Since Jeff Tweedy assembled Wilco more than a decade ago, the Chicago rockers have released six studio albums, including the current trio of releases on Nonesuch Records: last year’s Sky Blue Sky, a ghost is born (2004) and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002). In the 90s they released three albums for Reprise Records: 1999’s Summer Teeth, 1996’s Being There and their 1994 debut effort, AM. Additional releases have included the live album Kicking Television (2005) and two collaborative efforts with Billy Bragg and the estate of Woody Guthrie, Mermaid Avenue Volumes 1 & 2. Various and sundry side projects, solo efforts, contributions and collaborations with roots in the Wilco family tree round out their accomplished discography.

Known for their fierce live performances, this line up of Wilco - Jeff Tweedy, bassist John Stirratt, drummer Glenn Kotche, keyboardist Mike Jorgensen, guitarist Nels Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone - have played hundreds of concerts since assembling in May of 2004. Applauded by fans and heralded by critics, one live show found London Sunday Telegraph dubbing them “the world’s most exciting rock band.”

Additionally, Wilco have been the subjects of a movie, the creators of one book and the inspiration for another. They have graced the covers of magazines, appeared on our TV screens and conjured hearty chat room fodder for years. Along with their good fortune, they have endured some setbacks – line-up changes (both voluntary and otherwise), a well publicized split with their former record company, Tweedy’s near-collapse from drugs and mental illness and the hard fought rehabilitation which followed all have their place in Wilco’s history.

Their refusal to fit a particular mold has made them at times acclaimed, disdained, revered and reviled, sometimes all in the same week…but by following their collective vision, Wilco are having it their own way. The music created by this band has never been easy to categorize, and the only thing their audience has come to expect is the unexpected.