Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar’s departure. Wilco’s lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation.
Since early 2004, the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche.
Wilco has released nine studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with Billy Bragg and one with The Minus 5.
Wilco’s music has been inspired by a wide variety of artists and styles, including Bill Fay, The Beatles and Television, and has in turn influenced music by a number of modern alternative rock acts. The band continued in the alternative country of Uncle Tupelo on its debut album A.M. (1995), but has since introduced more experimental aspects to their music, including elements of alternative rock and classic pop. Wilco’s musical style has evolved from a 1990s country rock sound to a current “eclectic indie rock collective that touches on many eras and genres.”
Wilco garnered media attention for its fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002), and the controversy surrounding it. After the recording sessions were complete, Reprise Records rejected the album and dismissed Wilco from the label. As part of a buy-out deal, Reprise gave Wilco the rights to the album for free. After streaming Foxtrot on its website, Wilco sold the album to Nonesuch Records in 2002.
Both record labels are subsidiaries of Warner Music Group, leading one critic to say the album showed “how screwed up the music business is in the early twenty-first century.” Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is Wilco’s most successful release to date, selling over 670,000 copies. Wilco won two Grammy Awards for their fifth studio album, 2004’s A Ghost Is Born, including Best Alternative Music Album. Wilco’s secondmost recent studio album, Star Wars, was released on July 16, 2015.
Schmilco, streeted September 9, 2016. Schmilco’s subtle intricacies provide cover for a series of vignettes of dreamers in various degrees of resignation. From the song titles — “Nope,” “Cry All Day,” “Someone to Lose,” “Shrug and Destroy” — down to the lyrics, Schmilco bleeds sadness. “Evicted” and “Meant to Be” are from the new record Cousins (out 9/29/2023)
Hot Sun Cool Shroud, the new EP was released late June 2024. Wilco culled tracks from recent sessions and are releasing the EP to coincide with this year’s Solid Sound Festival, where concertgoers will have first dibs on exclusive vinyl before it gets a wider release later this year. This feels like the first time the band has crafted an EP as a coherent statement with the purpose, if not the weight, of a full LP.
Members:
Jeff Tweedy – lead vocals, rhythm, acoustic and lead guitars, bass, harmonica
John Stirratt – bass, backing vocals
Glenn Kotche – drums, percussion
Mikael Jorgensen – Samples and Sound Manipulation (2002–2004), keyboards, synthesizers, effects, piano, organ
Nels Cline – lead guitar, loops, lap steel
Pat Sansone – keyboards, rhythm and lead guitars, backing vocals, synthesizers, maracas, tambourine
Discography:
A.M. (1995)
Being There (1996)
Summerteeth (1999)
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
A Ghost Is Born (2004)
Sky Blue Sky (2007)
Wilco (The Album) (2009)
The Whole Love (2011)
Star Wars (2015)
Schmilco (2016)
Ode to Joy (2019)
Cruel Country (2022)
Cousin (2023)
Hot Sun Cool Shroud(2024)
Ref: wiki/Wilco
Website: Wilcoworld.net
Youtube Channel: Wilco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5OTJBuUr0o