Tag Archives: Wilco

On Indiana, Wilco and Jim Nabors

FreedomMost of the time, I just write about the music. It’s why you come here, so I’m aware I need to stay on topic. A few times over the years I’ve veered off course; most notably when a college student attending the University of Virginia went missing from a Metallica concert a few years back. As a parent, I found myself deeply affected by the anguish that Morgan Harrington’s family was going through, so I wrote an article about her, posted it here, and hoped for the best. The story was all over the news and social media. But I thought any additional exposure might be helpful – who knows, maybe there was a reader from Virginia who might have seen something or have information to share. I know, it was naive of me. But I had to say something.

Indiana. It’s been hard to miss the news about this state. They passed a law a few weeks ago. At first glance, it was not unlike a federal law passed by both the Democrats and Republicans back in the early 1990s called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. A bunch of other states have passed a version, too. (And like most laws, it’s complex and I’m not going to spend my time nor yours in explaining it here. Go forth and Google.)

What you need to know is that the Indiana legislature decided to add a little extra kick to their version of the RFRA, resulting in what would have amounted to permissible discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. And, while the talking heads on cable news might make it sound like it’s about the right to not sell pizza that might be eaten at a gay wedding, or the right to refuse to bake a cake on which you have to write “Congratulations Carol and Anna” in frosting, because it goes against your religious beliefs, that’s the smoke and mirrors around the topic. The topic itself is singular: intolerance.

By now you probably know what happened. Titans of technology united with barons of business to stand up against discrimination. Cities and states quickly passed laws of their own condemning Indiana. There was talk that the NCAA might pull the Final Four tournament out of Indianapolis. And Wilco cancelled an upcoming show and issued this statement on their Facebook page:

“We are canceling our May 7 show at the Murat in Indianapolis. The ‘Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act’ feels like thinly disguised legal discrimination to us. Hope to get back to the Hoosier State someday soon, when this odious measure is repealed.”

There were a few other musicians who raised their voices as well. Can you guess who? Miley Cyrus was probably one of the most vocal on her Twitter account, and she publicly supported Wilco’s decision. REM’s Michael Stipe posted a video saying he loved the people of Indiana but the governor could go “F” himself. And in a letter to the Indianapolis Star, Indiana native John Mellencamp wrote:

“I am not questioning the sincerity of those who believe they have acted in the interests of religious freedom, but I am resolutely stating my opposition to this misnamed and ill-conceived law. It is discriminatory, hurtful, and a stain on Indiana’s national reputation.”

Mellencamp distanced himself from Wilco’s decision by adding that he would continue with planned shows in Indiana because he doesn’t want to let the government come between him and his fans from his native state. Meanwhile, a group of Indiana-based indie record labels (including Sufjan Stevens’ Asthmatic Kitty Records and members of the Secretly Group) signed a press release aligning themselves with civil liberties and the LGBT community but urging the artists not to cancel their scheduled live performances in order to achieve the abolition of the law:

“To musicians with events scheduled in Indiana – please follow through and perform. While canceling shows is one way to protest, a greater statement can be made by coming here and using your art to influence the policy debate that is occurring locally. You can insist that the venue you play publicly states that they will not discriminate under any circumstances. If the venue won’t do that, rebook your show with another venue that will. Your performance can be a rally. We need your support locally.”

So then, what about Wilco? Did they jump the gun or help further publicize the damage this law could have done? Seeing as, in a matter of days, the law was re-worked, and the governor of Arkansas chose not to sign a similar law there, it seems the voice of that band, along with all the others, was loud enough to be heard.

On April 3, Wilco took to Facebook again:

We consider the changes to Indiana’s RFRA a good first step toward creating the sort of welcoming environment we encourage everywhere, so we’re reinstating our May 7 show at The Murat, which we canceled earlier this week. To quote an Indiana University statement from yesterday, ‘religious liberty and equal protection under the law are both cornerstones of our democracy and they should not be in conflict with each other.’ Well said, IU.

While a small battle may have been won, victory for human rights is too far to view. Look no further than the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and contrast it with what’s been happening in Ferguson, MO, 51 years later: laws alone will not change people, their beliefs, or their actions. While public opinion has tilted in favor of supporting gay marriage and equality, and with the US Supreme Court expected to rule on those rights later this year, there will still remain a large group of people in America who will use whatever power they can to sway both the political and cultural opinion.

Of all that I have read or heard this past week, it was an op-ed piece in the Washington Post from the most unlikely person imaginable that I have found truly hopeful. Change comes incrementally, and here’s an example. This is what Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, wrote to his party:

“As an American, I’m incredibly concerned about what happened in Indiana this week and the threat of similar laws being passed in other states. As a Republican, I’m furious.

I know plenty of Republicans who are sensible and driven to solve problems for America. They believe in Reagan’s vision of a big tent where everyone is welcome. This message isn’t for them. It is for Republicans who choose the politics of division over policies that improve the lives of all of us. It is for Republicans who have decided to neglect the next generation of voters. It is for Republicans who are fighting for laws that fly in the face of equality and freedom.”

Should you have made it this far, it’s time for the music.

Back in the 1960s and ’70s, an actor from Alabama by the name of Jim Nabors portrayed the character Gomer Pyle, first on the Andy Griffith Show and then his own hit show. In addition to being a television star, he also had a deep baritone voice and released a number of albums, many that were full of spiritual songs. On January 15, 2013, one month after same-sex marriage became legal in Washington State, Nabors married his partner of 38 years, Stan Cadwallader, in Seattle.

Nabors is also well known for singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” prior to the start of the Indianapolis 500, held annually over the Memorial Day weekend. Except for a few absences due to health or other conflicts, he sang the unofficial Indiana anthem every year from 1972 until his final appearance there in 2014. Listen to the cheers as he’s announced. Watch the crowd give him a standing ovation at the end. Indiana is a state full of good people, in spite of the political and religious intolerance we witnessed that propelled them onto the front page.

It’s nice to know that Wilco will be there, too, so their voices and music can soar through the fear and hate.

This was originally published by No Depression, as an Easy Ed’s Broadside column. 

The Long Road To Wilco

Wilco 2011/commons.wikimedia.org

I should warn you in advance: take the title to this piece seriously. I’m gonna talk about Wilco, but it’s going to take me a while to get there.

Getting Rid Of Books

Books. It’s a weakness. While sometimes I can nurse one for a week or two, at other times I devour them by the handful as if they were M&Ms. They do tend to take up a lot of room, especially since I prefer the weight and heft of a hardcover, and it’s possibly the only media format that I want and hope to keep off of an electronic device. So I have some bookshelves, and I use crates and plastic bins to hold the rest.

This week I decided to thin the herd. A bunch. Lots. Have you tried to do that lately? When I carted a few hundred downtown last summer to The Strand, one of Manhattan’s largest, oldest and best bookstores, they sniffed through them and plucked out three for the keeping. Feeling generous, I told them with a smile that I’d be pleased to donate the rest. They laughed. I left with them.

Not wanting to suffer the same humiliation, this time I called my local library. Almost every library these days have “friends”…folks who take in ‘gently used’ books and sell them at the occasional book fair or in small dark and musty rooms…all in hope of raising money so they can buy new ones, or it goes to local community programs. I like that idea.

We have lots of libraries in our area. The first one I called told me that they were booked up…try again next year. The second said I was two weeks too late, but offered a list of other possible candidates. It became clear after a few calls that the friends of libraries didn’t need nor want my books. The friends have too many friends. But on a much happier note, I discovered a local women’s club that accepts and distributes them throughout the county, to homeless shelters, safe houses and halfway homes. Places where people don’t have many resources, and might enjoy the intellectual stimulation that words on paper can offer.

As I pulled up to the drop off zone, I was greeted by a large sign that talked a bit about what the organization did, and then they added this note: Please Leave Only Recent Fiction And No Text Books. Now that was a line that stumped me. Describe ‘recent’. One could assume that Capote, Hemingway, Kerouac and Twain were recent, compared to Cavendish, Defoe or Malory. Or perhaps they were inundated with too many books by those mass paperback authors such as James Patterson or Stephen King, who seem to release new books every month. It boggled my mind.

So I left everything there. Figured they would sort it out. I’ll do another run next week.

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

I’ve been enjoying the latest release from Bonnie “Prince” Billy called Singer’s Grave – A Sea of Tongues. Turns out that it’s not new at all, as it features a reworking of nine tunes that appeared on his Wolfroy Goes To Town album from a few years back. However, for those of you who enjoy the more country side of (what do you call him…Bonnie, Prince, Billy or Will), especially when he was doing all those Palace albums, this will likely be a treat. With the addition of gospel singers the McCrary Sisters and Earl’s nephew Chris Scruggs on mandolin and uke, it’s a solid offering from one of the more strange but talented men I’ve come across. Whatever you call him.

The Young Sinclairs

Another interesting album comes out on a UK label called Ample Play Records and is titled This Is The Young Sinclairs. Hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountains’ community of Roanoke Virginia, YS comes out of the Magic Twig Community; like-minded musicians operating their own recording studio, deep in the woods where they have produced and engineered all their recordings. A sort of sixties-garage/jingle-jangle band sound, often with a twelve string guitar at the center of the mix, this sextet has been releasing CD-Rs, cassettes and vinyl since 2005. This particular release, via download and vinyl, is a compilation and sample of odds and ends.

The Road To WIlco Ends Here

Although it’s been twenty years or so since they’ve been around, I’ve only seen Wilco twice. The first time was this past summer at the Newport Festival where they failed to hold my attention beyond a few songs, and last week in the middle of a three-night run at the famed Capitol Theater in Port Chester. It was a much more captivating experience, but less so for the music and more for the spectacle and smell of money in the air. Wilco is one, well-oiled machine.

Although I own almost everything Wilco has released minus the Roadcase stuff, here’s a little secret: I don’t listen to most of their music. I gravitate to stuff like the Mermaid Avenue sessions with Billy Bragg, the quieter songs like I’m featuring here, and sometimes the audio download from Tweedy’s mostly-solo DVD Sunken Treasure. When the band gets too loud, I shut down.

If you liked Uncle Tupelo, read No Depression and told people you were into alt-country, didn’t you also have to worship Jeff Tweedy as well? Had I been wiser back in 1996, I might not have missed a Peter Blackstock article/interview he published in Issue #5 that would have explained it all for me.

Here’s an excerpt:”In the back of my mind, I was still wanting Uncle Tupelo fans to like me,” Tweedy says of the days that followed the UT split in June 1994. “That wasn’t a thought that I allowed myself to say out loud; I just kind of recognized it later. And that’s not really me. I never dug that whole somber approach to making music. I think it’s bullshit. I think it should be fun. Music is entertainment. It can be serious, it can be sad, but for the most part, I want to feel better, and I want to feel good when I’m doing it.”

Twenty years later, entertainment is exactly what Wilco shows are about.

A mostly-male audience of thirty and forty-somethings, they seem to know every song, every lyric and respond as you would expect a well-schooled classic rock audience to behave…cheering in the right places, laughing at the stage patter, holding up lighters or cell phones. (A personal note to Nels and Jeff: Changing out your guitars for every single song was really annoying. Buy a Snark tuner for $12.95, fire the guitar techs, and stick to one or two per show.)

While they now gross in excess of ten million a year in ticket sales, they also have a kick ass website that creates community involvement with their fan base, and they sell merchandise that varies from the usual apparel and posters to dog collars, baby stuff and beverage coasters.

And Tweedy has zero issues with licensing music as often and whenever he can. Last year in a Chicago Sun Times post, he said :“I think about telling my dad, who worked for 46 years on the railroad, ‘Somebody offered me $100,000 to put my song in a movie, and I said no because it’s a stupid movie.’ He would want to kill me,” Tweedy says. “The idea of selling out is only understandable to people of privilege.”

So you not get the wrong idea, all of this is simpatico with me. In fact, I think it’s damn smart to run your art like a business, because it is. There’s some lessons to be learned here. And with all the baggage the man might carry, I’m guessing that these days Tweedy’s retirement portfolio is looking just fine.

This article was originally published as an Easy Ed’s Broadside column over at No Depression: The Journal of Roots Music.

Many of my past columns, articles, and essays can be accessed here at my own site, therealeasyed.com. I also aggregate news and videos on both Flipboard and Facebook as The Real Easy Ed: Americana and Roots Music Daily. My Twitter handle is @therealeasyed and my email address is easyed@therealeasyed.com.