March 16-20, 1992
Encyclopedia
March 16–20, 1992 is the third studio album
by alternative country
band Uncle Tupelo
, released on August 3, 1992. The title refers to the five-day span during which the album was recorded. An almost entirely acoustic recording, the album features original songs and covers of traditional folk songs in near equal number, and was produced by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck
.
Along with the rest of the Uncle Tupelo back catalog, this album was re-released in 2003.
attended an Uncle Tupelo
concert at the 40 Watt Club
in his hometown of Athens
, Georgia
. Buck was particularly impressed with the band's rendition of the Louvin Brothers
' "Great Atomic Power", and contacted the band after the show. Uncle Tupelo singers Jay Farrar
and Jeff Tweedy
exchanged their interests in bluegrass music
with Buck, and decided to collaborate on an acoustic music
project in the future.
Two years later, the alternative rock
of bands such as Nirvana
broke into the mainstream. Farrar was irate about the pressure from the music industry to sound like the trend:
Uncle Tupelo's frustrations with their record label
Rockville Records grew when the label refused to pay the band's royalties for the sales of their first two albums. This resulted in a "nothing-to-lose context" for the recording of a third album. In what was a sharp contrast to the popular music styles at the time, Uncle Tupelo decided to record an album of folk songs.
announced that he intended to leave the band for personal reasons. However, Heidorn wanted to work with Peter Buck, so he agreed to postpone his departure until after the March 16–20, 1992 recording sessions.
The band stayed at Peter Buck's house while in Athens, Georgia to record the album. Buck offered to host the band for free, so that the US$13,500 budget allotted by Rockville could be spent exclusively to pay the fees of the recording studio and audio engineers David Barbe
and John Keane
. Buck encouraged the band to arrange a certain amount of material each night to keep the band on pace. Guitarist Brian Henneman
also contributed with his well-honed guitar skills and learned how to play mandolin
—the same one that Buck used in R.E.M.'s hit "Losing My Religion
"—and bouzouki
for the album. The five-day span that the band spent in the recording studio was ultimately used as the title of the album.
The album's content reflected folk themes juxtaposed with new material from Tweedy and Farrar. Several of the songs have Christian
themes but were placed on the album to reflect the "madness and fear that would drive men to wish for such redemption". Jeff Tweedy's lyrics were strongly influenced by Nick Drake
's 1972 album Pink Moon
. Farrar's "Criminals" paraphrases a George H. W. Bush
campaign speech and was considered by music journalist Greg Kot
to be one of the band's "angriest songs". Farrar's rendition of Sarah Ogan's "Come All You Coal Miners" (the title was shortened to "Coalminers" and the song listed as "traditional" on the album) lamented the harsh working conditions in the coal mining industry, but the choice was received poorly by some of the band's closest peers; according to singer Nick Sakes of Dazzling Killmen
:
Three songs, the gospel
tune "Warfare", the hymn
"Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" and the ballad
"I Wish My Baby Was Born" were taken from High Atmosphere
, a compilation of songs recorded by John Cohen in Virginia
and North Carolina
. Along with Ogan's version of "Coalminers", the murder ballad
"Lilli Schull" had previously been released on Oh My Little Darling, a compilation of Southeastern
folk song types released on New World Records
.
In a 2002 interview with Anthony DeCurtis
, Tweedy noted that, of all of the songs that Uncle Tupelo recorded throughout their career, "Sandusky" holds a special place for him:
and Still Feel Gone
, combined. Uncle Tupelo embarked on a tour of small clubs to promote the album. However, the band resisted performing material from March, since many of the venues attracted a punk rock
audience; Tweedy thought "it would have been suicide" if Uncle Tupelo performed acoustic songs.
The album generated mostly positive reviews. Jason Ankeny of Allmusic called the album "a brilliant resurrection of a bygone era of American folk artistry". Bill Wyman of Entertainment Weekly
remarked that it was "a moving and sincere New Depression manifesto".
March was re-issued in 2003 through Legacy Records. The re-release contained five bonus tracks: acoustic demos of "Grindstone" and The Stooges
' "I Wanna Be Your Dog
", a live version of "Moonshiner
", the previously unreleased "Take My Word", and a version of the theme song from The Waltons
. Reviews for the re-issue were also mostly positive. Pitchfork Media
writer William Bowers called March Uncle Tupelo's best album "by far", claiming "The acoustic guitar has rarely sounded better than it does here." However, Bowers also criticized the addition of the bonus tracks.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
band Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
, released on August 3, 1992. The title refers to the five-day span during which the album was recorded. An almost entirely acoustic recording, the album features original songs and covers of traditional folk songs in near equal number, and was produced by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
.
Along with the rest of the Uncle Tupelo back catalog, this album was re-released in 2003.
Background
In 1990, R.E.M. guitarist Peter BuckPeter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
attended an Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
concert at the 40 Watt Club
40 Watt Club
The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB's, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and "New Wave music."...
in his hometown of Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Buck was particularly impressed with the band's rendition of the Louvin Brothers
Louvin Brothers
The Louvin Brothers were an American country music duo composed of brothers Ira Lonnie Loudermilk and Charlie Elzer Loudermilk , better known as Ira and Charlie Louvin. They helped popularize close harmony, a genre of country music.-History:The brothers adopted the name Louvin Brothers in the...
' "Great Atomic Power", and contacted the band after the show. Uncle Tupelo singers Jay Farrar
Jay Farrar
Jay Farrar is an American songwriter and musician currently based in St. Louis, Missouri. A veteran of two critically acclaimed music groups, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, he began his solo music career in 2001...
and Jeff Tweedy
Jeff Tweedy
Jeffrey Scot "Jeff" Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit...
exchanged their interests in bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
with Buck, and decided to collaborate on an acoustic music
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
project in the future.
Two years later, the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
of bands such as Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
broke into the mainstream. Farrar was irate about the pressure from the music industry to sound like the trend:
This should insulate us from that industry bullshit, people looking for the next Nirvana. I don't think anybody is the next Nirvana, certainly not us. People always talk about the next Beatles, the next Elvis. You can't predict that stuff.
Uncle Tupelo's frustrations with their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Rockville Records grew when the label refused to pay the band's royalties for the sales of their first two albums. This resulted in a "nothing-to-lose context" for the recording of a third album. In what was a sharp contrast to the popular music styles at the time, Uncle Tupelo decided to record an album of folk songs.
Recording
Before the band began recording, drummer Mike HeidornMike Heidorn
Mike Heidorn, born 1967 in Belleville, Illinois, is the former drummer and founding member of alternative country bands Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. Heidorn also played with the Uncle Tupelo precursors the Primitives and the one-off band Coffee Creek with Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy of Uncle Tupelo...
announced that he intended to leave the band for personal reasons. However, Heidorn wanted to work with Peter Buck, so he agreed to postpone his departure until after the March 16–20, 1992 recording sessions.
The band stayed at Peter Buck's house while in Athens, Georgia to record the album. Buck offered to host the band for free, so that the US$13,500 budget allotted by Rockville could be spent exclusively to pay the fees of the recording studio and audio engineers David Barbe
David Barbe
David Barbe is an American musician and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia and director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia. He is chief of Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens...
and John Keane
John Keane (record producer)
John Keane is an American record producer based in Athens, Georgia, who has worked extensively with R.E.M., Indigo Girls and Widespread Panic. He owns and operates John Keane Studios in Athens, which opened in 1981....
. Buck encouraged the band to arrange a certain amount of material each night to keep the band on pace. Guitarist Brian Henneman
Brian Henneman
Brian Henneman is an alt-country/roots rock musician best known as the frontman for the Bottle Rockets, as a songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist. Artists such as John Prine, Neil Young and Merle Haggard have influenced his songwriting style. Henneman began his musical career in the mid-1980s...
also contributed with his well-honed guitar skills and learned how to play mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
—the same one that Buck used in R.E.M.'s hit "Losing My Religion
Losing My Religion
"Losing My Religion" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. The song was released as the first single from the group's 1991 album Out of Time. Based around a mandolin riff, "Losing My Religion" was an unlikely hit for the group, garnering heavy airplay on radio as well as on MTV due...
"—and bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
for the album. The five-day span that the band spent in the recording studio was ultimately used as the title of the album.
The album's content reflected folk themes juxtaposed with new material from Tweedy and Farrar. Several of the songs have Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
themes but were placed on the album to reflect the "madness and fear that would drive men to wish for such redemption". Jeff Tweedy's lyrics were strongly influenced by Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
's 1972 album Pink Moon
Pink Moon
Pink Moon is the third and final album by English musician Nick Drake. It was recorded at midnight in two separate two-hour sessions, over two days in October 1971, featuring only Nick Drake's vocals and guitar, as well as some piano later overdubbed by Drake on the title track.-Album...
. Farrar's "Criminals" paraphrases a George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
campaign speech and was considered by music journalist Greg Kot
Greg Kot
Greg Kot is an American writer and journalist. Since 1990, Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, where he has covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues...
to be one of the band's "angriest songs". Farrar's rendition of Sarah Ogan's "Come All You Coal Miners" (the title was shortened to "Coalminers" and the song listed as "traditional" on the album) lamented the harsh working conditions in the coal mining industry, but the choice was received poorly by some of the band's closest peers; according to singer Nick Sakes of Dazzling Killmen
Dazzling Killmen
Dazzling Killmen was a math rock band from the St. Louis, Missouri area. The band combining a punk-inspired noisy ruckus with jazzy Sun Ra-type intelligence and complex arrangements.-Biography:...
:
We could occasionally imitate Jay's singing and insert our own words: 'It gets real hot working down at my mom's bookstore.' It was a little too much to hear these songs about coal miners coming from regular dudes that worked in record stores and bought SSTSSTThe acronym SST may refer to:In aircraft and naval vehicles*Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo*SST class blimp SS class blimp*Supersonic transport , civil aircraft for transporting passengers faster than the speed of sound....
albums and went to Black FlagBlack Flag (band)Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
shows.
Three songs, the gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
tune "Warfare", the hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
"Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" and the ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"I Wish My Baby Was Born" were taken from High Atmosphere
High Atmosphere
High Atmosphere: Ballads and Banjo Tunes from Virginia and North Carolina is a 1975 compilation album released by Rounder Records. The album is composed of Appalachian folk music recordings gathered by musicologist John Cohen in North Carolina and Virginia.The album was originally released in 1975...
, a compilation of songs recorded by John Cohen in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Along with Ogan's version of "Coalminers", the murder ballad
Murder ballad
Murder ballads are a sub-genre of the traditional ballad form, the lyrics of which form a narrative describing the events of a murder, often including the lead-up and/or aftermath...
"Lilli Schull" had previously been released on Oh My Little Darling, a compilation of Southeastern
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
folk song types released on New World Records
New World Records
New World Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in American music. The label was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to produce a 100 disc anthology covering 200 years of American music....
.
In a 2002 interview with Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis is an American author and music critic, who has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Relix and other publications.-Career:...
, Tweedy noted that, of all of the songs that Uncle Tupelo recorded throughout their career, "Sandusky" holds a special place for him:
"Sandusky" is probably the track that I'm most proud of. It's an instrumental, it was a real collaboration and it just kind of came out of us in the studio, real improvised natural music, very simple. I think it's beautiful. I also don't feel I was that much a part of it, because it just happened, and maybe that makes it easier to listen to it. That's the one that sticks out in my mind the most.
Release and reception
March 16–20, 1992 sold more copies than their first two albums, No DepressionNo Depression (album)
No Depression is the first studio album by alternative country band Uncle Tupelo, released in June 1990. After its formation in the late 1980s, Uncle Tupelo recorded the Not Forever, Just for Now demo tape, which received a positive review by the College Media Journal in 1989. The review led to the...
and Still Feel Gone
Still Feel Gone
Still Feel Gone is the second album by American alternative country pioneers Uncle Tupelo. It was released in 1991 on Rockville Records and re-released in 2003 by Sony Legacy.-Track listing:...
, combined. Uncle Tupelo embarked on a tour of small clubs to promote the album. However, the band resisted performing material from March, since many of the venues attracted a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
audience; Tweedy thought "it would have been suicide" if Uncle Tupelo performed acoustic songs.
The album generated mostly positive reviews. Jason Ankeny of Allmusic called the album "a brilliant resurrection of a bygone era of American folk artistry". Bill Wyman of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
remarked that it was "a moving and sincere New Depression manifesto".
March was re-issued in 2003 through Legacy Records. The re-release contained five bonus tracks: acoustic demos of "Grindstone" and The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
' "I Wanna Be Your Dog
I Wanna Be Your Dog
"I Wanna Be Your Dog" is a 1969 song by the American rock band The Stooges. The song is featured on their self-titled debut album. Its memorable riff, composed of only three chords , is played continuously throughout the song...
", a live version of "Moonshiner
The Moonshiner
The Moonshiner is a folk song with disputed origins. It is believed that the song originated in America, then later was made famous in Ireland. Others believe that it was the other way around. The Clancy Brothers stated on their recording that the song is of Irish origin, but again, this is...
", the previously unreleased "Take My Word", and a version of the theme song from The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
. Reviews for the re-issue were also mostly positive. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
writer William Bowers called March Uncle Tupelo's best album "by far", claiming "The acoustic guitar has rarely sounded better than it does here." However, Bowers also criticized the addition of the bonus tracks.
Track listing
- "Grindstone" (FarrarJay FarrarJay Farrar is an American songwriter and musician currently based in St. Louis, Missouri. A veteran of two critically acclaimed music groups, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, he began his solo music career in 2001...
) – 3:16 - "Coalminers" (Traditional) – 2:33
- "Wait Up" (TweedyJeff TweedyJeffrey Scot "Jeff" Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit...
) – 2:09 - "Criminals" (Farrar) – 2:20
- "Shaky Ground" (Farrar) – 2:49
- "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" (Traditional) – 1:53
- "Black Eye" (Tweedy) – 2:19
- "MoonshinerThe MoonshinerThe Moonshiner is a folk song with disputed origins. It is believed that the song originated in America, then later was made famous in Ireland. Others believe that it was the other way around. The Clancy Brothers stated on their recording that the song is of Irish origin, but again, this is...
" (Traditional) – 4:23 - "I Wish My Baby Was Born" (Traditional) – 1:39
- "Atomic Power" (LouvinIra LouvinIra Lonnie Loudermilk , known professionally as Ira Louvin, was an American country music singer, mandolinist and songwriter. He was a cousin of songwriter John D. Loudermilk.-Biography:...
, LouvinCharlie LouvinCharles Elzer Loudermilk , known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1955.-Biography:Born in Henagar, Alabama, Louvin was one of 7 children...
, Bain) – 1:51 - "Lilli Schull" (Traditional) – 5:15
- "Warfare" (Traditional) – 3:43
- "Fatal Wound" (Tweedy) – 4:09
- "Sandusky" (Farrar, Tweedy) – 3:43
- "Wipe The Clock" (Farrar) – 2:36
2003 CD reissue bonus tracks
- "Take My Word" (Farrar, Tweedy, HeidornMike HeidornMike Heidorn, born 1967 in Belleville, Illinois, is the former drummer and founding member of alternative country bands Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. Heidorn also played with the Uncle Tupelo precursors the Primitives and the one-off band Coffee Creek with Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy of Uncle Tupelo...
) – 2:03 - "Grindstone (1991 Acoustic Demo)" (Farrar) – 3:55
- "Atomic Power (1991 Acoustic Demo)" (Louvin, Louvin, Bain) – 1:35
- "I Wanna Be Your DogI Wanna Be Your Dog"I Wanna Be Your Dog" is a 1969 song by the American rock band The Stooges. The song is featured on their self-titled debut album. Its memorable riff, composed of only three chords , is played continuously throughout the song...
(1991 Acoustic Demo)" (OsterbergIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, AlexanderDave Alexander (The Stooges)David Michael Alexander was an American musician, best known as the original bassist for influential protopunk band The Stooges.-Biography:...
, AshetonRon AshetonRonald Frank Asheton was an American guitarist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop for the rock band The Stooges.Asheton is ranked as number 29 on Rolling Stones list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time....
, AshetonScott AshetonScott "Rock Action" Asheton is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band The Stooges...
) – 3:50 - "Moonshiner (Live 1/24/93)" (Farrar, Tweedy) – 5:05
- "The Walton's (Theme)" (GoldsmithJerry GoldsmithJerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
) – 1:13 [Hidden Track]- Tracks 17–19 and 21 previously unreleased.
Credits
- Jay FarrarJay FarrarJay Farrar is an American songwriter and musician currently based in St. Louis, Missouri. A veteran of two critically acclaimed music groups, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, he began his solo music career in 2001...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, 12 string guitar, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jeff TweedyJeff TweedyJeffrey Scot "Jeff" Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit...
– bass guitar, guitar, 12 string guitar, vocals - Mike HeidornMike HeidornMike Heidorn, born 1967 in Belleville, Illinois, is the former drummer and founding member of alternative country bands Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. Heidorn also played with the Uncle Tupelo precursors the Primitives and the one-off band Coffee Creek with Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy of Uncle Tupelo...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all.... - Brian HennemanBrian HennemanBrian Henneman is an alt-country/roots rock musician best known as the frontman for the Bottle Rockets, as a songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist. Artists such as John Prine, Neil Young and Merle Haggard have influenced his songwriting style. Henneman began his musical career in the mid-1980s...
– banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles... - John KeaneJohn Keane (record producer)John Keane is an American record producer based in Athens, Georgia, who has worked extensively with R.E.M., Indigo Girls and Widespread Panic. He owns and operates John Keane Studios in Athens, which opened in 1981....
– banjo, bass guitar, guitar, pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
, engineering, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Peter BuckPeter BuckPeter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, feedback - David BarbeDavid BarbeDavid Barbe is an American musician and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia and director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia. He is chief of Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens...
– bass guitar, engineering - Andy Carlson – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Billy Holmes – accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....