Yo La Tengo

For better or worse, all [our] stuff comes from a lack of worrying about it. We never discuss what kind of record we want to make and what the songs should sound like and what we should present to people. Just when we have enough ideas, we go and make a record.

story by Charlie Newton
photo by Bootsy Holler

Since the mid-‘80s, Hoboken New Jersey’s Yo La Tengo have done what few other bands have managed to do: they’ve consistently and frequently released high quality material and built a reputation for challenging themselves and never relying on one single sound or genre. In the spirit of this approach, their upcoming tour will feature a “Wheel of Fortune” which will determine the nature of each night’s performance. The wheel includes categories such as “Songs Starting with an S” or even “Sitcom Theatre” — in which the band and crew will act out a classic sitcom. Chicago Innerview recently spoke with bassist James McNew about the tour, television, and the band’s approach to music.

Chicago Innerview: Have you been to any good films at all?
James McNew: As much as I like doing that, I haven’t been to the movies in ages. I can’t remember the last one that I went to. I don’t think I’m the demographic anymore. Personally I’ve been watching a lot of Korean films, for me that’s the most exciting place that has stuff going on in terms of film.

Chicago Innerview: What are your feelings about the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ on the upcoming tour?
James McNew: I’m actually looking forward to it and looking forward to the spontaneous nature of it. We’ve compiled a master of all the songs we could possibly play and we’ve been practicing songs we’ve never played on stage ever, from over 15 years ago. To have that much stuff at a close recall is a pretty amazing feeling. To be able to play very nearly every song that we’ve written at the spin of a wheel is kind of an interesting notion. At least attitude-wise, maybe not performance-wise, I’m ready for any of them. We’ve been practicing for all of the possible spins of the wheel.

CI: What’s the classic sitcom you may or may not perform?
JM: We’re going to leave that to the imagination. Although that’s the one where if it comes up every single night I don’t know what’s going to happen. We may have to break the engine on our bus if we have to do that night after night.

CI: Have you seen any good TV shows?
JM: I thought cable-wise that Adult Swim had a couple really amazing things in 2010; that show ‘Delocated’ I thought was maybe the best TV show I’ve ever seen. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I think that’s the best and I don’t think anyone can touch that show. Similarly the last season of ‘Tim & Eric’ was really good, ‘Breaking Bad’ I enjoy tremendously because it just makes you feel horrible. Adult Swim in general is really neat because you’ll watch it and go, ‘was that a Madlib/Flying Lotus track?’ and I think that’s the product of not caring about what other people think and doing what you want to.

CI: You mentioned Madlib and I’ve heard you’re into underground hip-hop. Care to talk about that?
JM: I keep up with a pretty small amount of artists, there’s stuff I’ve been listening to since high school — which was a long, long time ago. I don’t want to name any artists because I don’t want to tell anybody’s work, but I’m mostly into the core releases of Def Jux from the early 2000s. All of their release schedules have slowed down over the years and I’ve just been waiting.

CI: With the varied nature of the material you’ve put out over the past 20 or so years, what kind of mindset goes into approaching songs and releases the way the band does it?
JM: For better or worse, all that stuff comes from a lack of worrying about it. We never discuss what kind of record we want to make and what the songs should sound like and what we should present to people. Just when we have enough ideas, we go and make a record. And we try to make an album out of it. With some examination, you can find a common thread in every song and every mood. I think that’s kind of the people we are, again, for better or worse.

Yo La Tengo :: with William Tyler :: Metro :: February 4.

Built To Spill, The Jesus Lizard, Tortoise, Yo La Tengo

BUILT TO SPILL
In closing out Pitchfork Fest’s opening night this year, Built to Spill will place its 17-year history, six official albums (plus a seventh album tentatively titled There Is No Enemy nearing completion) and healthy backlog of songs into the hands of the concertgoers. The festival’s Friday night theme, “Write the Night: Set Lists by Request,” brings fans of the Boise-based band into the mix alongside frontman Doug Martsch who, like indie rock’s reigning monk, continues his quiet no-frills devotion to his music. With one of the more rabid indie fanbases in the game, it’s no surprise that he and his bandmates place such a high degree of trust in their audience. How this experiment will translate on stage should certainly feed the excitement for both parties looking ahead. For a band already known for its trippy pop jams, having the opportunity to explore so much of its diverse musical catalog in one night may well bring out the best of this indie essential. (Friday, 8:40-10, Aluminum Stage) –text: Chris Castaneda

THE JESUS LIZARD
Once upon a time Chicago was the coolest place on the planet. Liz Phair was lambasting our guys, Urge Overkill was saturating our trendiest hotspots while The Smashing Pumpkins were dreaming all over the city. A decade into Metro’s legacy and on the cusp of the Fireside’s brief-but-influential reign, the Windy City’s North Side was the rock industry’s artistic and cultural hub. And the loudest voice of them all was coming from David Yow’s legendary ensemble, The Jesus Lizard. Scratchy, noisy, aggressive and always menacing, Yow and his bandmates established themselves as a seminal cog in both Chicago’s and the burgeoning noise scene’s wheels — and they stayed locked in that position for much of the ’90s. Recently reunited, the now 49-year-old frontman has repositioned his historic noise troupe as elder statesmen on the scene, growing old gracefully but never quietly. The sonically propulsive 4-piece might be without a studio release since 1998, but the decades-old ringing in Chicago’s ears remains loud enough to suffice…for one night at least. (Friday, 7:20-8:40, Connector Stage) –text: Derek Wright–photo: Philip Markwick

TORTOISE
There’s nothing Chicago-specific about Tortoise, except Tortoise itself. The June release of Beacons of Ancestorship marked the ensemble’s sixth studio LP for Chicago-based label Thrill Jockey and, throughout the years, band members have popped up in all things Windy City — from appearing in the film adaptation of Hi Fidelity to collaborating with local bands like Zwan, The Sea & Cake and others. But Tortoise’s brand of mostly instrumental genre-fusion music sounds anything but akin to the working class, Midwestern conservatism that surrounds their city. Instead, it’s a hybrid of jazz, Krautrock, and post-punk with an almost revolutionary take on Americana/indie structures. Yet even with all their avant garde leanings and continual deconstruction of traditional music, Tortoise has remained consistently innovative. The band’s seemingly free form, try-anything-once approach to songwriting makes it easier for them to stumble upon the expansive sounds that later populate their albums. Not having the ability (or seeing the need) to self-edit can be a blessing. For Tortoise, it’s both the band’s biggest strength as well as its biggest weakness. (Friday, 5-6:10, Connector Stage) –text: Derek Wright

YO LA TENGO
Prolific Hoboken, New Jersey, trio Yo La Tengo have had “it” for more than 20 years. Crafting music that wavers between dulcet harmonies and fuzzed-out rock, they’ve sustained an esteemed place in the upper echelon of the indie rock universe for decades. Known mostly for their ‘90s-era material, their first two oft-overlooked records — Ride the Tiger (1986) and New Wave Hot Dogs (1987) — are also quite worthy of a listen. This year the band continued to lay low, releasing the garage rock cover album Fuckbook under the pseudonym Condo Fucks. They haven’t released a record of new material since I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass three years ago, but luckily their follow-up album (and 13th proper studio LP), Popular Songs, will be released in September. Playing Friday’s request night at this year’s Pitchfork Fest, expect to hear classics “Sudden Organ”, “Decora” and “Autumn Sweater.” Your ears will thank you. (Friday, 6:10-7:20, Aluminum Stage) –text: Garin Pirnia

!!!, Bound Stems, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Yo La Tengo

!!!
Move over Lovefoxxx and Karen O; Nic Offer is arguably the best frontman of any indie-dance-funk-rock band out there — and that’s saying a lot. What little he loses in silly lyrics, he more than makes up for in dance moves. If you aren’t grooving at a !!! concert, everyone else around you probably is — and is also probably pissed at your bad vibes. Warning: not for the faint of heart or stamina. (Sunday, 5:15-6:15, MySpace Stage) –text: Justine Reisinger

BOUND STEMS
If you have a lot of patience or (somewhat ironically) a severe case of ADD, then you will undoubtedly enjoy Chicago’s Bound Stems. The band, which last year released their first full-length LP Appreciation Night, play fractured indie-pop with strong math-rock influences while nursing a healthy appetite for genre-hopping. Get your thinking caps on, hipsters, because if you aren’t paying attention, Bound Stems will just breeze on by. (Sunday, 5:30-6:15, BMI Stage) –text: Jon Graef–photo: Chris Strong

MODEST MOUSE
In this indie-turned-mainstream universe of The Shins, Arcade Fire and the like, only Modest Mouse spent a decade plus in the proverbial trenches, trucking around to the country’s dankest clubs in a beat-up van. And this trial-by-fire period is exactly why frontman Isaac Brock is a genre elder statesman — not to mention its face and voice — despite being the same age as members of bands that are just a few albums in. Those early years also are responsible for his band’s status as one of the country’s most sought-after acts. By the time Modest Mouse inked a deal with Epic Records, whose billion-dollar marketing push plastered his tunes on every frequency, Brock’s challenging-for-the-sake-of-challenging days were long gone. Yet his always genius lyrics and quirkily defined pop has been at its best during this current 3-record major label streak, including this year’s We Were Dead Before This Ship Even Sank. (Sunday, 6:15-7:15, Bud Light Stage) –text: Derek Wright–photo: Autumn de Wilde

MY MORNING JACKET
In the spirit of many a soul-searching musical mystic, Kentucky’s My Morning Jacket decided to leave familiar surroundings in order to fully immerse themselves in the recording of Z, their newest batch of ethereal, reverb-laden rock. Nestled in a cabin studio deep in the Catskill Mountains, the band was inspired to write and record some of their best and most pop-oriented material. Throughout their already rich history, MMJ have had the pleasure of playing with many legendary acts from Elvis Perkins to Pearl Jam to Guided By Voices. Not to be outdone, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras — one of the premier youth orchestras in the country — will be joining My Morning Jacket on stage for their set at this year’s Lolla, adding a cool new element to the band’s uniquely soulful sound. (Sunday, 6:15-7:15, AT&T Stage) –text: Mike Scales–photo: Danny Clinch

YO LA TENGO
For over two decades, Yo La Tengo has been the best band that most people outside of rock critic circles have never heard of. (I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass was the critics’ thirteenth-best rated album of 2006, with an average score of 85 out of 100, according to Metacritic.com.) From tight, sparkling pop to expansive, wandering noise rock, the New Jersey trio of Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew has covered every inch of indie rock over their expansive career, simultaneously perfecting old trends and creating new ones. Their music fits in all seasons, applying itself to life in ways that no artist can plan, and few can accomplish. The band suffered from poor sound system quality and side-stage noise pollution at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2006, but at this year’s Lollapalooza they’ll be on a much bigger stage with presumably better sound — ready to show attendees what they’ve been missing. (Sunday, 5:15-6:15, Adidas Stage) –text: Nick Meador–photo: Michael Lavine

Yo La Tengo

It’s no fun to explain what a title means, just like it’s no fun to have lyrics in the liner notes. It’s all just instructions, and I know I don’t want to be told how to enjoy music. I want our music to influence and inspire.

story by Jen Fischer
photo by Michael Lavine

They are not afraid of you. And after not only surviving — but thriving — for 22 years, Yo La Tengo could beat your ass. But they probably won’t. As a matter of fact, it’s hard to believe the members of Yo La Tengo would force much of anything upon anyone — not even their music.

With the release of their latest album, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, and Jim McNew do make one thing clear: Everything they do is open to interpretation. The trio is infamous for their elusive interviews. However, it’s not as though they are trying to be difficult, nor do they have anything to hide. They just want you to enjoy their creations however you see fit.

“It’s no fun to explain what a title means, just like it’s no fun to have lyrics in the liner notes,” McNew tells Chicago Innerview. “It’s all just instructions, and I know I don’t want to be told how to enjoy music. I want our music to influence and inspire.” But, he adds that there is a specific meaning to this title — he just won’t be the one to reveal said meaning: “It’s just fun to say,” he explains. “They are words you seldom say out loud.”

It’s easily the group’s best album since 1997’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, a brilliant blend of the mellow, the upbeat and the brash. I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass once again showcases the vast range Yo La Tengo is capable of covering — and covering well.

And without much in the way of formal training, according to bassist McNew, who hadn’t really played the bass upon joining the band in 1989. “I thought ‘how hard could it be’?” McNew says. “It turns out, very hard. I had no idea.” He learned by playing and observing his bandmates, and says it is only within the last few years that he’s felt like he’s gotten a solid handle on things.

“There is something to be said for not knowing how to play in a classically-trained way. We can express ourselves, and it is infinitely more entertaining,” McNew comments on the band that wasn’t taught its music, but seems to have taught the music industry how it’s done. “I don’t care to hear some guy go through scales as fast as he can. I’d rather hear somebody hit a guitar with a hammer.”

What McNew does enjoy listening to varies by the point of the sun in the sky that day. On the morning of September 15 when this interview was conducted, it was hip-hop. He had an interview on a hip-hop show in Jersey City coming up and in preparation, he rediscovered the late-’80s and early-’90s hip-hop 12-inch singles in his record collection. He says his bandmates also have eclectic musical tastes. Perhaps this explains how they’ve avoided pigeonholing their sound into a certain genre. “We all love music and different kinds, and I think that informs how we play music and how we think musically,” McNew says. “Ultimately we’re happy with and proud of our sound. You can’t sum it up in a quick sound bite. So we never really had an attachment to scenes, movements, things like that. It worked out for the best. There’s less emphasis on succeeding and outdoing others.”

McNew adds that this takes the stress off, allowing band members to be themselves, which he says is best. Because they never had much of a plan in the way of success, he says, they don’t have to worry about it. “That’s what I say to young people: ‘Don’t worry about it’,” McNew advises. “I’m sure parents wouldn’t appreciate that. But I stand by it.”

Without a solid niche in the music world since their formation in the mid-’80s, Yo La Tengo has watched scenes and bands fade in and out of popularity, which McNew says can be lonely at times. “You don’t really belong to a gang,” he says. “But when the scenes are over — grunge, ska — then what? Along the way, we make good friends and form close relationships, even with people we’re not musically a lot alike — on the outside anyway. It’s more rewarding. It is a solitary path. We’re happy with the results.”

And they ought to be. Throughout two-plus decades they’ve established quite a loyal following. As they return to Chicago to play the Vic later this month, McNew recalls some of the many shows they’ve played in the Windy City, a place he truly enjoys. “We used to play this club called Lounge Ax,” McNew says, recalling the beloved venue that closed in January 2000. “It was an awesome place with awesome people. It was really our home away from home. It was a physically uncomfortable place, but spiritually we were right at home. It’s really special to feel comfortable and happy when you’re on the road…or anywhere for that matter. I miss that place. It’s hard to match that anywhere.”

McNew recalls another memorable, but not so warm and fuzzy, experience playing the second stage during Lollapalooza in 1995: The second stage sat in an asphalt parking lot. The temperature was “like 107 degrees..I thought my skull was going to explode. But it was a big deal. People saw us who’d never buy a ticket to one of our shows. I knew why I was in that parking lot on a 107-degree day. There are no regrets.”

Perhaps it has all paid off. For those who are still wondering, Yo La Tengo means “I’ve got it” in Spanish. And they obviously have. In the immediate future, there will be touring. But they’ve also expanded their horizons beyond collaborating to write songs, record and tour. Since scoring indie flicks Junebug and Game 6, they’ve been working on more small movie soundtracks with directors they’ve known. One such project is Kelly Reichert’s Old Joy, and the other is Short Bus by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch).

“It is hard, but amazing,” McNew says of this other way of collaborating. “It’s harder working for a director and fulfilling their vision while still retaining our identity and personality. Achieving a balance is difficult, and it took some getting used to. We’re pretty happy with how it all turned out.”

Seems to be a theme in the world of Yo La Tengo.

Yo La Tengo :: Vic :: October 5.