It’s that time again. 

The time every other year that fans of a very specific Chicago band head east to North Adams

Solid Sound 9 is happening this weekend in the Berkshires, and today we’re at Mass MoCA to capture it.

So as we ready to hear Mermaid Avenue for the first time ever live in concert with both Wilco and Billy Bragg, we’ll talk to some of the multi-hyphenate members of that band about this festival and their many other projects, including a documentary from keyboardist Mikael Jorgenson, and a sound art installation from drummer Glenn Kotche.

We’ll talk music with Sima Cunningham of Finom, I Hear Voices, Postock, and many other musical ensembles about the pop-ups she’s involved with all weekend, and Jeff Tweedy himself about the importance of performing Mermaid Avenue at this moment.

Plus the curator of the festival’s comedy cabaret, and former W. Mass resident himself, John Hodgman gives us a preview of the funny folx headed to the air conditioned portion of the weekend, and what hijinx helps to bring comedians to the northern Berskhires.