Wilco return to Spain Cruel Country (2022), personal vision of the country by the sextet led Jeff Tweedyperformed this Thursday Alicante Arena. Drummer Glenn Kocheone of the group’s seniors is on the phone from Chicago, home of a group that has created these masterpieces: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001), A Ghost Is Born (2004) or sky blue sky (2007).
Do you like playing in Spain?
Spain is where Wilco is most successful outside of the United States. We all love it in the band and get excited whenever we find out we’re going to play there. The people, the food, the environment, the culture… We are very excited to be back because Spain is like our second home.
Is it easy to bring an album like Cruel Countryrecorded entirely with live footage?
Yes, it’s probably the easiest of all our recent albums to turn it into a concert because we recorded it that way, with minimal studio additions or enhancements, basically as the sound of a band playing simultaneously in the same place. When I started playing these songs live, it was very easy to stage them, it was very natural.
a review Cruel Country He told The New York Times that “some of the best moments on the album were wordless.” [instrumentales].
I hope Jeff [Tweedy] I didn’t read [risas].
But that’s a compliment to you and the other musicians in the band.
Yes… [risas]. I had not read. Actually what I like the most Cruel Country are letters. Maybe my favorite part of the album. I think those are the best words Jeff has ever made. Some of these songs make me emotional every time I listen to them. We didn’t want to mess around with the edits, we didn’t think too much about them. Sometimes when Wilco songs come out they are born more like traditional folk songs and from there we process them, dress them and sing them differently from a folk song. Cruel Country We didn’t try to do that: we had the song, we saw which part made the most sense, and we did it. This shines a light on Jeff’s glowing lyrics. But what The New York Times is talking about is also great, because there are instrumental parts that we play together as a band, these are special live moments, it hasn’t been tampered with, it’s nice to hear this review.
Speaking of words, one of the songs Cruel Country He speaks of “a stupid and cruel country”. You lived in Europe, specifically Finland for a year. Did it give you another perspective on your country?
One of the great things about being a musician is that you travel a lot. At Wilco we’ve all been traveling to Europe since the mid-nineties, taking this perspective in small doses. But spending my time in Finland and getting more involved in the country’s infrastructure and how things work rather than just visiting it makes you see that America is a big and messy country. [risas]. Sometimes things work better in smaller countries, where, I don’t know, maybe there’s more of a sense of unity or community and it’s easier to get everyone to cooperate. That song talks about America as a little boy who would misbehave and turn everything upside down, but he also has qualities that you love, that are cute, and that make you love him instead of leaving him. I think it has this double edge. The United States is a big, rebellious country, there is always chaos.
How is the songwriting process at Wilco? Do all members contribute or does Jeff Tweedy carry the finished songs?
Depends on which song. Inside cruel Country, At the very least, since it’s more collaborative and we’re all in the same place, there was plenty of room to comment on things like “we should add this layer here” or “this could have been better played, let’s do it again”. Other times, when the final ideas come out, we have some songs recorded six months ago and it’s just Jeff and me living in Chicago; Others live all over the country so if something needs to be retouched I’ll do it myself or Jeff because the others are not physically with us. It is not always possible for everyone to be in the same place and time. sky blue sky [2007] was very collaborative, at the time Schmilco [2016] And Star wars [2015] they were less.
Wilco is made up of the same six musicians for nearly two decades, with Nels Cline (guitar) and Pat Sansone (keyboards) joining in 2004. What’s the secret to being together for so long?
The right mix of personalities. While the other five members are great guys that I adore, it’s not easy when you travel and the other member is always with you and spending a lot of time together. The analogy of marriage has been mentioned many times. To a large extent it is. But we are lucky to have the right personality. I was more changeable when I was younger. We all have a common goal, we want to do our best, we are professionals in this regard and we respect each other. Nobody’s a scumbag and that’s how we get along [risas]. If someone is uncomfortable or worried about something, they can talk about it. There are good moments and there are hard moments, but at least for now we can deal with them. i hope it stays like this [risas].
The disappearance of musicians from the stages of big concerts seems to be a trend.
Yes, at some pop and hip hop concerts the band hides to the side of the stage.
Do you think it’s worrying?
Well, that’s what happens for most of these artists. The show is based on production values and star. People don’t go to see the band. I always want to see the band what they’re doing, but I realize that doesn’t always make sense from a production standpoint. People pay hundreds of dollars for a ticket and want to see a show. There are other artists like Billie Eilish who show the band throughout the concert. But yes, as a drummer it’s disappointing, especially when you can’t see it playing.
Wilco influenced many alternative rock bands. Do you perceive these effects in current groups such as The National or The War on Drugs?
This is very proud. I would like to think that these groups were somehow influenced by us, but I would never say. I see some moments in groups, “This group opened for us for a month 18 years ago. [risas] and now they have noisy sections like we do. via Chicago anyone misunderstood“You never know if it’s an effect or if we have similar record collections. [risas]. We can all hear the same things. I hope the younger groups that come after us will appreciate what we have done. It’s an honor to influence other groups. I never think they copied us, I take that as a compliment, we must be doing something right.