New York City-based guitarist Nels Cline is a very prolific musician. A member of Chicago’s Wilco, Cline will perform at the 2015 Hillside Festival with his Nels Cline Singers ensemble but, in a new interview, he says he’s prepping a number of new recording projects, including new efforts by Wilco and a long-awaited solo album.
“There’s a lot of stuff in play,” he said when asked about the status of the next Wilco LP. “Jeff [Tweedy]’s been very prolific so we’re just sifting and experimenting. Wilco’s always experimenting to some extent. Jeff’s a man with great curiosity and doesn’t like to do the same things twice if he can help it so we’ve been trying some different things. “
In terms of big completed projects, Cline is very excited about his forthcoming double-album of orchestrated ballads, Lovers, which he said he completed two years ago.
He describes it as a concept album that he’s been contemplating making for 20 years and was finally ushered into the world by his friends, producer David Breskin and orchestrator/conductor/trumpter/producer Michael Leonhart.
“It’s 19 pieces from all walks of life but put together to be thematically related to the idea of love, intimacy, closeness, sexuality—things like that,” Cline explains. “It’s a mood music record with a current strain of consciousness running through it. There’s maybe five or six of my own pieces on it, as well as so-called standards and pieces from movies, musicals. A suite of Annette Peacock pieces, a Sonic Youth piece, an Arto Lindsay piece, some jazz standards—Henry Mancini, and Jerome Kern.”
Scheduled for release this January, Lovers sounds intriguing enough but something about the inclusion of something by Sonic Youth – perhaps best known for making catchy, caustic, loud, noise-rock – sticks out from the rest.
“It’s certainly a song by Sonic Youth that very few people have maybe paid attention to,’ Cline said, “But it’s a ballad and the songs that have lyrics were selected as much for their lyric content as their music and the lyrics will be part of the package even though there are no vocals on it.”
The Nels Cline Singers’ primary set takes place on July 26 at 2:50pm on the Island Stage.
Hillside Festival tickets are on sale now, both online and at the regular outlets:
– The Bookshelf (41 Quebec Street, Guelph);
– Encore Records (301 King St E, Kitchener); and
– Soundscapes (572 College St, Toronto).
Weekend passes are $139 plus HST/SC, a Friday Day pass (4:30 to 11pm) is $55 each plus HST/SC, a Saturday day Pass (10:30am to 11pm) is $83 each plus HST/SC and a Sunday day pass (10:30am to 11pm) is $83 each plus HST/SC.
A seniors weekend pass is $69.50 plus HST/SC and is available at outlets in Guelph, Kitchener and Toronto now, as well as at the festival gate throughout the weekend. Senior Passes must be purchased in person with valid identification.
Children 12 and under are admitted for free.
Check hillsidefestival.ca for more info.
