Pitchfork

Wilco's next album is still shrouded in quite a bit of secrecy, but we received a small peek behind the curtain recently, when Pitchfork caught up with drummer Glenn Kotche. He's busy promoting his new solo album, Mobile, which dropped via Nonesuch in March; as announced on Friday, he'll perform at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago's Union Park on July 30.

For the time being, Wilco remain in the writing and demoing stages of the recording process, utilizing their Chicago loft to do so. As reported by Billboard.com last month, new tracks "On and On and On", "Walken", and the tentatively titled "Either Way", along with one or two others, have made their way into the band's live set. "I think anyone who's heard them can see stylistically that it's pretty much all over the place right now," Kotche told Pitchfork.

"I'm kind of happy right now that we're not trying to affix any sort of concept to the record," he continued. "We're not saying, 'Oh, it's going to be this type of record or this type of record.' We're just getting together. We set up in a circle and come up with ideas. Some of them are songs Jeff has fleshed out, some of them are completely written on the spot. Someone plays a riff, and it goes from there.

"At this point, I just think we're making songs, crafting songs that we like and stylistically kind of letting the record shape itself instead of forcing a mold upon it... We're more going to keep this one about the songs instead of trying to make a statement with the record."

The goal is to forge on until Wilco have completed 30 or so songs, at which point they'll whittle that number down to fit the album. In the meantime, fans might be able to hear a new tune or two on the group's upcoming North American tour. The trek kicks off in Calgary in late June and wraps up in early August.

Dates:

06-28 Calgary, Alberta - McEwan Hall
06-29 Edmonton, Alberta - Jubilee Auditorium
07-01 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Burton Cummings Theatre
07-02 Duluth, MN - Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
07-05 Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
07-07 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
07-08 London, Ontario - Centennial Hall
07-10 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
07-12 Halifax, Nova Scotia - Alderney Landing
07-13 Fredericton, New Brunswick - Playhouse
07-15 Ottawa, Ontario - Bluesfest
07-16 Florence, MA - Pines Theater
08-06 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza)

As previously reported, this Friday, May 12, will see Wilco kicking television with a performance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien". TGIF!

* Wilco: http://wilcoworld.net
* Pitchfork Music Festival: http://pitchforkmusicfestival.com