2008 Woodie Awards
New Tweedy DVD 'Sunken Treasure' is worth treasuring
Alice N. Park
Issue date: 11/13/06 Section: Music
Wilco frontman and musician extraordinaire Jeff Tweedy has combined forces with Nonesuch Records and Christoph Green and Brendan Canty, in releasing a solo Jeff Tweedy DVD called "Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest." Green and Canty, the creators of the documentary series "Burn To Shine," cover Tweedy's five-day acoustic tour which starts in Seattle, and ends in San Francisco. Released on Oct. 24, the DVD includes live performances and conversations with Tweedy, along with free downloads of all 22 live recordings plus two bonus tracks.
The songs featured on "Sunken Treasure" stem from Tweedy's three bands: Wilco, Uncle Tupelo and Loose Fur. Fellow Wilco guitarist Nels Cline and drummer Glenn Kotche also make guest appearances towards the latter half of the tour.
Although Tweedy's live performances are brilliant, it's the conversations he has with each audience, that are notable. Tweedy is not afraid of getting personal and expresses a more humorous side to his fans; he makes fun of how his rehabilitation was broadcasted on the CNN crawl, and he expresses his feelings about James Frey: he's an ass.
In between each live concert, the film shoots Tweedy and company during their road trip, in which the filmmakers focus on Tweedy's profound comments on the fan-musician relationship.
"To honestly surrender to the idea that you're at someone else's service, it's not all about you. There's a collective experience happening at a rock concert, what I assume would be what church would be like," he says. The line between fan and musician is blurred as Tweedy truly surrenders to his audience by sharing parts of his soul and exposing some vulnerability to those that love his music.
Most of Tweedy's songs are performed with a single acoustic guitar, and although Tweedy's voice and guitar are simple elements, they're quite compelling together.
The two most stellar performances are "How To Fight Loneliness," and "Heavy Metal Drummer," in which Tweedy is joined by Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche. As the audience is both unseen and unheard in "How To Fight Loneliness," Tweedy embodies the loneliness in his song, creating an even more eerily beautiful performance.
In "Heavy Metal Drummer," Tweedy and Kotche seem to bask in each other's presence, and the directors catch the exhilarating atmosphere on film. As Kotche coolly twirls his drumstick, an enthusiastic Tweedy urges him to do it again, and the crowd goes wild. The two musicians are a great pair, and as Tweedy mentions earlier in the film, he and Kotche are indeed "practically married."
The film's 90-minute running time passes by quickly, but the DVD format ensures that the performances will always be readily accessible. "Sunken Treasure" is definitely a Wilco fan's must-have DVD, and it has the potential to turn new listeners into loyal fans. Wilco is currently in their studio in Chicago, recording their follow up to the Grammy-award winning album "A Ghost Is Born," which is due for release in Spring 2007.
The songs featured on "Sunken Treasure" stem from Tweedy's three bands: Wilco, Uncle Tupelo and Loose Fur. Fellow Wilco guitarist Nels Cline and drummer Glenn Kotche also make guest appearances towards the latter half of the tour.
Although Tweedy's live performances are brilliant, it's the conversations he has with each audience, that are notable. Tweedy is not afraid of getting personal and expresses a more humorous side to his fans; he makes fun of how his rehabilitation was broadcasted on the CNN crawl, and he expresses his feelings about James Frey: he's an ass.
In between each live concert, the film shoots Tweedy and company during their road trip, in which the filmmakers focus on Tweedy's profound comments on the fan-musician relationship.
"To honestly surrender to the idea that you're at someone else's service, it's not all about you. There's a collective experience happening at a rock concert, what I assume would be what church would be like," he says. The line between fan and musician is blurred as Tweedy truly surrenders to his audience by sharing parts of his soul and exposing some vulnerability to those that love his music.
Most of Tweedy's songs are performed with a single acoustic guitar, and although Tweedy's voice and guitar are simple elements, they're quite compelling together.
The two most stellar performances are "How To Fight Loneliness," and "Heavy Metal Drummer," in which Tweedy is joined by Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche. As the audience is both unseen and unheard in "How To Fight Loneliness," Tweedy embodies the loneliness in his song, creating an even more eerily beautiful performance.
In "Heavy Metal Drummer," Tweedy and Kotche seem to bask in each other's presence, and the directors catch the exhilarating atmosphere on film. As Kotche coolly twirls his drumstick, an enthusiastic Tweedy urges him to do it again, and the crowd goes wild. The two musicians are a great pair, and as Tweedy mentions earlier in the film, he and Kotche are indeed "practically married."
The film's 90-minute running time passes by quickly, but the DVD format ensures that the performances will always be readily accessible. "Sunken Treasure" is definitely a Wilco fan's must-have DVD, and it has the potential to turn new listeners into loyal fans. Wilco is currently in their studio in Chicago, recording their follow up to the Grammy-award winning album "A Ghost Is Born," which is due for release in Spring 2007.
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