Tweedy Takes Austin
Jeff Tweedy's Austin City Limits taping becomes a family affair
For a town that claims Wilco as a second son, Austin has enjoyed its fair share of time spent with Jeff Tweedy and company. Friday night though, the man in denim gave us two firsts, an Austin City Limits taping without the backing of his Wilco band mates and an introduction to material from his forthcoming album Sukierae, played by a new troupe simply named, “Tweedy,” featuring his son Spencer on drums and childhood friend, bassist Darin Gray.
The evening’s 27-song set was neatly split between well-received tunes from the new album with lush background vocals, care of guests Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius, and well-worn Wilco and Uncle Tupelo favorites that Mr. Tweedy delivered mostly solo. Watching Mr. Tweedy work the raucous Austin crowd, you wonder if the man could just have easily enjoyed success as a stand-up comedian. Commenting on why it took him more than 30 years to write a solo album, Tweedy quipped, “It took me 18 years to grow a drummer.”