With Wilco’s contract with record label Nonesuch now over, reports have surfaced that the band is now leaning towards becoming independent artists as they and their manager are planning to strike out on their own this time.

Express Night Out recently talked to Wilco member Nels Cline about the indie move. Cline briefly told the website that there are plans of establishing their own record label but details of which still had to be worked out. He added that it is basically Jeff Tweedy and Tony Margherita’s (Wilco’s manager) idea to go indie and he’s just “cruising with what they want to do”.

A year ago Jay Bennett, former member of Wilco, producer, and solo musician passed away. Bennett’s mother Jan, along with his brother Jeff, to commemorate his music and life have launched The Jay Bennett Foundation for benefiting education and music.

Bennett fans can make online donations to the foundation and also sign up for the email list to receive updates regarding the accomplishments of the organization as well as the unveiling of Bennett songs that were recorded but previously unreleased before he died.

It’s not rare for rock-alt artists to do pop song covers like “Only Hope” and “Baby One More Time”, so when a video of Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy singing the ultimate anthem for single gals everywhere surfaced online, we thought we wouldn’t be surprised but we were wrong.

In a video clip posted by online music blog TwentyFourBit, Tweedy performed Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” without the grungy sounds of a rock vocalist while strumming heavily on the guitar. Instead he played a few lines while hitting a few chords and as soon as he found himself lost in the lyrics, he decided to recite the words instead, with his index finger swaying, and with the crowd helping, laughing and cheering along with him.

Wilco has just added a new spring leg onto their current tour that will stretch through early 2010. The band continues backing “Wilco (The Album),” their most recent studio album. The upcoming outing for the band will kick off in Missoula, MT on February 7 then quickly head over the border to Canada for a long slate of appearances, capped off with a show on March 3 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Wilco, as they continue performing on their current fall tour, has started to look to the future and is mapping out a early 2010 US/Canada winter trek. The band continues with their current stretch in Dallas on October 9. They will kick off their 2010 outing in Missoula, MT on February 7. The 15 city trek will stop in several cities in the Pacific Northwest, including a free show related to the Olympics in Vancouver on February 13, before they head east, mainly through Canada.

Adventure has been given a rest on Wilco’s seventh album, with the band and Jeff Tweedy returning to the more melodic, languid rock from their early mid nineties albums. Within the collection of timbrally consistent tunes is a sparkling gem entitled “You Never Know,” nodding to the melodic pleasantness of post-Beatle George Harrison.

Singer/songwriter Jay Bennett, former member of Wilco, died on Sunday in his sleep in his Urbana, IL home. Bennet was 45 years old. A statement on the website of Undertow Music Collective, Bennet’s label, said that we were profoundly saddened to have to report that their friend died last night in his sleep. Jay will be missed. He was a very beautiful human being.

Wilco, after finishing up with their new studio album, has added on some new dates to their summer concert schedule. The band from Chicago will kick off their spring dates in Milwaukee, WI on April 14, appear at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN on June 13 and then head out on a short excursion in the Western US. The latest stretch will start in El Paso, TX on June 17 and will include a two night stay in Los Angeles on June 22-23 along with a show on June 27 at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA.

Wilco, Beck, Widespread Panic, Steve Winwood and Ben Harper are some of the acts that have just been announced to join headliners Jack Johnson, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Radiohead for the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, a three day event taking place August 22-24 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Outside Lands, a multi-faceted festival, is expected to have a lineup of eclectic artists as well as a broad range of amusement and entertainment options. These will include art installations, performance artists and interactive attractions.