fleet foxes

Wilcobama (photo from Brooklyn Vegan)

You might remember that I recently posted a video which featured two of my favorite bands, Wilco and Fleet Foxes, collaborating together on the Bob Dylan classic "I Shall Be Released." You might also remember that it was quite good. Wilco decided to take advantage of the mass amounts of blog hype over that video, and released a clean, crisp soundboard copy of the cover for the world to download. There is a catch though. To get the mp3, you have to hop on over to their site and pledge to vote in the upcoming Presidential election.

If you have been living in a cave for the past year, the election pits Democratic nominee Barack Obama against Republican candidate John McCain. If you pay attention to our blog, there is no question about who BOT's votes are going to, but our opinion doesn't matter in this case. What does matter is that you head on over to your local voter registration center or online resource to get yourself signed up. It will take only a few minutes, so download the free music and give it a listen while registering.

Recently, I read a pretty good article on Jambase about two of Wilco's August shows; one taking place on the east coast (8/12 in Lenox, MA), and one on the west coast (8/22 in Bend, OR). While it was a good short article featuring some nice photography, one particular passage stood out to me.

Wilco really turned up the heat late in the set with a spectacular triple threat featuring smoking versions of "Heavy Metal Drummer," "Hate It Here" and "Walken." The final encore let the crowd relax a bit as the Fleet Foxes joined in on the Dylan classic "I Shall Be Released."

After a quick Youtube search, I found a nice, high-quality capture of that said event for you all to enjoy:

I have always had much love for "I Shall Be Released," especially after first seeing the version on the seminal rock film The Last Waltz years ago which features The Band backed by a slew of guests including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Dr. John among others. With my current love for Wilco and Fleet Foxes, I think this version might trump the greatness of the one on that film (at least for now...). I can't get enough of Tweedy's attempts to go soprano. Actually, it really works for him.

My biggest musical regret of this year so far is skipping the opportunity to see the Fleet Foxes in March when they came through with Blitzen Trapper. Due to Toast's early evening arrival in Houston the same night, and plans to see Wilco, My Morning Jacket and Yo La Tengo that weekend, we opted to lay low that night instead. If they come to your town, do not make the same mistake.

Last night they stopped by The Late Show with David Letterman to play through "Blue Ridge Mountains" off of their eponymous debut LP. Check it out:

MMJ meets CSNY; can you dig?