Tweedy brings solo act to State

By Alyssa Herter

Photo Courtesy of Charles Harris

Western Herald

Forty-one-year-old Jeff Tweedy was born in Belleville, Ill. and has lived in the Chicago area his whole life. He married former booking agent Sue Miller in 1995 and together they have two sons, the oldest of which began pursuing music as the drummer for a teen band, The Blisters, in 2003.

Tweedy began playing with a rockabilly band, The Plebes, in the early 1980s.  The band broke up in 1994 after undergoing a few name changes and artistic differences.

Tweedy called together a new band that same year, this time met with much greater success as Wilco took off bound for international fame and two Grammy Awards.

“Wilco was one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live, I’d be curious to see how his music translates to a solo performance,” Western Michigan University senior and Psychology major Jeremy Ruggles said.
Wilco has an impressive discography, which includes the 2004 double-Grammy winner “A Ghost Is Born,” and Grammy nominated 2007 “Sky Blue Sky.” Wilco has begun recording their seventh album in their Chicago studio, The Loft. They plan to release the album on the label Nonesuch Records this spring.

In May, the band heads for Spain and their first ever tour of Portugal. They also plan to tour the United States and play summer music festivals including the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, Minn., this July. Before Wilco gets busy touring though, Kalamazoo receives the rare opportunity to catch a solo performance by its front man, Tweedy.

Tweedy has received two Grammy Awards including one for Best Alternative Album for Wilco’s “A Ghost is Born.”  He has also released a DVD of solo performances and a book of poems titled “Adult Head.”

“He’s a pretty transformative guy, his music that he creates just kind of sends you to another place,” Kalamazoo Valley Community College photography major Adam Zimont said.  “It’s pretty solid.  He’s a brilliant songwriter with lots of years ahead of him.  I think he’s gonna be one of the greats for sure, of this generation.”

Tweedy’s musical style has been related to that of Neil Young. His instrument of choice is the acoustic guitar, which accompanies his thoughtful lyrics and emotion-laden tempos. His music can be called experimental folk.

“I think he’s brilliant,” Kalamazoo native Kelsey Buffenbarger said.  “He seems really down to earth, and I don’t know that for sure, it’s just everything I’ve ever heard and everything I’ve ever seen.  His solo stuff is pretty legit.”

Any folk-music fan should seize the opportunity to experience this new American legend perform on a small-town stage. See Jeff Tweedy perform at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $27.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Jan 29 2009. Filed under A & E, Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
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