The News-Leader welcomes Wilco back to Springfield, Missouri after about a decade and tries to get its readers caught up on what’s been up with the band in the interim, with a little help from John Stirratt. Elsewhere, The Portland Mercury worships at the altar of Wilco axeman Nels Cline and The San Antonio Express assembles a story by cribbing quotes from past stories in other publications. And down below there’s a clip from the forthcoming Jeff Tweedy solo DVD Sunken Treasure Live In The Pacific Northwest, due out October 24. It’s an as-yet unreleased song that’s been a semi-regular live staple on recent tours and was recorded at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland.

Wilco will also appear on the forthcoming The Harry Smith Project: The Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited 2-CD/2-DVD set due out October 24. It will feature live audio and video from a host of luminaries paying tribute to Smith, the man who compiled the historically crucial Anthology of American Folk Music in 1952. You can stream the Wilco track of “James Alley Blues”, originally recorded by Richard “Rabbit” Brown in 1927 below, and I have an MP3 of them performing the same track at Farm Aid circa 1998 introduced by one Steve Earle, who also appears on the Harry Smith tribute.

MP3: Wilco – “James Alley Blues” (Farm Aid 1998)
Stream: Wilco – “James Alley Blues” (Harry Smith Tribute Concert) (QT)
Video: Jeff Tweedy – “The Thanks I Get” (YouTube)

Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips are the latest performers on the concert a emporter series at La Blogotheque, which has two videos of them busking in the subways of New York City. Their new album Back Numbers will be out at the end of January and the preceding EP, Words You Used To Say is out October 17 as one of those Thinkindie releases available only in non-chain stores.

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix talks to Carl Newman of The New Pornographers about how Kathryn Calder isn’t Neko Case while The Winnipeg Sun talks to Kathryn Calder about how she’s not Neko Case. VUE, The Gateway don’t want to talk about Calder at all.

NOW discusses the Southern Thang with Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers, in town for a show at the Phoenix next Wednesday. Corriere Tandem and Scripps News also have interviews. I’m giving away passes right now, so make with the clicky if you don’t have tickets yet and try your luck. Also swing by BlessingAndACurse.com to celebrate Rocktober with the Truckers. They’re giving away a new MP3 every day of the month including live stuff, demos and unreleased goodies, though we’re already a third of the way through the month so hopfully someone is hoarding them and will make them available en masse at some point in the future… And if you need a double-dose of Drive By Truckin’ and are around the Hamilton area on Tuesday, they’re playing the much smaller (and much more likely to already be sold out) Casbah Underground. View talks to the Truckers from Steeltown (thanks, Sean).

Muzzle Of Bees asks five questions of Okkervil River’s Will Sheff and gets five very long and considered answers in reply.

The Salt Lake Tribune discusses Yo La Tengo’s many talents while The Aspen Times talks album titles with Ira Kaplan. The Georgia Straight talks sticking it to the man with James McNew.

Jaded Insider recounts a full-on rant about music from Joanna Newsom where she blames bad music on vampires.

Blah blah Pitchfork blah blah The O.C. blah blah soundtrack blah blah Band Of Horses covering The New Year… waitaminute, what was that last thing?

np – TV On The Radio / Return To Cookie Mountain