MUSIC

Verizon Wireless Theater presents Wilco.  (With special guest Smith Westerns).

Wilco rose from the ashes of one of the most respected alt-country groups of the 1990s, Uncle Tupelo, to emerge as a celebrated (and far more popular) act in their own right. Led by frontman Jeff Tweedy, Wilco have evolved from a country-rock band into an eclectic indie-rock collective that touches on many eras and genres in their music: ‘70s rock, country, Beach Boys-style pop, noise-rock and folk. As a result, no two Wilco albums sound the same, much to the delight of a fan base who embrace the band’s musical adventurism.

After the disbanding of seminal alt.country band Uncle Tupelo in 1994, Tupelo co-founder Jeff Tweedy organized Wilco with three of his Uncle Tupelo bandmates. Based in Chicago, the band has released a slew of CDs, each of which stretches the boundaries of outlaw country and good, old fashioned Americana folk-rock.

In addition to their work together as a band, Wilco's members have all pursued several solo and side projects, and have collaborated with Billy Bragg on one of the best tribute albums to Woody Guthrie—Mermaid Avenue.

Nonetheless, in their workings as a unit, Wilco's musicianship is among the best and tightest in their genre (whichever one they happen to be toying with at the time), and Tweedy's lyrics run from irony to brash honesty. While much of the group's aesthetic roots are in alt.country (as was the affiliation of Uncle Tupelo), Tweedy's influence and the revolving line-up of band members has inspired them more in the direction of roots rock and more edgy areas of Americana.

Solo, Tweedy treads more on the folk side of things, with live performances that call to mind a mid-1960s Bob Dylan or any of his contemporaries.