating black rockstar uniform sporting duo owned the night. I can honestly say that I have not enjoyed a show to this extent in quite some time. For only two people, they sure made a helluva loud sound. Dark, dancey glam pop at its very best – Phantogram is going to own 2010.

MP3: Phantogram – “When I’m Small”
Buy: Phantogram :: Eyelid Movies