Two for the Road is an artist-on-artist interview series in which we ask two tourmates to talk about their lives on the road. In the latest installment of the series, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy chats with Horsegirl’s Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece about their upcoming North American tour.
Horsegirl’s Nora Cheng, Penelope Lowenstein, and Gigi Reece have been heads down working on the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut album, 2022’s Versions of a Modern Performance. Amidst the success of the past year, the band has learned an important lesson: Sometimes it’s okay to say no to gigs.
Unless, of course, that gig is the “opportunity of a lifetime.” So when Wilco asked Horsegirl to join them as support for a string of dates, the decision to drop everything and grab their instruments was an easy one. “Okay, the record can come in a couple years,” Lowenstein jokes as her band talks with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy via Zoom.
It’s a sign of the respect that Horsegirl, one of the most exciting bands to come out of Chicago in a while, has for Wilco, one of the best bands to ever call Chicago home. The bands’ shared affinity for the Windy City runs deep, but it’s not just geography that brings Wilco and Horsegirl together.
For one, there’s a shared sense of gratitude expressed both by all the artists that they get to be professional musicians at all, period. “I’ve always tried to make decisions based on what allows me to get to do this for the longest amount of time,” Tweedy says.
Horsegirl can relate to that ethos, although they’re measured in their overarching ambitions. “It’s really grounding to know that if it’s not the dream anymore, we can also just go back to Chicago and do it on the down-low and for fun,” Lowenstein says.
We caught up with Tweedy, Chen, Lowenstein, and Reece ahead of their upcoming tour, which features three nights each at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre and Port Chester, New York’s Capitol Theatre. The group discussed how Chicago’s music scene has changed over the years, their goals as artists, and how each band is inspiring the other.
Watch the full interview above, and check out the remaining tour dates below. You can pick up tickets to the shows here. If you’re not lucky enough to catch the Chicago or Port Chester shows, grab tickets to all of Wilco’s upcoming dates — including December’s Sky Blue Sky Festival — here, and find Horsegirl’s here.
Trouble viewing the video above? Watch on YouTube.
Wilco and Horsegirl 2023 Tour Dates:
03/23 – Chicago IL @ The Riviera Theatre
03/25 – Chicago IL @ The Riviera Theatre
03/26 – Chicago IL @ The Riviera Theatre
03/30 – Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theatre
03/31 – Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theatre
04/01 – Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theatre
Wilco 2023 Tour Dates:
03/23 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre *+
03/25 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre *+
03/26 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre *+
03/30 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *+
03/31 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *+
04/01 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *+
04/06 – Reykjavík, IS @ Eldborg Hall located at the Harpa Center +
04/07 – Reykjavík, IS @ Eldborg Hall located at the Harpa Center +
04/08 – Reykjavík, IS @ Eldborg Hall located at the Harpa Center +
04/16 – Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival
04/18 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock %
04/19 – St. Augustine, FL @ St Augustine Amphitheater %
04/20 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall %
04/22 – Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing %
04/23 – Athens, GA @ Classic Center %
04/24 – Huntsville, AL @ Mark C. Smith Concert Hall %
04/25 – Nashville, TN @ The Ryman %
04/27 – Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre %
04/28 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe %
04/29 – Greensboro, NC @ White Oak Amphitheater %
04/30 – Athens, OH @ Ohio University Templeton Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium
08/19 – Taboão, PT @ Festival Paredes De Coura
09/03 – Birmingham, UK @ Moseley Folk Festival
12/02-06 – Riviera Maya, MX @ Sky Blue Sky Festival
+ = Three shows, no repeat setlists
* = w/ Horsegirl
% = w/ The A’s
Horsegirl 2023 Tour Dates:
03/23 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre *
03/24 – Chicago, IL @ REGGIES Chicago
03/25 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre *
03/26 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre *
03/30 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *
03/31 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *
04/01 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *
04/15 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
04/22 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
07/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club #
07/22 – Asbury Park, NJ @ House Of Independents #
07/23 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar #
07/25 – Washington, DC @ DC9 Nightclub #
07/27 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook #
07/28 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle #
07/29 – Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room at Third Man Records #
07/30 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade #
08/01 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn #
08/02 – New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre #
08/03 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall #
08/04 – McAllen, TX @ The Gremlin #
08/05 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger #
08/07 – Austin, TX @ The Parish #
08/08 – Dallas, TX @ Sons of Hermann Hall #
08/09 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge #
08/11 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck #
08/13 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
* = w/ Wilco
# = w/ Lifeguard
Consequence may earn an affiliate commission via the purchase of tickets through the above links.
