Music Monday: Wilco Live - Ashes of American Flags

Anxious Wilco lovers must wait a few more weeks until the still-untitled next album is released, but a worthy distraction will soon arrive to make the suspense a little less terrible. Ashes of American Flags, a film of live concert footage, featuring performances from the band’s 2008 tour, will be released on DVD April 18th and will also be shown at the Alamo Ritz on Monday night.

Even casual Wilco fans (if any of those exist) must admit this is a promising prospect. Not only have Jeff Tweedy and his now-stable lineup of musical cohorts established themselves as an electric live act, they have proven to be compelling film subjects as well. In case you missed it, Sam Jones’ 2002 documentary, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco, followed Tweedy and the band through a rock ‘n’ roll fairy tale of sorts. Misunderstood by record company bigwigs and subsequently dumped from their label, this talented and adventurous group ultimately claimed sweet victory over commercially-driven idiocy and since then have become one of America's more fascinating bands to follow.

We expect Ashes of American Flags to be less of a narrative and more music-based than Jones’ classic doc, but the chance to hear a few favorite tunes along with commentary, uncharacteristically gaudy suits and plenty of lonesome American scenery (the film won Best Cinematography at the Big Sky Film Festival) sounds like the perfect way to spend a musical Monday night. Again, the DVD will be available for purchase in a few days, but if you’d rather replicate the concert experience, give thanks to the Alamo and check out the show alongside your fellow Wilco-devotees.