The ABCs of Solid Sound 2013: Wilco reveals lineup for Mass MoCA festival

Tuesday February 19, 2013

NORTH ADAMS --The Twitterverse lit up last week as Wilco unveiled the Solid Sound Festival lineup, in alphabetical order and one letter at a time.

As the lineup was announced, "A is for musician @SamAmidon & comedian @AlMadrigal," fans of the Chicago-based band enthusiastically retweeted the lineup, using the hashtag #SolidSound2013.

When Wilco and the Solid Sound Festival return to Mass MoCA this summer, from June 21 to 23, the indie alt-rock band will bring with it a wide variety of performers, including The Dream Syndicate, Low, Neko Case, Os Mutantes, Yo La Tengo, The Blisters and Border Music with Marc Ribot and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos.

"When we looked at the full list in one place, we realized it ran the gamut, pretty much from A to Z," Wilco's manager Tony Margherita said in a release about the inspiration for the creative social media reveal. "We still have one or two surprises up our sleeves, but we're pretty excited about this lineup and this year's schedule of events."

The festival, which features two concerts by Wilco, also will include a Saturday afternoon comedy roster curated by comedian John Hodgman and two "culinary experiences" highlighting locally grown and produced foods and spirits; proceeds from both culinary events will benefit educational programs at the museum.

"We're thrilled to have the Solid Sound Festival back in town this summer," Jodi Joseph, museum spokeswoman, said Monday. "While

the festival took a year off, Wilco didn't, and we're very grateful for the benefit concert they held for us last year."

Wilco will kick-off the festival Friday night with a concert and then stage a second performance on Saturday night.

"We're not entirely sure what they have planned for Friday night, but we know it will be fantastic," Joseph said. "Saturday's concert will be a ‘no-holds-barred' show -- everything you'd expect from Wilco, and then some more."

Saturday

Low, an American indie rock band from Duluth, will make its Solid Sound Festival debut at Mass MoCA this summer. (Photo Courtesy of Solid Sound Festival)

afternoon's comedy lineup will bring in Al Madrigal, of "The Daily Show," vocal impresario and "TED" speaker Reggie Watts and Jen Kirkman of "Chelsea Lately."

Before Wilco's performance on Saturday, "Laughing in Detail I: Berkshire Grown Spirits and Hors d'oeuvres," will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. The $90-a-person event, featuring seasonal ingredients from local farms and craft makers served tapas-style, will benefit KidSpace.

Following the show, "Laughing in Detail II: Midsummer Supper with Wilco," a $275-a-person midnight sit-down dinner will be held in Gallery 5. The dinner will feature a talk by Mass MoCA Director Joseph Thompson on Xu Bing's "The Phoenix Project" and a chance to eat with the band. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Mass MoCA Free Library Pass Program, which makes passes available to local library patrons.

Tickets for either dinner, which are only available to Solid Sound Festival ticket-holders, can be purchased by emailing rwehry@massmoca.org or by calling 413-664-4481, ext. 8157.

Solid Ground, a "tent-city" camping experience offered by the city, will also return for the festival this year. Profits from the campsite will be given to the Northern Berkshire ROPES Youth Summer Program. Tent and RV sites can be purchased through the museum's box office, by calling 413-662-2111, ext. 1.

"Space is limited at Solid Ground," Joseph said. "We sold another 40 to 50 spots last week after the full lineup was announced. We're also seeing other camps and hotels filling up fast."

Three-day festival passes can be purchased online at www.solidsoundfestival.com. A limited number of "early bird" passes are available for $124. Regular priced 3-day passes are $149. Passes for children, age 7 to 10, are $50. Children age 6 and under get in free.

To reach Jennifer Huberdeau, email
jhuberdeau@thetranscript.com.

The Sound
of things
to come

The Solid Sound Festival 2013 lineup

* Wilco

* Sam Amidon

* Al Madrigal

* Border Music, featuring Marc Ribot and David Hidalgo

* The Blisters

* Neko Case

* The Dream Syndicate

* Foxygen

* Mikael Jorgensen & Greg O'Keeffe