Noise Pop Show Review: Yo La Tengo with The Urinals at The Fox Oakland, 2/22/2011

Spin the Yo La Tengo Freewheel and decide the first set!
Spin the Yo La Tengo Freewheel and decide the first set!

Nearly a year ago to the day, the Fox Theater played host to the first big act of the 2010 Noise Pop Festival, which arrived in the form of Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band. The group’s first arrival to the Bay Area was met with wild enthusiasm, and the set itself was a scene of sonic mass hysteria, with the warbles and shrieks of Yoko accompanying the wild swing and over-the-top rock of her backing band. It seems only fitting, therefore, that the following year needed to be kicked off in a similar manner — a night of balls-out rock, groovy jams, and snarling static chaos — which is probably the main reason why the New Jersey indie rock trio Yo La Tengo was invited to the Fox Theater for the first night of the 2011 Noise Pop Festival.

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Spinning Platters Guide To Noise Pop 2011

As we all know, tackling a festival like Noise Pop can be tough… There’s a lot if different things to do, and you know that they are all awesome, but how do we know which events are most awesomest of all? Well, since I am of great personal taste, you should simply obey my guidelines, and then you can do no wrong.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 2/17/11 – 2/23/11

A different gang of four guys is playing at The Fillmore this weekend.

Next week is Noise Pop! If you’re not excited about Noise Pop for some reason, get excited about it! Look left, right now, see the pretty advertisement for the festival, click on it, and buy some tickets to something. But if you’re some sort of meany who hates Noise Pop and everything they stand for, there’s still plenty of shows for the likes of you. We don’t support the skipping of Noise Pop, but we do appreciate the variety of shows available this coming week. You can dance, wear purple, or be a black emperor. It’s a doozy!

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 4/21/10-4/27/10

If I could sum up this week’s biggest live Bay Area events in one nonsensical fake-Spanish declaration, it would be this: ¡YO LA COCO! Over the next few days we’ll have multiple live performances from both Conan O’Brien and Yo La Tengo, as well as an exhaustingly awesome array of other rad shows. Check out some of our favorites after the jump.

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Album Review: Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs

I know a guy that can fix that cassette
I know a guy that can fix that cassette

I am going to let you in on a little secret- I have never heard Yo La Tengo before. I love the indie rock, and I have even worked at a record store (or 5). I understand who they are, and I understand the effect they have had on society. I know that every new record store employee will file them in the Spanish-language section. (Once I had a fellow employee bring me the Yo La Tengo section from rock and let me know that somebody was misfiling them) They are a band that has been through a lot, even overcoming this great tragedy!

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New Release Round-Up, 9/8/09 – 31 Instant Album Reviews

Do farmers wear uniforms of matching plaid?
Do farmers wear uniforms of matching plaid?

I listen to a lot of music on Lala.com.  It’s a great way to find new artists on new album day.  But you have to sift through a lot of crap.  Since I’ve been wading in music-waste for the past few months, it was suggested that I’d be a great guide as to what to skip and what to enjoy.  These reviews will be by no means professional.  Just one dude listening to music and reacting. Continue reading “New Release Round-Up, 9/8/09 — 31 Instant Album Reviews”