The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo show rolls into London town tonight, for Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown. A first for us Brits, in the band’s own words, The Freewheeling Show is something of an interactive experience :
“No set list; instead the audience is encouraged (if not required) to interact with the band, leading we’re never quite sure where.” So get your questions at the ready.
And the band will be back in the UK in November, no Freewheeling this time, it’s back to the good old fashioned rock n roll show. Dates below :
We have an old saying at Matador HQ, “the only thing predictable about Yo La Tengo albums is their high level of excellence and crazy amount of musical ground covered”. Trouble is, even if you believe we really have an old saying that unwieldly, it doesn’t really do justice in this instance. The new Yo La Tengo CD/2XLP/digital album ‘Popular Songs” (OLE 856-1,2) could be the bravest musical statement to date in a career full of ‘em. Recorded in Hoboken and Nashville in early 2009 with longtime associate Roger Mountenot, ‘Popular Songs’ finds the trio of Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew at the height of their creative powers, fashioning an epic work that’s cooly confident as it is wildly adventurous.
Even for longtime followers of Yo La Tengo, the stylistic range encompassed on ‘Popular Songs’ is startling ; the band aren’t merely conversant with rock & pop subgenres stretching into the double digits, but their unselfconscious mastery of such is simply uncanny. Without absolving you of the sacred responsibility of listening to this album from start to finish (with no commercial interruptions!) , we can say with full confidence there are portions of ‘Popular Songs’ where a cursory needle drop reveals a band that doesn’t sound instantly like Yo La Tengo — or at least how you recognized them prior to now. In the words of Mike Wolf, “Yo La Tengo is not afraid. They walk confidently forward, into the unknown, hand in hand. And 12 (or 14) albums in, they may just be hitting their stride.”
“Periodically Double Or Triple” is the first MP3 from ‘Popular Songs’. In the days to follow, we’ll have further announcements regarding a Buy Early Get Now campaign for the album, along with Yo La Tengo’s autumn tour plans.
Tomorrow will see the start of this year’s Primavera Sound festival, in Barcelona Spain. Set on the sea front on the edge of Barcelona, the festival has stages curated by Pitchfork, ATP and Vice amongst others.
This year Matador has a total of 6 bands in attendance at the festival. Surely a record? If you’re attending, be sure to Sharpie these times on your hand now:
(in alphabetical order)
Dead Meadow – ATP Stage – Thursday 28th May 00:15
Fucked Up – Ray Ban-Vice Stage – Friday 29th May 00:30
Jay Reatard – Ray Ban-Vice Stage – Thursday 28th May 00:30
Shearwater – Pitchfork Stage – Saturday 30th May 18:15
Sonic Youth – Estrella Damm Stage – Saturday 30th May 01:00
Yo La Tengo – Estrella Damm Stage – Thursday 28th May 21:45
A prize will be awarded to anyone that manages to get a photo of all of the above in the same place at the same time.
Following the wildly successful Freewheeling Yo La Tengo U.S. dates of 2007 and 2008, Ira, Georgia and James are bringing what was previously billed as “an almost-acoustic set” of career-spanning material & covers to other parts of the whole wide world.
Sunday, May 31- Ferrera, Italy – Sala Estense- Doors are at 8:00 pm. Tickets are €20, and are available here.
Thursday, June 4 -Paris, France- L’Alhambra – Tickets are €25, and are available here.
Sunday, June 7 -Hamburg, Germany – Imperial Theater – Doors are at 8:00 pm. Tickets are €16/21, and areavailable here.
Monday, June 8 – Berlin, Germany- Babylon – Doors are at 7:00 pm. Tickets are €16/21, and are available here.
Thursday, June 11 – Amsterdam, Holland – Bimhuis – Tickets are €16, and are available here.
Friday, June 12- Brussels, Belgium – Botanic, Orangerie – Tickets are available here.
Monday, June 15 – London, England – Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall Part of the Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown line-up. Tickets are available here.
In addition, Yo La Tengo will revert to more amplified fashion at the following outdoor events ;
Thursday, May 28 – Primavera Sound Festival, Barcelona, Spain (tickets)
Monday, July 13 – Keyspan Park, Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY (supporting Wilco) (tickets)
Friday, July 17 – Pitchfork Music Festival, Union Park, Chicago, IL (with Built To Spill, Tortoise) (tickets)
Many years ago, I used to answer telephones at WMBR. Never would I have imagined during the station’s oh-so-cool early ’80’s they would one day see fit to recognize a bunch of talented musicians from Connecticut. But enough about Death Threat, it seems the Condo Fucks are playing an WMBR-related event in the near future.
WMBR DJ Jon Bernhardt will celebrate his 25th anniversary with the morning Breakfast of Champions radio program on June 26, from 8-10 a.m. To mark this auspicious occasion, he has convinced the bands that have been played the most on his program to perform at a pair of benefit concerts at two Boston area clubs. UK legend Bevis Frond will play in his only U.S. appearance on Sunday, June 21 at TT the Bear’s along with the Condo Fucks and Sleepyhead. Versus reunites to play Church with Rebecca Gates (The Spinanes) and more guests TBA, on Saturday, June 27. Proceeds will benefit WMBR. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.
Sunday, June 21, TT the Bear’s, 10 Brookline St., Cambridge
The Bevis Frond – #1 on Bernhardt’s career playlist – makes a rare appearance, having last played the United States in 2002. Matador recording artists the Condo Fucks feature all three members of Bernhardt’s #2 band, Yo La Tengo. Sleepyhead, who released a song that tied for #1 on the list, opens.
Saturday, June 27, Church, 69 Kilmarnock St., Boston
Versus, who haven’t played in Boston since 2003, and are the #4 band on the list, reunite especially for the occasion. Also appearing is Rebecca Gates, whose band The Spinanes, released the other song tied for #1. More artists TBA.
When’s the last time you went to your local multiplex and every film on offer had a score by Yo La Tengo? Such an occasion will occur this Monday, April 6 when roughly the same time Austin’s Alamo Ritz theatre screens Greg Mottola’s “Adventureland”, an adjoining room will be showing Emily Hubley’s “The Toe Tactic” at 7pm.
“The Toe Tactic” is Hubley’s first full-length feature combines animation and live action, and includes performances from David Cross, Eli Wallach, Andrea Martin and Marion Seides…along with the previously mentioned Yo La Tengo music. Later that evening, the Ritz will present “Hubley Films”, a collection of Faith & John Hubley’s animated works, as curated by Emily Hubley.
There’s a screening of “The Toe Tactic” on Sunday, as well.
[Photo from Yo La Tengo’s WFMU 2008 Marathon performance lifted from notladj’s flickr)
Since 1996, Yo La Tengo have led a growingnumber of bands donating their time and talent for the benefit of freeform, college and community radio. Here we are in 2009 and YLT are to reliably continue their annual tradition of gearing up to play covers for pledges during WFMU’s annual fundraising marathon.
Tomorrow, Friday March 13, from 8-11 PM EST, Pseu Braun and Gaylord Fields are to host Yo La Tengo (alongside Bruce Bennett) in their covers-for-cash campaign.
Tune in at 91.1 FM in the tri-state or online at www.wfmu.org and pony up to hear YLT’s takes on your favorites.
… on the Dark Was The Night compilation, coming out on 4AD. All are unavailable elsewhere. The Yo La Tengo song is a Snapper cover, the New Pornographers song is a Destroyer song (cover?), and the Stuart Murdoch song is a traditional Scottish number. (Other members of Belle and Sebastian perform on the track.) All three can be checked out in the above widget.
There is also an unreleased Cat Power song on the record – a cover of “Amazing Grace.”
This is the new Red Hot compilation, and proceeds will go to benefit AIDS charities.
In stores a week from tomorrow. Preorder it here and receive a free 7″ while supplies last.
Yo La Tengo just completed their annual Hanukkah residency at Maxwell’s ; for the full scoop on the amazing cavalcade of stars & surprises unveiled during this year’s edition, Ira’s daily diary of said event will make you feel like, well, a very unlucky person if you didn’t attend one or more of the performances.
OK, we’re a little late with this one. Ira gave us the head’s up about Yo La Tengo playing 2008’s 8 night Hanukkah stand at Hoboken’s Maxwell’s from December 21-28. In the 36 hours since that email and a subsequent Pitchfork story, all of the shows save for December 23 are sold out. There might be a handful of tickets remaining at Tunes in Hoboken or Lower Manhattan’s Other Music, but you’d better act fast.
As in years past, you can expect at least 2 support acts per night (one musical, one perhaps non-musical) a Yo La Tengo set that will probably not resemble the prior evening’s all that much, and the knowledge that your $30.00 ticket price is going to a worthy charity-to-be-determined.
Yo La Tengo and The Feelies are playing Montclair, NJ’s Wellmont Theatre on New Year’s Eve. Tickets are $35 and go on sale October 18 via Tickets.com. I was gonna use this post as an opportunity to take a cheap shot at Montclair, but I’ve since been informed the town is either a past or present home to such luminaries as Yogi Berra, Stephen Colbert, Larry Doby, Christina Ricci, Bill Bradley, Joe Walsh, Thomas Edison and “The Wire”’s embattled police commish, Frankie Faison. They’re all invited, too!
Not sure about the legal definition of “popular demand,” but this might actually apply. At long last, They Shoot, We Score collects all of our music — plus outtakes — for the motion pictures Game 6, Junebug, Old Joy, and Shortbus in one handy-dandy compact disc. Nearly an hour of instrumental music. 27 tracks — 26 of them previously unreleased. Eight-page booklet features posters from around the world. Four different front covers, one for each movie. Don’t collect them all, and don’t ask for a specific one — they will be sent out according to a random-number generator by our blindfolded mail-order crew.
TRACK LISTING: OLD JOY 1. Leaving Home 2. Getting Lost 3. Path to Springs 4. Driving Home
5. Leaving Home (alternate version) 6. Old Joy: End Credits JUNEBUG 7. Ashley 8. Meerkats 9. Madeline
10. A Roomful of Ladies (outtake) 11. David Wark 12. Aftermath (outtake) 13. George GAME 6 14. This Could Be It
15. The Phantom Who Haunts Broadway 16. Game Time 17. Pharaoh Blues 18. Zoo Chant 19. Love Chant 20. Asbestos
21. Return of the Pharaoh 22. Spec Bebop 23. Buckner’s Boner SHORTBUS 24. Isolation Tank
25. Panic in Central Park (outtake) 26. Panic in Central Park 27. Wizard’s Sleeve
(LABEL INTERJECTION : this blindfolded mail-order crew sounds awesome. We might have to put them in charge of filling our future Jay Reatard 7″ orders. But in all seriousness, Yo La Tengo are playing a free show at Brooklyn’s lovely McCarren Park Pool on Sunday, August 24).
It’s considered the weeks most difficult crossword, but 57 across was a grand slam, at least for you and I. We are proud to be in good company. Here’s my terrible attempt in photographing the paper.
Tonight on NBC’s “Late Night With Conan O’Brien”, Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew —- otherwise known as internationally famous pop trio Yo La Tengo — will serve as part of the backing ensemble for Merge recording artists She & Him, aka M. Ward and Zoey Deschanel.
She & Him are not to be confused with the obscure noise rock due You & It, nor the semi-popular Y&T.
More footage can be found at the Other Music site, including a terrific Shearwater clip that I’ve not managed to swipe properly (the cat puked all over my copy of “Embedding For Dummies”).
(Beth and Adam from Times New Viking, using the Bowery Ballroom stage as a mere tune up for Austin’s super swank Soho Lounge. Pic swiped from Rafe Baron’s Flickr page)
I won’t be wearing a “Welcome To Austin : Now Fuck Off” tee next week, mostly because a) I hate slogans and b) there’s too much ketchup on the shirt to wear it in public (again). However, in the interests of keeping you, our close friends, fully informed, we’ve assembled as complete a list as possible of all the events various Matador recording artists are playing next week during the South By Southwest Clusterfuck ™. Please be advised that we’re gonna list the officially sanctioned SXSW events separately from the day parties, after hours bashes, gigs in non-participating clubs, etc., because we don’t wanna mislead anyone. Much like everything good in this world, the below gigs are subject to change. If you can’t get in, there’s undoubtedly something else going that’s not nearly as crowded a few feet away.
OFFICIAL SXSW “Showcases” (like plastic lucite!)
Wednesday, March 13 – Shearwater, Club DeVille, 1am (Brooklyn Vegan party)
Thursday, March 14 – Yo La Tengo, Austin Music Hall, 9:30pm (with My Morning Jacket)
Thursday, March 14 – Jay Reatard, Vice, 302 E. 6th Street 10:30pm
Thursday, March 14 – Times New Viking, Soho Lounge, 217 E. 6th St., 12:30am (Siltbreeze showcase)
Friday, March 15 – Earles & Jensen Present The History Of The Prank Call, Esther’s, 525 E. 6th St., 10:30pm (Super Deluxe showcase)
UNOFFICIAL, NOT CONNECTED TO SXSW-AT-ALL (OTHER THAN TAKING ADVANTAGE) SHOWS :
Wednesday, March 12 – Shearwater, The Mohawk, 4pm (Austinist/Gothamist party)
Wednesday, March 12 – Times New Viking, La Zona Rosa, 10pm (Free Yr Radio/Urban Outfitter party)
Thursday, March 13 – Jay Reatard, French Legation Museum, 5pm (Other Music party)
Thursday, March 13 – Times New Viking, French Legation Museum, 6pm (Other Music party)
Friday, March 14 – Jay Reatard, Emo’s Main Room, 1:30pm (Pitchfork/Windish Booking party)
Friday, March 14 – Yo La Tengo, French Legation Museum, 4pm (Other Music party)
Friday, March 14 – Times New Viking, Emo’s, 4pm (Pitchfork/Windish Booking party)
Friday, March 14 – Jay Reatard, Vice Day Stage, 1106 E. 11th Street, 4pm
Friday, March 14 – Shearwater, French Legation Museum (Other Music party)
Saturday, March 15 – Shearwater, Mess With Texas 2, Waterloo Park, 1:30pm
Saturday, March 15 – Earles & Jensen, Mess With Texas 2, Waterloo Park, 2:30pm
Saturday, March 15 – Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, Spiderhouse Cafe, 2908 Fruth Street, 3pm
Saturday, Match 15 – Jay Reatard, Mess With Texas 2, Waterloo Park, 5:15pm
Saturday, Match 15 – Times New Viking, Waterloo Records instore, 3pm
“From 5-8pm Gaylord Fields and Bob Brainen mark the halfway point of the WFMU fundraising Marathon by once again enlisting Yo La Tengo to take your calls, pledges and most importantly cover song requests, which will then be brought to life over the air! The band’s long history with the WFMU Marathon has proven that Yo La Tengo is unstoppable, and tonight’s show is a special longer 3-hour broadcast just in case that extended version of “Hocus Pocus” comes up. Gaylord co-hosts the rest of Bob’s show from 8-9pm after the band packs up as well. ”
If you’re feeling like donating loot to the only non-profitable organization I’ve ever supported besides Father Bruce Ritter’s “Mittens For Boys” campaign, here’s where you can do so.
Much as I dislike the taint of anything sports-related here at Matador Records and Filmworks, I realize there are plenty of fans of Yo La Tengo and rock history alike who might enjoy this video presentation.
I had the distinct pleasure of attending night no.1 of Yo La Tengo’s annual (well, most years) Hanukkah residency at Maxwell’s this past Tuesday. And while it was a terrific show — including performances by Versus, Mark Arm (Mudhoney, Green River, Mr. Epp & The Calculations) and Jon Glaser/Jon Benjamin, I’m in genuine envy of those who managed to hit Wedneday and Thursday’s performances (aided by The Clean and the dB’s, respectively).
Suffice to say there are some amazing surprises in store for the final 5 nights. But if you weren’t fortunate enough to secure a ticket, Ira’s been (ahem) blogging about the experience at Yo La Tengo.com. Not for the first or last time, a member of the label family saves their sharpest prose for a site other than the Matablog.
There wasn’t a tour nearly as daring, funny or stimulating in 2007 as The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo. And I should know. I’ve seen EVERY TOURING ACT THIS YEAR. Including the reunited Channel 3 (who really shouldn’t have bothered). Lucky for you, Yo La Tengo’s love for this great nation extends to the following cities as The Freewheeling tour continues into 2008 :
1/9 – Charlottesville VA at the Satellite Ballroom
1/10 – Carrboro NC at Carrboro Arts Center
1/11 – Charlotte NC at the Visulite
1/12 – Atlanta GA at the Variety
1/14 – Athens GA at Melting Point (first show in Athens since early 2003, pre-Summer Sun)
1/15 – Birmingham AL at the Workplay
1/16 – Louisville KY at the 930 Listening Room
1/17 – Nashville TN at the Belcourt
1/18 – Memphis TN at Gibson Lounge
1/19 – Springfield, MO at the Randy Bacon Gallery
All things considered, a version of “SNL” that isn’t on TV is still likely to have just as many viewers as any edition of “MSG, NY” that is actually broadcast. From the Hollywood Reporter :
Two New York-based shows, “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live,” will get one-time-only performances this weekend in Manhattan.
The casts of both shows will perform at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater on West 26th Street, with “Saturday Night Live” performing a show at 11:30 p.m. Saturday and “30 Rock” going on at 8 p.m. Monday. “Superbad” and “Arrested Development” star Michael Cera will be the guest host of “SNL,” and the musical guest is Hoboken, N.J., alternative rockers Yo La Tengo.
“SNL” cast member Amy Poehler (above) said in a statement late Thursday that the theater is a “second home” to many of the performers and writers.
“We are doing this to raise spirits, raise awareness and raise money for our hardworking production crews who will be having a hard holiday season if this strike continues,” Poehler said.
