Having already toured the western part of our country with one of my favourites — Death Cab For Cutie — in tow, Neil Young starts the eastern leg this Saturday in Halifax with my other fave, Wilco, ridin' shotgun. And though I'll be away when the tour stops here for a two night home stand Dec. 4 and 5, I most definitely will be there in spirit. With that in mind here's three "what's up with Wilcos" :
1, Filmmaker Matt Bissonnette once again turns to a great song for his new film's title. This time it's the fan fave "Passenger Side" off Wilco's 1995 debut A.M. The film, slated for a 2009 release, follows two brothers spending the day driving around LA searching for meaning in their lives. Adam Scott — who, along with Lukas Haas, starred in Bissonnette's award winning 2006 film, Who Loves the Sun, is back along with the Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli and Robin Tunney, who is oh so cute in TV's new hottest show, The Mentalist.
2. Wilco, along with KT Tunstall, are among the invited guests joining returnees Johnny Marr and Radiohead's Ed O'brien and Phil Selway for Neil Finn's second Seven Worlds Collide project. The original 2001 live CD/DVD is Finn's creative tour de force. The group will gather down under in early January to record and also sneak in some live shows Jan. 5-7 at The Powerstation on Mt. Eden Road in Auckland, NZ.
3. While we'll debate best-of lists in a few weeks, Wilco and Fleet Foxes' reading of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released is one of this year's magical moments. The bands offered the tune up to fans as a free download earlier this fall in exchange for the promise of voting in the US Election. Now that's what I call ordering online.
Listen to Dave Bookman Monday to Friday, 2pm-7pm, on 102.1 The Edge.