Wye Oak 'Civilian' 10-year anniversary interview and exclusive live performances

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their landmark album "Civilian," the duo Wye Oak (Jenn Wasner & Andy Stack) share intimate stories and details about the album's creation and their musical ideologies with WTMD's Sam Sessa. Plus: high quality live performances of their songs "Fortune," "AEIOU," "Doubt," "TNT" and "Its Way With Me."
For the first time, Jenn and Andy discuss how the ending of their years-long relationship made "Civilian" into a "secret breakup record," their near miss with a tornado in Texas and how family lineage and traditions weigh heavily in Jenn's songwriting.
00:03 "Its Way With Me"
11:40 "AEIOU"
20:19 "Fortune"
31:37 "TNT"
41:22 "Doubt"
Jenn and Andy gave their first ever radio interview on WTMD's Baltimore Unsigned with Sam Sessa in 2007 (when the band was still called Monarch), and have been part of several WTMD events in the ensuing years. Among them: one of the first evening shows at WTMD's performance studio in 2014, a sold out concert at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in 2016 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and a free performance at BWI Airport's baggage claim in 2017.
An NPR affiliate music station, WTMD is listener supported public radio from Baltimore, Maryland.

[@vivaknoxvegas]

Criminally underrated artists.

[@hokeypokeypo]

Yes! Crazy how they fly under the radar like they seem to do. I try to tell everyone I can about them.

[@anonmyss]

I feel lost. The music helps me connect with something I don't understand, but feel very deeply. In this way I am found for a time.

[@Andrew-wb2zq]

Need some live in-person Wye Oak ASAP! Can’t wait until yall are back out there.

[@ChipMatthews]

This live session is phenomenal! I love how their song writing has matured over the years. Wonderful stuff. Great interview too. Thanks!

[@clairaudient_mica]

They are so gifted 🔥🔥🔥

[@johnnypetro9314]

Thank God for us that her life is atypical!

[@sysfailureexe6038]

She expresses herself so well !!

[@Fire-ql1qk]

they are wonderful!❤

[@kuladeeluxe]

What a sound.....Live. Fantastic!

[@velixzeen]

Hi Wye Oak. So good to hear this work from you guys. -fellow lamp addict :)

[@SimonsBand1]

Biggest fan right here! I've been trying to get her sig guitar for almost a year now!

[@HachiMatt]

This is great. Thanks ❤️

[@wellplays1]

Love them! Great interview!

[@Luisperez-sp2pm]

Los amo, saludos desde México.

[@maybeerainmaybeesnow]

Magic.... : )

[@xsullengirlx]

I clicked to hear Civilian live all these years later.. because sometimes songs truly do change throughout the years. But, to hear that they hate the song, have animosity towards it, won't ever play it again, really sucks the life out of all of it. The other music is phenomenal. But they may not have an audience for it if NOT for civilian. They used the song to gain fame and then discarded it. I know it's painful, but as band members you should have worked through the song by now and realize that FANS may need to hear that song. It comes off as entitled and selfish and tone deaf.

[@xXxPAYCHECKOxXx]

Maybe it also has something to do with it being on a TV show as well, and many fans migrated from that (Myself include). Some bands want to separate themselves from such commercial success, which is a shame, if that's the case here. Idk tho obviously, but they should be proud to have written such a powerful, emotion pumping song.

[@Gobbledi_Gook]

Civilian is probably my favorite song ever written period, so it is a little sad to hear them say things like that, but at the same time I totally get it. I mean this song must be like their Wonderwall or something, and I imagine it gets really tiring living in the shadow of that song/album and feeling like fans are only around for that and not the new art you’re making. Edit: also I don’t think it comes across as selfish or tone deaf. She even admits in the interview that she appreciates how much people have related to the song. I think her main qualm is less with the song itself and more with the expectation to perform it endlessly

[@gurcanbasak4430]

Just imagine you just wrote a song when you were merely an off-the-boat artist and it happened to be played on a hit TV show and gained you success..you've matured a lot throughout years emotionally, musically and artistically and created way different art which you want to share with your audience but they are just stuck with the music that you created years and years ago, completely disregarding your years of growth and maturity and all the efforts you've put to embark on a new path in your career. It must be bad..

[@MetaLeir93]

Sometimes it's simpler. Imagine you wrote the song back in the years when you thought about killing yourself, and you no longer do today. Not saying this is Wye oak's case. I'm just saying they should be able to move on from it if they want, for whatever reason. Civilian happened and is now a beautiful memory, but Wye oak moves on. I think it's very alright.

[@kristiantorres1080]

I would love to know what is the time signature of "Its Way With Me"

[@justincole15]

A ten year anniversary conversation and literally not one song is played off of that album. Weird. I was looking forward to some live renditions of some of those tracks. It’s their only REALLY GOOD album. Not just the song Civilian but the entire thing.

[@aldebear7]

Doubt (the last song) is from Civilian. But I agree they should've played at least more songs from that album. I love their latest album though, it was a nice surprise for my 2023 💛

[@kristiantorres1080]

What guitar model is she using here?

[@tungtobak]

Looks like a late 60s to early 70s Harmony H74 Meteor.

[@tungtobak]

Assuming you mean the hollow-body. The black guitar she switches to on some songs is a Reverend Jetstream.

[@IanDunbar1]

@@tungtobak It's kind of a shame so many guitarists (well, ones people have actually heard of) are starting to play Harmony guitars. Historically they've been one of the few vintage guitars you can still get for a low price, but I'm guessing as folks like Wasner and Courtney Barnett (she has a Harmony Rocket) start playing them the prices will go up correspondingly. Similar to Jack White making Airlines go up in price, or Johnny Greenwood driving up the price of Fender Starcasters (though, being a vintage Fender that was bound to happen eventually regardless)

[@bicyclechain378]

It's a Reverend double agent I think

[@kristiantorres1080]

@@tungtobak Awesome. Thank you!