Wilco begins its European tour next week in the UK, where Q magazine has just named Wilco (the album) among the year's best, and where Channel 4 is broadcasting Ashes of American Flags, the documentary film about the band's 2008 tour, tonight. Following the final show on Wilco's recent US tour, JamBase said the band was "clearly having a blast." You can read Nels Cline's take on it all in Paste magazine.
Wilco begins its 14-day tour of Europe in the UK at Leeds Academy this Tuesday night, with Londoners The Clientele opening there and the following night in a sold-out show at The Forum in London. The dates in England come just as that country's Q magazine has just named Wilco (the album) among the year's Top 50 new releases.
Fans in the UK can get an early taste at the live Wilco experience when Ashes of American Flags, the documentary film released earlier this year that follows the band's 2008 US tour, airs on Channel 4 tonight at 12:35 AM. The film was screened last weekend at the Bergen International Film Festival. To watch the film's trailer, visit nonesuch.com/media. For more information on tonight's broadcast, visit channel4.com.
Gigwise spoke with drummer Glenn Kotche in advance of the coming tour. "Balancing a heartfelt respect for the great American music tradition with a keen, fearless interest in pushing boundaries," writes Janne Oinonen in an introduction to the interview, "Wilco’s sound continues to mutate, even if the band’s line-up has remained stable after several changes in personnel throughout the 90’s and early 00’s." Read what Glenn has to say at gigwise.com.
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Following the final show on Wilco's recent US tour, at the UIC Pavilion in their hometown of Chicago, JamBase's Cal Roach said the band was "clearly having a blast."
He credits Nels Cline with bringing "an experimental jazz sensibility to nearly every jam, making rock & roll turn its head and go, 'Where have you been all my life?'" He also insists: "This isn't to say anybody in the band was overshadowed," lauding each member of the sextet for his performance.
With the live set covering much of the band's most recent Nonesuch release, Wilco (the album), Roach found that "As with all great live bands, the new material burst to new life, with the show prompting a total reconsideration of the new album." He cites as an example one album track in particular: "Nothing shook me harder than 'One Wing,'" he writes. "Aching harmonies and just enough soaring interplay by the whole ensemble create a concise, yearning anthem that will break your heart."
The complete concert review can be found at jambase.com.
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Nels Cline recently spoke with Paste magazine about the band's latest release and taking its songs on the road.
"I think when playing with Wilco, there’s a certain aspect to it that I guess is kind of classic rock ‘n’ roll pageantry," he says. "You’ve got lights blinking and changing color and you’ve got a big sound system. And then there’s just the force of the sound itself; we’re not pushing a million watts on stage or anything, but it’s a lot of sound. And there’s grooving involved. So, I feel that in my whole body."
You can read the interview at pastemagazine.com.
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