There are some killer new arrivals over at Red Onion Records and Books. First off, there’s the reissue on vinyl (!) of the Raincoats’ classic debut album. The store has also got in new pressings from Folkways, the new Atlas Sound LP (pictured) as well as Cedric Brooks, Albert Ayler, Arthur Russell, Sun Ra, Wilco, and a killer soul-funk comp.

Used vinyl list after the jump.

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Two things about Son Volt’s new album, American Central Dust, to start: First, there’s little here Son Volt hasn’t shown us before. Second, it’s one of the best albums I’ve heard this year.

The record finds Jay Farrar back on the road, searching for meaning beneath America’s fingernails. He gives us grainy portraits of Rust-Belt Americans, portrayed with such reverence that one might imagine Farrar as a candidate for elective office were his paeans not so genuine (and irreligious). And Son Volt, which rose (like Uncle Tupelo before it) from the dust of troubadours, describes the land in the same terms as its forebears, and often from the same perspective: the seat of a moving vehicle, with America whizzing past the window.

Read More “Album Review: American Central Dust, by Son Volt” »

Here’s what our dear, dear Jule Banville–just gimme a sec to dry my eyes–had to say about tonight’s musical offering at the Rock & Roll Hotel:

If Elizabeth and the Catapult hit its debut a touch sooner—and landed an iPod commercial, of course—it’d be Elizabeth Ziman, and not Leslie Fiest, singing with Tweedy on the new Wilco album. Instead, Ziman’s folksy, jazzy chamber-pop trio has built a loyal downtown following in New York, where Ziman grew up, and packed the Red and the Black last month at the start of the Taller Children tour.

JESUS! Did somebody say WILCO? WILCO ALERT! Lizzie and her Cat-o-pole playing music after the jump. Show deets right this way.

Read More “Tonight in City Lights: Elizabeth and the Catapult @ the Rock & Roll Hotel” »

The critical buzz around Wilco’s latest, self-titled album has centered on the notion of identity. Some have heralded Wilco (the album) as a reclamation of the insouciance of the band’s early albums, while others—particularly City Paper’s own Aaron Leitko—have described it as a tour of the band’s sonic arc over the last decade. But aside the reflexivism of its latest studio release, Wilco at Wolf Trap on Wednesday reiterated what might be the band’s most enduring legacy: its ability to put on one hell of a live show.

Read More “Wilco (The Lovefest) @ Wolf Trap” »

Steve Kolowich has a full review of Wilco’s sold-out show at Wolf Trap last night coming tomorrow; here are some photos to tide you over while you wait. (There’s probably some unwritten rule against starting a post about Wilco with anyone but Jeff Tweedy, but so be it—above, guitarist Nels Cline.) Also, my one thought from the show: I realized that Wilco can play as many songs I hate from Sky Blue Sky as they want; if “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” is part of the encore as it was last night, I’ll leave happy.

More after the jump and at the full photoset.

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John Stirratt joined legendary alternative country pioneers Uncle Tupelo as a bass player in 1993 for their final release, Anondyne. After Uncle Tupelo’s ugly divorce, Jeff Tweedy was awarded custody of Stirratt and they went on to form the much-lauded Wilco.

In a band that used to have a reputation for shedding members, Stirratt has remained a steady force on bass and vocals while collaborating on every Wilco release. He has also pursued other projects, such as a 2004 album with his sister Laurie Stirratt of Blue Mountain, and the band Autumn Defense with his Wilco band mate Pat Sansone.

City Paper spoke with Stirratt about Wilco’s seventh studio album, Wilco (the Album) to be released on June 30. The band is scheduled to perform at Wolf Trap on July 8 with Connor Oberst.

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Wilco’s new album leaked yesterday, a month and a half ahead of its release date–which actually isn’t bad, considering the band’s last two albums leaked two months prematurely, and the one before that slipped out nine months earlier than planned. But album leaks don’t seem to piss off frontman Jeff Tweedy nearly as much as audience members chatting during live shows or band members asking for backpay, and Wilco reacted coolly by streaming the whole album on its Web site. (Link after jump…)

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For some reason, everybody wants to make a movie about Wilco. The Chicago based band has been the subject of, or at played a significant role in, two full-length documentaries already. And during most of that screen time, the band is grumpy. Remember the scene in The Man In The Sand where singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy insists that Mermaid Avenue, Wilco’s collaborative album with Billy Bragg, be re-christened Hard Feelings? Remember watching him roll his eyes while former guitarist Jay Bennett dithered with the mixing board in I Am Trying to Break Your Heart?

But Trixie DVD, the film production company founded by Brendan Canty (formerly of Fugazi) and Christoph Green, has had the good luck to catch the band in a better mood and, as a result, its contributions to the Wilco-film genre–including the Jeff Tweedy solo-tour DVD Sunken Treasure–have been among the finest.

This Saturday Ashes of American Flags, Trixie DVD’s recently completed Wilco concert film, will have its DC premiere as part of the DC International Film Festival. Canty and Green were kind enough to speak with Washington City Paper about making the film, the reasons that they love Wilco, and why the band is less grumpy these days.

Interview after the jump:
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Music fans and demolition aficionados alike are already well aware of filmmaker Brendan Canty (of Fugazi fame) and Christoph Green’s Burn to Shine DVD series–which generally involves the duo traveling to a city, getting a bunch of bands to perform in a house, then videotaping that house as it’s getting knocked down by city authorities.

However, their latest project, feature-length Wilco concert film Ashes of American Flags,
involves more concert footage and less out-and-out destruction. The film will be screened Saturday night at The Avalon at 7 pm, as part of the DC International Film Festival (There is a second screening on April 25 at 4:30pm), should you want to check it out. If you’d rather enjoy it in the comfort of your own home, there’s a chance that you can just drop by your local independent record store and buy it on DVD as part of Record Store Day.

Read More “Wilco DVD Release @ Comet Ping Pong” »

You haven’t had enough of the lists yet, have you? Good. Here’s one more quick one: my list of favorite shows of the year, mostly in D.C. but also ranging north to Baltimore and south to Charlottesville (links all lead to photos):

1. St. Vincent at Rock & Roll Hotel, February 26
2. Nels Cline Singers at the Paramount Theater, June 6
3. Tim Berne’s Bloodcount at An Die Musik, February 9
4. Amanda Palmer at the 9:30 Club, November 18
5. Wilco at Lyric Opera House, December 14
6. Salome at DC9, August 10
7. Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin at Blues Alley, March 3
8. Earth at Rock & Roll Hotel, May 4
9. Nobu Stowe at George Washington University, September 7
10. Evangelista at Velvet Lounge, April 16
11. Boris at the Black Cat, July 8
12. Škampa Quartet & Iva Bittová at the Library of Congress, April 11
13. Dälek at Rock & Roll Hotel, February 27
14. Kamelot at Jaxx, October 16
15. Woven Hand at Iota, October 17