2011

On February 4th, Yo La Tengo brought their Wheel of Fate? tour to Chicago’s legendary Metro for a night of genre-spanning rock and other surprises. On this tour, YLT has been selecting an audience member to spin a wheel set up on stage, and whatever the wheel landed on would be the first 45 minute set. Options included a set by the band’s garage rock alter-ego Condo Fucks, an audience Q&A known as ‘The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo’, ‘Sitcom Theater’ where YLT and crew would perform a classic sitcom and plenty of other goofy ideas.

On this night, the wheel landed on ‘Spinner’s Choice’, and the audience member chose Sitcom Theater. Shortly after, the famous bassline from Seinfeld pumped through the PA, and YLT’s Ira Kaplan came out and began reading the script for the classic The Chinese Restaurant episode. The band then read through the whole episode, even though a sizable portion of the audience had grown audibly restless. It was hilarious.

The set proper opened up with the mellow classics The Room Got Heavy and Autumn Sweater before getting into some of the feedback-drenched introspective noiserock that YLT is so great at. The evening was an excellent snapshot of the incredibly wide breadth of Yo La Tengo’s sound. From acoustic-based love songs through loud thrashing rock, YLT played every song to perfection. Opener Willian Tyler joined the band for Don’t Have to be So Sad, and lent a hand again later on a brilliant reworking of Neil Young’s classic For The Turnstiles.

Sitcom Theater: Seinfeld – The Chinese Restaurant

Set: The Room Got Heavy, Autumn Sweater, Flying Lesson (Hot Chicken #1), Stockholm Syndrome, The Weakest Part, Gentle Hour (Snapper cover), Don’t Have To Be So Sad (with William Tyler), Periodically Double Or Triple, Nothing To Hide, Sugarcube, Blue Line Swinger

Encore: Come On Up (Condo Fucks, The Rascals), For the Turnstiles (Neil Young cover) (with William Tyler), Griselda (The Holy Modal Rounders cover), Did I Tell You

Encore 2: Somebody’s In Love (Sun Ra cover)

READ ON for more of Joel’s photos from a unique YLT show…

VH1’s Storytellers series debuted in 1996 with the concept of letting artists share the stories behind their greatest songs – and those songs themselves – in an intimate setting. Over

Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend fame gave the music blogosphere a puzzling laugh earlier this week when he posted a tongue-in-cheek version of Dave Matthews’ Crash, during which he struggles

Words: Andrew Bruss

Nathan Moore is one of the most talented songwriters you’ve never heard of. If you have heard of him, then odds are you agree. The day Hosni Mubarak stepped down as President of Egypt, Moore was kind enough to conduct a phone interview from California to talk about his latest album, Dear Puppeteer. His experience on Jam Cruise, opinions on the situation in Egypt and his aspiration to be the first ever slight of hand folk singer were all topics Moore weighed in on.

Hidden Track: I used to write for Aaron Kayce over at Jambase and before this interview I asked him if there was anything specific I should ask you. He said more than any one question I should be comfortable asking you anything.

Nathan Moore: [Laughs] That’s probably true

HT: So if it’s cool with you, I’ve got an exercise in the form of a three-part question.

First, I’d like to know what your experience was like on Jam Cruise. Second, what do you think of what’s going on in Egypt? And third, can you draw any kind of correlation between Jam Cruise and what’s going on in Egypt?

NM: [Laughs] That’s great. Well Jam Cruise was definitely a wonderful experience. I really… the wisdom I shed there was bringing my buddy Bryan Elijah Smith with me and what we did I couldn’t have done without him. We played so much music and had so much fun. I’ll never forget it.

HT: Any standout memories?

NM: Well, we really worked very hard. We still reminisce about the spot… it was right outside the jam room on the deck by the water where everyone had to go to smoke. We set up there from midnight till dawn. It became an all-consuming mission. Once we got our spot we were always trying to get enough rest and participate in as many things as possible. But our eyes were always on the prize of getting back to that spot. We made a lot of memories and friends and I’ll never forget it. If they don’t have us back next year they have to get someone else to hunker down in that spot.

READ ON for more of our conversation with Nathan Moore…

Cornmeal, Greensky Bluegrass & USPS @ Sullivan Hall, February 10

Words: Bob Frank
Photos: Rob Chapman

Get on the bus > take the train > catch the plane, your flight is boarding. During the second stop of the five-night SkyMeal tour at NYC’s Sullivan Hall, Cornmeal delivered and took its passengers to new heights. Destination unknown, everyone from the audience celebrated, danced and spun to a ripping Thursday evening of intense progressive bluegrass and roots music.

[All photos by Rob Chapman]

Setting the mood early at 8:45PM with intertwined accurate harmonies, timely riffs and a June Carter reminiscent attitude; Union Street Preservation Society played to the knee-buckling, swaying, attentive crowd. On mandolin and vocals, Sara Bouchard traded licks with Alex Borsody on his open-tuned round neck dobro, while Jason Bertone laid down a generous vibe on upright bass. The young and talented Harrison Hollingsworth carried the fiddle responsibilities with a command Vassar Clements would be proud of. David Leiberman sang with a unique voice and magnetic personality that kept the energy of the evening soaring. The youthful, eager quintet impressed the crowd as they filtered in for a major dose of pickin’ and grinning.

Cleverly paired on a five-night tour with Cornmeal, Greensky Bluegrass fell right in place with their second selection, Stop That Train. There was no stopping the uptown express intensity from reaching its arrival. The quintet from Michigan, led by Paul Hoffman on lead vocals and mandolin, created a sound scape all its own, veering sideways off the traditional expectations.

READ ON for more on last Thursday’s concert…