The Tweedy Birds Sing

New father-son project

Tweedy
Tweedy

Jeff Tweedy was an integral member of Uncle Tupelo and is now the frontman of Wilco — putting him at the forefront of two of the most acclaimed American rock bands of the past 25 years.

In 2012, Tweedy produced the Mavis Staples record One True Vine. Tweedy asked his teenaged son Spencer to play drums in the studio, and from these recordings came the father-son project Tweedy.

“We had momentum going,” Spencer Tweedy tells EW. “We kept recording.” In September 2014, Tweedy released its debut studio recording, Sukierae.

Spencer Tweedy says playing music with his dad has been very natural. “I grew up on my dad’s record collection” of ’60s and ’70s music, Spencer Tweedy says, and these influences can be heard on Sukierae, alongside off-the-cuff garage rock and Tweedy’s signature aural experimentation.

“We have similar sensibilities in a nature and a nurture sense,” Spencer says. “Dad’s incredibly open-minded about music.”

“I’ve learned a lot since the project started,” he notes. For example, he learned how to record drums in a studio as opposed to playing live. “I’ve had to grow up a lot.”

“Playing music is a very metaphysical experience,” Spencer Tweedy continues, explaining that he feels both he and his father have learned a lot from each other in the process of recording the album.

The duo come to Eugene in support of Sukierae, and Spencer Tweedy says he was last in Eugene when Wilco played the Hult Center; he’s looking forward to returning.

Tweedy shows, he says, consist of songs from the record and an acoustic set spanning his father’s entire career.

The Minus 5 join Tweedy 7:30 pm Sunday, March 15, at The Shedd; $39-$43. All ages. — William Kennedy