Fleet Foxes Rock the Vote With Wilco

Seattle indie rockers Fleet Foxes have lent their voices to help Wilco encourage Americans to get out to the polls this November and vote. You see, Wilco have offered a free mp3 download of their live cover of Bob Dylan's 'I Shall Be Released,' featuring the Foxes, if you pledge to vote this coming election.

"They asked us to do four dates with them on [a] tour and then second day of the tour, they were like, 'Hey, do you guys want to sing on this song? We'll do it as an encore,'" Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold tells Spinner. "We were stoked on that for sure."

On the song, the full Fleet Fox ensemble sings on the choruses of the track, while Pecknold and his bandmate, drummer Josh Tillman, do the second verse on their own. Though they didn't know at the time that the track would turn into an indie impetus to vote, they were pleased all the same when the opportunity to use it for such a purpose came up.

"They asked if that was cool and we said of course," Pecknold recounts. "I'm raring to go on [voting]."

The track, which fans can get by entering their name, email address and clicking a simple pledge button might be one of the few chances those that don't have tickets to the Fleet Foxes near sold out U.S. October tour can hear the band live. According to Pecknold, despite only releasing their self-titled Sub Pop debut a few months ago, they are ready to hit the studio during a December break to record another record.

"Even though [the album] only came out like three months ago, it's been almost a year since its been finished," Pecknold says. "To me, a band isn't about making a record and touring it for two years on the promotional cycle. It's frustrating to not feel like you're presenting exactly where you're at now to everybody. If we could only play the newest songs that we have, even though they're not finished, that would be best."

And Pecknold already has a host of new songs penned. "[On] our last little break, we had two weeks at home and I did like nine demos," he says. "I don't intend to keep that going and do a Ryan Adams, where you put out like five records a year."