In mid May, 2025, I spoke with Jeff Tweedy ahead of his show with Wilco in Charlotte, NC, and have been waiting for his forthcoming solo album to publish his interview here on Southern Songs and Stories. I was fortunate to get to listen to several songs from Twilight Override ahead of my conversation with Jeff Tweedy, and was one of, if not the first person to talk with him about the album, and especially about the song “Enough”. That conversation is coming in our next episode, once the full album is available in late September 2025, but here we bring you a bonus episode, with the part of our conversation that was broadcast on public radio WNCW the same afternoon, ahead of Wilco’s show at the Amp Ballantyne in Charlotte.

The Jeff Tweedy Band (photo: Rachel Bartz)

Songs heard in this episode:

“Out In The Dark” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override

“How Hard Is It For Desert To Die” by Jeff Tweedy, featuring Karly Hatzman, from Cardinals at the Window: A Benefit For Flood Relief In Western North Carolina, excerpt

“Enough” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override

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This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

- Joe Kendrick

Artist stereotypes do not apply

How many times have parents cringed when their children fell in love with a musician? Let's be honest, the world has looked askance at artists of all stripes (with notable exceptions) for most of our history. Musicians tend to be thought of as people who may be great at their art but who are nonetheless pretty bad at life skills like paying bills, getting to work on time, and sticking with the missus.

Aaron turns all those stereotypes on their head; he is not only a fantastic songwriter and musician, but he also runs his own construction business and is a devoted family man living a stone's throw from where he grew up in the western NC mountains. He is as meticulous and intense about his guitar and ballads as he is about his green built homes and raising his two girls.

As you'll see in our pilot episode, Aaron does both life and art exceptionally well. The folks around him are a big part of that.