Putting the rumour to rest once and for all -- Jeff Tweedy is headlining tonight at the folk festival, not his iconic country rock act Wilco.

After a year touring the band's latest masterpiece A Ghost Is Born, Tweedy and the rest of the crew are taking a couple of months off.

As for this one-off date, the Illinois songwriter doesn't even consider that work.

"Solo shows for me are pretty play-it-by-ear kind of things -- I think that's one of the reasons I love doing them so much," Tweedy says, noting he can dig into older material or songs the band hasn't played in years. "When I do an acoustic show it's just nice to be able to play whatever comes into my mind."

These days, that mind is in a good space, thanks to the success of the band -- they're opening a Stones date in the fall -- as well as his own kicking of an addiction to prescription painkillers and, more recently, nicotine.

"I don't want to jinx anything, but I'm feeling pretty good and definitely it translates into being able to enjoy things going well in the band," he says. "In spite of however I've been feeling over the years, the band has continued to get better and grow.

"Now, I just feel good enough to pay attention and enjoy it."

That includes when he gets the band back together in August to wade through the "700 different ideas" they have for a new album. Tweedy says he's feeling no pressure to get it out quickly, he's just simply looking forward to the process of making music.

"We have the luxury of getting together and making (stuff) up, that's our job," he says. "It's not lost on me that that's a distinct joy and privilege to have in your life -- and that's how you should approach it, like a kid."