Wilco and Solid Sound 2015

Wow, I have been terrible about blogging my musical thoughts and journeys. Part of the reason might be that music had dropped off from it's lofty position of interest during a very personal struggle over the past months. I am hopeful that attending Solid Sound 2015 will play a part in the journey back to a happy part of my life.

Solid Sound from the back of Joe's Field, close to the food (behind camera)

Solid Sound has taken place in 2010, 2011, 2013 and now 2015. It is a music festival that takes place in North Adams, Massachusetts on the ground of MASS MoCA (the Massachusetts museum of contemporary art). MASS MoCA is a fantastic place, a reconditioned huge factory that sprawls along the Hoosic River through this old, former industrial, town.
Solid Sound was created and continues to be curated by the band Wilco. They are a band that mostly hails from Chicago. They have made some fantastic recordings, written a ton of great songs and have been a part of my and my family's life for years and years. Our fandom began with the recording Mermaid Avenue (June 1998) which was a project that saw Wilco and the English folk singer Billy Bragg take lyrics of Woody Guthrie's that had never been set to music in Woody's life and create songs from them. The Mermaid Avenue project has been only one of the things that Woody's daughter Nora has pursued to keep the musical legacy of Woody Guthrie alive and flourishing.
If you do not know who Woody Guthrie was, well, American folk musical legend is understating it...

I have always been a searcher when exploring the world of music. If you find a band or a singer happy to explore a particular genre, I can appreciate, but get restless. I can drop by for a taste, but will resist regular visits. I don't want the music to just be a form of wallpaper.
To me the beauty of radio is that a great DJ can construct a tour of music that is firmly in the "drop by for a taste" category. However the tragedy of radio is that they completely miss a band such as Wilco. The more you taste them the more you understand they are not appetizers to sample but the whole meal.
 My deep affection for Wilco and Jeff Tweedy could be their "shape-shifter' approach to music. They can explore roots music such as classic country and folk (they don't simply revive Woody Guthrie, they bring him beautifully into the modern) and they are the kings of alt-country. Jeff Tweedy can write and sings songs of stunning elegance and simplicity.  Some Wilco songs have more than a touch of gospel, sometimes they have delved deeply into experimental sounds with a rock format, sometimes they make you laugh and sometimes they make you cry. I have always found them worth listening to and their concerts never let you down. Hell, they raise you up and float you away.

If you don't want to take my word for it...
The Guardian

The New York Times   wrote recently about Solid Sound

And The Atlantic wrote a few years back, claiming that Wilco's album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" was the best of recent times......now who am I to argue?