Uncle Tupelo, with its steel guitars and shuffling sound, was largely responsible for the blend of country and rock called 'alt-country.' The band split in 1994, with singer-songwriter Jay Farrar continuing to pursue alt-country. 'You know, I never thought I was going to be in a prominent rock-and-roll band, starting at almost age 50.' Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone joined Wilco in 2004.

'I would say that music has been kind of a fountain of youth for me,' Cline says. That wasn't the only time that the presence of music has been fortuitous, he adds. 'A lot of amazing music was happening in rock 'n' roll, and, I guess, also folk and blues in the '60s, which is when I was growing up.' 'I decided I wanted to play guitar' as a youth, Cline says. At 66, he jokes that he's the 'old man' of the band - Tweedy is 55 - and says he was fortunate to be exposed to high-quality music in his formative years. That circus includes six band members, and while frontman Jeff Tweedy delivers meditative lyrics as he strums an acoustic guitar, Cline gets to play many of the licks that bring the music to life. That lets a lot more younger folks attend.' 'So it is like bringing the circus to town. 'We're trying to keep our ticket prices affordable in spite of the fact that our overhead as a touring band is a little ridiculous, because we have so many guitars and keyboards and stuff,' Cline says from his home in Oneonta, New York.

Chicago-based Wilco is touring to support the two-disc Cruel Country - its 15th album, if one counts a live release and two Mermaid Avenue tributes to Woody Guthrie - and will stop Thursday, Sept.

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