Sunday at Solid Sound
Day 3 of the Biennial Wilco-palooza at Mass MoCA in North Adams
O Green Mountains Majesty!
The stony tower atop Mt. Greylock watched over three days of Solid Sound, the biennial, Wilco-driven, music madness on the campus of Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.
A lineup curated by the alt country legends? With a Wilco or Wilco-adjacent headliner every night? It’s a dream come true for stalwart fans, of which the band has plenty, and a nice introduction to a quirky niche in a quirky subculture for any new arrivals.
You’re not required to know the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot track listing by heart to attend, but it can’t hurt.
Sunday
The final day was a musical calm after the storm of Saturday’s 12-hour Solid-palooza, with Jeff Tweedy & Friends scheduled to close out the fest at a stately 5PM or so. If you lived in the area, you could make it home by dinner. The farther flung crowd could make it back to wherever they came from before midnight.
Weather-wise, though, Sunday was the storm after the storm. A bigger storm, in fact, with lightning and thunder. Ponchos can handle the wet stuff, but electrocution is not something that festival organizers mess around with in 2024.
Fortunately, the worst weather held off until the skies opened up around 4PM or so. The outdoor stages went on a rain delay for a bit while the crowd decided whether it wanted to jam into the indoor performance spaces, or jam into the local bars and restaurants in North Adams, waiting for the skies to clear.
Saccata QuartetSaccata Quartet held court at Courtyard D earlier in the day. The experimental jazz ensemble will try just about any trick to weasel strange sounds out wood, metal, rubber, and plastic. Members included Nels Cline, Darin Gray, Chris Corsano, and Glenn Kotche. If they met a human Zube Tube on the road, they’d probably make it a fifth member. These guys love weird noises.
At Courtyard C a harmonica-driven five-piece folk country outfit called Miracle Legion was doing a little crowd work.
The musician at the mic asked a rhetorical question during some stage banter: “What did David Clayton Thomas used to say?” But he must have been struck by the sea of blank stares because he followed it up with an incredulous, “Y’all don’t know who David Clayton Thomas is?” Finally, realizing that he was opening an unprofitable can of worms and painting himself into a strange corner, he papered over the affair with a quick “Sure you do. Of course you do…” and jumped into the next song.
Form over function bike racksFor the record, David Clayton Thomas is an award-winning Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of Blood, Sweat & Tears. A big name in jazz and rock, to be sure. (Shout out to Fred Lipsius!) But the blank stares in the crowd reminds you that Solid Sound is a specialized fest for specialized musical interests.
That speciality is Wilco, and who knows what falls under that general header? From younger indie rock acts like Horsegirl, Horse Lords, and Water From Your Eyes, to veterans like Hailu Mergia, Etran de l’Air, and every permutation of Wilco… It’s a big tent, under which everybody knows somebody and nobody knows everybody.
Never did find out what David Clayton Thomas used to say…
Speaking of veterans, Iris DeMent and Autumn Defense squeezed in their respective sets before the rain began to fall in earnest.
Iris DeMentIowa’s Iris DeMent arrived as a trio, belting out sweet folk country classics in front of a good crowd on the big stage at Joe’s Field. The trio played some selections from 2013’s (2012’s?) Sing The Delta, along with hits from her most recent full-length LP Workin’ On A World. The mandolin was sounding sweet that Sunday.
The rocking four-piece Autumn Defense are Solid Sound regulars, playing on an outdoor stage for the first time in their long time at the fest. The timing was good enough, delivering a set mixing synth and acoustic textures. The lead vocalist has a little Britpop to him, crooning from behind the keyboard with a grey moptop.
Autumn DefensePop-up shows were a feature throughout the fest. You had to be dialed into the Solid Sound app to learn the Where and When, which was a bit of a technology drag, but a more intimate (and indoor) performance was the happy reward for checking your smartphone once in a while. The alt country duo Big Sadie played a pop-up show in “the prow,” an acutely-angled corner at the westernmost tip of the Mass MoCA complex. Some new material, some old material, and a few contractually-obligated shout outs to Jeff Tweedy.
Big Sadie popping up at the ProwIf you arrived early for the indoor Mary Halvorson & Tomas Fujiwara set in the Hunter Center, good for you! The guitarist/drummer duo weave experimental, and a bit spooky, musical cloth together. Jazz, for sure. But shot through with a kind of modern classical-meets-world music flair.
Another reason you were excited to be seated inside at the Hunter Center set? The skies opened up, forcing a temporary halt to the proceedings at all outdoor stages. In every life, a little rain must fall, but you’ve got to watch out for the lightning. As the crowds flooded indoors, they all headed to the Hunter Center, which absorbed as many new bodies as it could before hitting capacity.
Bad news first. North Carolina’s Wednesday, who’ve been touring all over on the strength of their remarkable neo grunge LP Rat Saw God, were casualties of the rain delay. I mean, they didn’t die, but their set was delayed to the point of extinction. Better luck next time.
Good news second. Severe weather events at festivals are a kind of curveballs that make real memories. Some of the crowd waited it out at the local brewpub, Bright Ideas Brewing, while Sage King strummed inside on a mini-stage for tips.
Living the good life at Mohawk TavernThe rest of the crowd filtered out into downtown North Adams, with a big wet knot of thirsty festgoers landing at The Mohawk Tavern to have a drink, shoot some pool, and watch Spain advance to the next round of the Eurocup. By the time the Spanish team scored three or four golas, the rain delay came to an end.
Jeff Tweedy & Friends closed out the 2024 Solid Sound as scheduled.
Worst news third. If all the above reads like a good time, you’re going to have to wait until 2026 to realize the dream. Remember, this shindig is biennial. But at least you’ll have plenty of time to book your lodgings.
Check out Friday and Saturday’s coverage of Solid Sound 2024.
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The best pop music always sounds slap-your-forehead simple.