Wish They Were a Worship Band - Wilco
Have you ever been listening to a band and really wished that they were a worship band? Perhaps something about their music seemed to speak to you in a spiritual way. It’s important that we as worship leaders be listening to all styles of music, so that we can continue to spur on our creativity and not become stuck in a rut. So, I’ve decided to start a series here called “Wish they were a Worship Band,” about a band whose music is moving me right now.
I’ve been following Jeff Tweety ever since his days with Uncle Tupelo. There was something about his burnt-out, lacerated voice that I have always found compelling and surprisingly honest. I, like most of the Tupelo fans, was extremely skeptical of Wilco at first (and I still remain skeptical about Jay Farrar’s Son Volt), but with each album, the band seems to deepen and broaden their musical voice in new and surprising ways.
I am told that the Wilco that is represented on the albums is far different that the Wilco that appears live, but from what I can tell, Wilco has a unique philosophy of deconstruction. In an interview, I once heard Jeff Tweety describe thier songwriting process as creating a song and then ripping it to pieces for the recording. Without this process, according to Tweety, the songs that they had written would just be mostly singer-songwriter folk songs. But after the boys from Wilco put their songs through a blender, something very unique and powerful comes out. Wilco has a created a very unique, and often acoustic, alternative sound that no one can imitate.
The reason Wilco informs my worship songwriting is that they have a spirit of experimental innovation that I think we as woeship songwriters can use. I can’t imagine what they could do as a worship band, were they born-again followers of Jesus. Their creativity helps me to hear my music in a new way, which makes me even more driven to create something new.
Recently
October 21st, 2008 at 11:59 am
1) They are a worship band. All bands are worship bands.
2) War on War is a more Christian song than anything you’ll hear if you turn on your local Christian radio station RIGHT NOW and listen ALL DAY LONG.
3) Their songwriting philosophy has come full circle now. “YHF” was an album full of ridiculously simple songs, deconstructed and over-produced to sound multi-faceted and complex. “SBS” is an album full of ridiculously complex songs, polished up and tightly packed to sound deceptively simple and direct.
4) The closest thing you’ll find to a Christian Wilco sound (though the idea of wanting that irks me, honestly) is “I See Things Upside Down.” Derek Webb has been covering Wilco songs for years now, and cites them as a huge influence. (See almost any DW interview on youtube where he starts ranting about his inspirations…they’ll come up.)
Interested to see the next “Wish They Were…”
October 25th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I love this series, dude! And I’m with you - YFH has profoundly shaped me as a song-writer and producer!