Having someone foundational to modern indie rock stop by for a visit is beyond special. Even more so if it’s a first visit. Even more so if it’s Jeff Tweedy.
Looking through the Radio Milwaukee archives, we could find no evidence of him ever having set foot in our space (past or current). So the vibe in the building prior to his Wednesday afternoon Studio Milwaukee Session was akin to a cool uncle you’ve only heard stories about but never met showing up to Thanksgiving dinner.
In that vein, there was a push-pull between maintaining a respectfully awed distance and asking all the questions. Because we’re a professional outfit, we opted for the former and let Jon Adler be our surrogate for the latter during the mid-session interview. The most pressing query:
What was up with the camel at Mader’s? (Followed closely by: How difficult was it to get the camel to wear a party hat?)
“I just had this idea of having a birthday party for an elephant or a camel or something, and I thought that would make a nice album cover,” Tweedy explained before adding with a laugh, “I don’t know why.”
Unraveling album-cover mysteries was a pleasant diversion, but the capacity crowd that extended well beyond our performance space was there to see Tweedy and his family-laden backing band — which includes sons Spencer and Sammy — do their thing. They had an exceptionally large selection of songs at their disposal, courtesy of recently released triple album Twilight Override.
A few hours before taking the stage at the Pabst Theater, the three Tweedys (Threedys?) and company unfurled a trio of tracks from the record, plus a bonus encore for the many Radio Milwaukee members in attendance. Considering the man in the middle would’ve delighted the crowd even if he showed up solo and sung along to a Radio Shack tape recorder, the gloriously full sound of six musicians on our stage made an already special occasion a truly memorable one.
You can relive the broadcast portion of Jeff Tweedy’s Studio Milwaukee Session — including memories of the Portlandia writer’s room and his many adventures with fellow Illinoisan Nick Offerman — via the player at the top of the page. And if you want to guarantee yourself a spot for the next one, become a Radio Milwaukee member today.
Studio MKE: Jeff Tweedy set list
- “Out in the Dark”
- “Lou Reed Was My Babysitter”
- “Enough”
- “This Is How It Ends” (non-broadcast performance)
