Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock
Formed by husband-and-wife duo Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984, Yo La Tengo has succeeded as one of rock's most consistent and innovatively independent bands. In his new book, journalist Jesse Jarnow explores not only the band's journey and identity, but the evolving indie rock scene in which they built their singular career. The following photos of the band and related artifacts were collected for the book and not included, but you can see them here.
Captions by Jesse Jarnow
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Image Credit: Laura Levine Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan play in public for the first time at the New York Rocker office, playing with members of the dB's and backing their friends on cover songs for photo editor Laura Levine's birthday. Here, Levine fronts the band for a version of "The Fight" by the dB's. May 1982.
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Two years before the founding of Yo La Tengo proper, posters designed by Georgia Hubley for the Music For Dozens series at Folk City in New York, co-booked by Ira Kaplan. Three bands every week for $3. One of the Meat Puppets' first New York shows. The band Hose featured future rap mogul Rick Rubin on bass. The hardcore crowd chanted for Sonic Youth to "play faster." December 1982.
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In April 1983, the Replacements made their NYC debut at Music For Dozens – one of many proto-indie bands to do so – and booked their first tour around it, along with 15-year old bassist Tommy Stinson's spring break. They returned a few months later. August 1983.
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Image Credit: Jim Testa/JerseyBeat.com Bassist number two, Mike Lewis (A-Bones, Lyres), makes his Yo La Tengo debut at the River City Fair in Hoboken, August 1985. Not pictured: second guitarist Dave Schramm.
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Image Credit: Carol Addassi Georgia Hubley rides the tiger in the back of Hoboken Elk's Lodge – outtakes from Ride the Tiger photo shoot, spring 1986.
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Image Credit: Monica Dee, Courtesy of Yo La Tengo The Ride the Tiger band with guitarist Dave Schramm (far left) and bassist Mike Lewis (glasses), winter 1986.
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Image Credit: Monica Dee, Courtesy of Yo La Tengo A publicity shot for the band's first tour, with bassist number five, Stephan Wichnewski, and guitarist Dave Schramm (with baseball bat) on the grounds of Hoboken's Stevens Institute, spring 1986.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Yo La Tengo Headphones safely affixed, Ira prepares for another take of "Mushroom Cloud of Hiss," May I Sing With Me? sessions, Boston, 1991.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Yo La Tengo Finding interesting (and usually edible) food has been a staple of Yo La Tengo tours since the early Eighties, eventually inspiring Mofungo bassist Robert Sietsema to a career as a food-zine editor and, later, columnist for the Village Voice and the New York Times. Bassist number 15, James McNew, at a snoot stand, St. Louis, early 1990s.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo's name has been misspelled so many ways over the years that it has become nearly autobiographical (as in the 2006's "The Story of Yo La Tango"). Here, an Australian promoter achieves the trifecta, missing a vowel in each word, 1998.
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Image Credit: Jack Chester/WineGeist.com A series of black-and-white portraits taken at the band's Jersey City practice space, just before the release of Summer Sun, 2003.
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Image Credit: Jack Chester/WineGeist.com A series of black-and-white portraits taken at the band's Jersey City practice space, just before the release of Summer Sun, 2003.
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Image Credit: Jack Chester/WineGeist.com A series of black-and-white portraits taken at the band's Jersey City practice space, just before the release of Summer Sun, 2003.
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Image Credit: Liz Clayton/Slowshutter.org The band and longtime producer Roger Moutenot work on tracks for Popular Songs at the band's rehearsal space in Hoboken, 2009.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Yo La Tengo Now and forever, in an election year or not, YLT for President.