yo la tengo

I was extremely excited going into Thursday night's Yo La Tengo show, mostly because the first three times I've seen them were all excellent. The New Jersey trio which features the husband/wife duo of Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley and longstanding member James McNew, were last in Houston when they opened for My Morning Jacket before SXSW in 2008, so a return trip was well overdue. Their latest album Popular Songs was on full display during the 2-hour performance, but it was their steps back to the classic material and some interesting cover choices that really brought out YLT's true talent.

Read all about the show after the jump

We are giving away 2 pairs of tickets to see Yo La Tengo at Warehouse Live on Thursday, January 28th. Columbus, OH lo-fi indie rockers Times New Viking will also be on hand to hold down the supporting duties of the evening. YLT are headed to Houston in support of their most recent kick-ass album Popular Songs, and should rock the stage in Warehouse Live's Ballroom for a solid couple of hours. All you have to do to win is leave a comment below with your full name and either a valid e-mail address or telephone number in which you can receive text messages. It's that simple. If you do not leave a way to contact you, you can't win, so follow the rules damnit! We'll announce the winners the day of the show, both on the website, as well as through e-mail or text. This should be a freaking great show, as it was quite a treat the last time Yo La Tengo were in Houston. That show is the reason I'm in love with the band in the first place. What would be sweeter than seeing it for free? I can't think of much...

If you don't think you're feeling lucky, or have a bigger group than a pair of tickets can sustain, feel free to purchase as many as you'd like at Warehouse Live's official ticketing site for the event. $20 is still not too bad for such an incredible band.

Guesting with Wilco seems to be the in thing for indie rockers to do as of late. First, Austin group Okkervil River joined the storied alt-rock band at Red Rocks, and now a few more friends have stepped into the inner Wilco circle. For their performance at Keyspan Park in the famed Coney Island district of Brooklyn, Wilco brought along Yo La Tengo, Leslie Feist and Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste to help them out on several songs throughout the set. Yo La Tengo served as the evening's opener, but also joined Wilco for a fuzzed-out version of "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" to close the extended first encore. Leslie Feist, who recently reunited with her old band, Broken Social Scene, also joined the Chicago sextet for several songs, including "You & I," a track she recorded with Wilco for their latest album. Already known for his friendship with Feist, Ed Droste was probably there just to hang out, but couldn't resist joining her in singing along on both "California Stars" and "You Never Know," as well as banging away on percussion during "Hoodoo Voodoo" to help finish out the second encore.

Wilco feat. Yo La Tengo - "Spiders (Kidsmoke)"

Check out clips of "California Stars," "You & I," "You Never Know" and "Hoodoo Voodoo," all of which feature Feist and/or Ed Droste on vocals and/or percussion after the jump.

You would think that being as cute as she is with such a great voice (and backing band, may I add...) that she would be a little less shy. Oh well, this is still an amazing performance!

So, do I smell a tour?

My Morning Jacket and Yo La Tengo made a pre-SxSW stop at Houston's Verizon Wireless Theater on Monday, March 10. BOTheads Eggs, Cereal, and Toast were on hand to participate in the action. Read the full show review after the jump

My Morning Jacket

Yo La Tengo

Click the BOTheads below to listen to this week's highlighted tracks:

Pancakes: Ralph Stanley & Patty Loveless - Pretty Polly
Eggs: Yo La Tengo - Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind
Cereal: Sia - The Girl You Lost To Cocaine
Toast: Yeasayer - Waves

We have to admit, we're a little jealous of the lucky folks who are attending Langerado this weekend, but we're consoled by the fact that this is going to be a bombass week musically in Houston. Plus, Toast will be flying down from Lincoln to join the festivities.

Upcoming shows in the Houston area:

Thu Mar 6
They Might Be Giants at the Meridian
Show starts at 9; tickets are $20.

Beach House and Papercuts at Walter's On Washington
Show starts at 9; tickets are $8 in advance/$10 day of show.

Fri Mar 7
Wilco with John Doe at Verizon Wireless Theater
Show starts at 8; tickets are sold out, biatch.

Spoonfed Tribe at Last Concert Cafe
Show starts at 11; tickets are $12.

Sideshow Tramps and Shotgun Whiskey at Dan Electro's
Show starts at 9:30; tickets are $8.

Sat Mar 8
Risky Bizness party at the Thunderdome Warehouse
Featuring The Fluokids, The Factory Party, Spain Colored Orange, and several DJs to keep you movin'.
The event will go from 9pm - 5am; tickets are $10. The Thunderdome Warehouse is located at 3020 Garrow Street; check out Houston Press's event description for more information.

The Black Math Experiment at The Mink/Backroom
Show starts at 9; tickets are $6 21+/$8 under 21.

Ian Moore at Continental Club
Show starts at 11; tickets are probably $10.

Full listing after the jump

Today the SxSW Music Conference announced their full list of showcasing artists. There are hundreds and hundreds of acts that are going to be making their way to Austin next month for the world renowned multi-media conference. I included the full list after the break for any of you music nerds who need to read every band (like me). For those of you who just want to see some highlights, check out the tags for this post. Also, for all of you Houston readers, I went ahead and bolded all of the bands that are coming from the Bayou City (congrats guys!).

2008 Showcasing Artists for the SxSW Music Conference:

A few weeks ago I posted the initial artist list for this year's SxSW Music Conference and Festival. I promised that the list would grow rapidly, and it has. With the official line-up due out in February, a growing list has emerged with over 300 bands booked for the numerous showcases, conferences and parties throughout the streets of Austin. Many acts are still to be announced over the next few weeks, but this gives us a pretty good idea who will be on the bill.

List of Bands for SxSW 2008: