Yo La Tengo's upcoming Wheel Spin Shows @ the Bell House

Ira Kaplan w/ Yo La Tengo @ Maxwells 12/3/10. More here.

I am pretty excited for the upcoming Wheel Spin Yo La Tengo shows that were just announced for Brooklyn’s Bell House on 5/10 & 5/11. The essential indie group from Hoboken, despite having some deeply moving songs, also have a connection with the alternative comedy scene. And the fact that there’s a possibility the trio will act out a classic sitcom is reason enough to buy a ticket to at least one of these.

I caught two of Yo La Tengo’s notorious Hanukkah shows back in December, one where Jeff Tweedy was the opener and the other where Mission of Burma not only opened, but merged to form the supergroup Yo La Burma. Blasting through a slew of covers, it was pretty fucking nostalgic. Needless to say, but Yo La have a vast catalogue of music so every show is completely different. Tickets for both shows go on sale tomorrow, 4/1 at noon. Read Yo La Tengo's official (and wacky) statement below...

"For our next UK tour, we’ve decided to take the advice of Blood, Sweat & Tears to “ride a painted pony/let the spinning wheel spin.” And just in case that’s not self-explanatory, read on.

We’re going to split our performance into two sets. At the beginning of the night, we’ll bring a Wheel of… Fortune? Fate? What ARE those carnival things called? … on stage, and spin it. Whatever comes up, that’s what the first 45 minutes will be.

Here are the possibilities...

1. Condo F*cks

Our Ziggy Stardust. If the wheel decides this then loud it is. Maybe they’ll be bringing the likes of Slade, The Kinks and The Troggs home? In one spin, we’ll find out.

2. Dump

As if two bands aren’t enough, James has his own thing going on too. Only the wheel knows if this is the night Dump finally plays your town.

3. The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo

You ask a question; we answer the question, and maybe follow up with a song.

4. The Name Game

Have you ever noticed how many Yo La Tengo songs include someone’s name? More than 45 minutes’ worth, that’s for sure, so who knows which ones we’ll do on any given night.

5. Sitcom Theatre

The lucky audience in attendance the night the wheel lands on this space will get to see band and crew act out a classic sitcom.

6. Songs Starting With S

The only thing more common than a Yo La Tengo song with a name is a Yo La Tengo song starting with S (only one song fits both categories). So many, in fact, that we cannot promise that all of them are on the table, as it were. But we do promise that there will be songs rarely, if ever, heard live.

7. The Sounds of Science part 1

8. The Sounds of Science part 2

All of the lovely sounds we created, but none of that pesky science. We’re leaving the movies at home, and dividing the 90-minute program in half."