Treating your audience like thieves is absurd. Anyone who chooses to listen to our music becomes a collaborator. People who look at music as commerce don’t understand that. They are talking about pieces of plastic they want to sell, packages of intellectual property. I’m not interested in selling pieces of plastic. -Jeff Tweedy, in a Wired interview
Having just watched Austin City Limits tonight, which featured (dare I say, the best American rock band presently playing) Wilco, I am inspired, again, and moved, as always.
Sky Blue Sky, their most recent album that came out in mid-May, makes me laugh, sometimes weep, and always swoon. It fully engages me, that creative masterpiece of an album.
In the spirit of inspiration, music, pursuit of passion and doing what you love, I announce a Wilco appreciation week. With 6 studio albums under their belt*, I think I will look at one album a day. The weekend can serve as, perhaps, a Wilco-inspired, art producing collective – open to all that care to produce art and share it – inspired by Wilco. Or something…
The present members of Wilco are:
(The 2 original members)
Jeff Tweedy – lead singer and guitarist
John Stirratt – bassist
(and the gloriously talented additions)
Nels Cline – guitarist
Glenn Kotche – percussion
Pat Sansone – multi-instrumentalist
Mikael Jorgensen – pianist
and YOU, the listener
*not including their live album, and Mermaid Avenue’s collaborations w/ Billy Bragg, collaboration w/ minus 5, and various EP’s.