Uncle Tupelo

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Uncle Tupelo was a popular music group formed in 1987 in Belleville, Illinois. The founding members were Jay Farrar (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Mike Heidorn (drums), and Jeff Tweedy (bass guitar, guitar, harmonica, vocals). Other members included Bill Belzer (drums), Ken Coomer (drums), Max Johnston (banjo, dobro, fiddle, mandolin, steel guitar), and John Stirratt (bass guitar). Often hailed as the fathers of alternative country--a term that Farrar has recently avoided--there is little doubt that their music has had a great impact on the evolution of both the country music and alternative rock genres. Blending styles as diverse as hardcore punk in the style of Black Flag and The Minutemen with country instrumentation and harmony in the spirit of the Carter Family, their sound was immediately considered by many to be the genesis of a new genre. Another oft-cited influence on Uncle Tupelo is Neil Young, evidenced by Uncle Tupelo's frequent live performances of Young standards like "Down By The River" and "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". The band's use of working class themes, imagery from Middle America, and traditional American music forms was presented with a decidedly modern rock sensibility. Their instrumentation and production, particularly on the Peter Buck-produced March 16-20, 1992, have earned them much critical praise. Members of Uncle Tupelo went on to form the bands Wilco and Son Volt

Contents 1 Recording career 2 Discography 3 Influence 4 Related artists 5 External links 6 References

[edit] Recording career

The group released four full-length albums during its four-year recording career. No Depression (1990), Still Feel Gone (1991), and March 16-20, 1992 (1992) were originally released on the (now defunct) independent record label Rockville Records (a sister label of Homestead Records). Their major label debut, Anodyne (1993), was released by Sire/Reprise. A remastered compilation of their work, 89/93: An Anthology (2002), was released by Sony, followed by the coordinated re-release of the entire Uncle Tupelo catalog in 2003 by Columbia/Legacy and Rhino.

Each of their four albums has unique qualities. No Depression is a mix of covers of folk songs, and punk/folk originals. Still Feel Gone is their only album of all original tunes. March 16-20, 1992 was recorded and produced by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and is an acoustic album of half traditional folk songs, half original songs. Anodyne was recorded in live takes in the studio, with no overdubs.

Initially Farrar was the group's creative force, and consequently did most of the singing as well, but towards the end of their run, Tweedy became more or less Farrar's equal when it came to songwriting and singing duties. The band broke up in May 1994, when Farrar left the band. Farrar had announced his plans to manager Tony Margherita to leave prior to the final tour, but continued on with the tour as a favor to Margherita. Farrar has since cited a previous personal conflict with Tweedy as a reason for ultimately leaving the band.

[edit] Discography

All recordings released by Rockville Records unless otherwise noted

Albums

• 1990 No Depression
• 1991 Still Feel Gone
• 1992 March 16-20, 1992
• 1993 Anodyne (Sire/Reprise)
  • All four albums were re-released in 2003 by Columbia/Legacy and Rhino

7" Singles

• 1990 "I Got Drunk"/"Sin City"¹
• 1990 "Sauget Wind"/"Lookin' For A Way Out (acoustic)"/"Take My Word"
• 1991 "Gun"/"I Wanna Destroy You"²

Contributions

• 1991 "Won't Forget" on A Matter Of Degrees OST (Atlantic)
• 1993 "Effigy"³ on No Alternative (Arista)
• 1993 "Blue Eyes"⁴ on Conmemorativo: A Tribute to Gram Parsons (Rhino)
• 1993 "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way"⁵ with Joe Ely on Trademark of Quality (Warner Bros./Reprise)

Compilations

• 2002 89/93: An Anthology, Sony Music

Notes

[edit] Influence

Uncle Tupelo is credited with spawning alternative country music, a blend of alternative rock and traditional country. Some even went so far as to call this genre "No Depression" after their first album's title track, a cover version of the Carter Family standard by the same name; the song also gave its name to the alt-country periodical No Depression. Over the ensuing years, bands such as Whiskeytown, and The Bottle Rockets would follow in Uncle Tupelo's wake.

[edit] Related artists

Uncle Tupelo evolved from an earlier punk rock incarnation called "The Primatives", which included Wade Farrar on vocals. Uncle Tupelo side-projects included Coffee Creek, a short-lived country cover band. The band The Bottle Rockets was formed by Uncle Tupelo's former roadie Brian Henneman. After Uncle Tupelo broke up in 1994 Jeff Tweedy formed the band Wilco and Jay Farrar founded Son Volt. Wilco now eschews the Alt-country label, while Son Volt retains many of the original fans.

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• the Postcard email list - an internet collective formed by Uncle Tupelo fans that focuses on music but spans various topics
• Gumbo Pages - Uncle Tupelo - an unofficial but informative site.
• Uncle Tupelo: Influences on their Music and No Depression Sound
• Factory Belt: The Unofficial Uncle Tupelo Archives - contains an interesting chronology of live performances.
• News and Discography at rwin.nl
• Press Conference with Jeff Tweedy on The BackStage Pass internet radio show

[edit] References

• Goodman, David. "Uncle Tupelo". Modern Twang: An Alternative Country Guide and Directory. Dowling Press, 1999. ISBN 1-891847-03-1.

Uncle Tupelo
Jay Farrar · Jeff Tweedy · Mike Heidorn Bill Belzer · Ken Coomer · Max Johnston · John Stirratt
Discography
Albums: No Depression · Still Feel Gone · March 16-20, 1992 · Anodyne · 89/93: An Anthology
Related articles
Son Volt · Wilco · Brian Henneman · Alternative country