Stay Down Man (Dan Reeder cover)

Chit-Chat Check-In #163 • Transcript

Hello from the tail end of a pretty long Wilco tour in Lexington, KY.

In the meantime, here’s a Dan Reeder song that I love. I thought about him because he was in Phoebe Bridgers’s band on the second night she played her new single, “Lost Boys,” on Jimmy Fallon. The first night she played it with a bunch of young musicians that you’ve probably seen on Instagram, if you do that kind of thing. The second night she played the same song with a bunch of older musicians. I don’t know how Dan Reeder feels about that, but I suppose it fits the bill.

I’ve been a fan of Dan Reeder’s for a pretty long time, I really think he’s one of the only honest heirs to John Prine's sense of humor in song. It’s not exactly the same, but it scratches the same itch for me. Apparently John Prine loved his music, too. It’s a funny song, you should check out his version. Nobody really sings like Dan Reeder. His recordings have a really unique flavor.

Dan Reeder, above, is my “old” rec. My new record recommendation is Flame Folclòre by a band called Cocanha. They’re a band from France, the Occitan-speaking region. They sing in an endangered language and make music that’s rooted in this sort of troubadour tradition. They play an instrument that you hardly ever see, these long tambourines that have strings on them that basically create drones.

It reminds me of Rosalía a little bit in that they’re taking a folk tradition and updating it with some really modern recording styles. Their voices are amazing. I can’t understand a word they’re singing, but it’s just so invigorating. The cover is pretty insanely awesome, too—two women with their folk instruments holding hands and walking into flames.

Well, alright. I probably have some other stuff on the agenda I should talk about, but I can’t really remember. So here’s my attempt to sing a Dan Reeder song.

OxO—Jeffy

2009 / July 14: Feist appears with Wilco on The Late Show with David Letterman (Season 16, Episode #174) to perform “You and I.”

2025 / July 15: Jeff shares three songs the upcoming Twilight Override (dBpm Records) triple album on Starship Casual, including the debut of “One Tiny Flower.”

2015 / July 16: Star Wars is digitally released on dBpm/Anti- Records. The CD will be released 8/21/15, while the vinyl editions (standard black and limited-edition white vinyl) follow on 10/13/15.