Jeff Tweedy and Son to Perform at Merriam Theater, 9/21

Jeff Tweedy, best known as the founder of the pioneering Chicago rock band Wilco, performs with his son Spencer Tweedy new folk album project, Sukierae, in Philadelphia at the Merriam Theater on Sunday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m.

TWEEDY fall tour celebrates the September 23 release of their debut album, Sukierae on his own dBpm Records. Jeff Tweedy, backed by a new band that includes Spencer, bassist Darin Grey, guitarist Jim Elkington, and keyboardist Liam Cunningham, also performs a solo acoustic set of songs from Wilco and Uncle Tupelo catalogs.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, August 8 at 10 a.m. Tickets are available from $40 to $50 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce streets (open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

The album, Sukierae (sue-key-ray), is not quite a solo effort. It is the debut release by the aptly-monikered duo, Tweedy, which features 20 new Jeff Tweedy-written songs, performed by Jeff in a musical collaboration with his 18-year-old son and drummer Spencer Tweedy.

"When I set out to make this record, I imagined it being a solo thing, but not in the sense of one guy strumming an acoustic guitar and singing," Jeff Tweedy said. "Solo to me meant that I would do everything - write the songs, play all the instruments and sing. But Spencer's been with me from the very beginning demo sessions, playing drums and helping the songs take shape. In that sense, the record is kind of like a solo album performed by a duo."

With Spencer on drums, Jeff handles his usual guitars and vocals, as well as bass and keyboards. Backing vocals on Sukierae come courtesy of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of the Brooklyn-band Lucius. All can be heard here on the album's first streaming track "I'll Sing It" and on wilcoworld.net.

Musician Scott McCaughey (R.E.M., The Minus Five, The Baseball Project) lends additional keyboard support on Sukierae.

Jeff Tweedy is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer. Spencer Tweedy, despite his young age, is a longtime member of the Chicago band The Blisters and handled drum duties on the latest album by soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples.

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