Yo La Tengo celebrates Sun Ra Arkestra at its annual Hanukkah show finale

Photos and reporting by Daniel Efram

Yo La Tengo capped off its 2022 Hanukkah shows by bringing on The Sun Ra Arkestra for its Dec. 25 finale, providing a mischievous and trippy end to this year's Festival of Lights benefit series at the Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets for this yearly event sell out very quickly and brighten many a mood for those remaining in the NYC area for the holidays. 

Each show has a different beneficiary, and the South Bronx's Word of Life International was the target of this Sunday's final series performance. The organization's Feed The Community Program provides food support to individuals and families at risk of hunger, addressing food insecurity and inequity that has persisted in the South Bronx for decades. 

According to Todd Abramson, the talent buyer for White Eagle Hall and series production confidant, "the event has run most years since the inception in 2001 with the exception of a number of years off after Maxwell's [in Hoboken] closed."

"2022's Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows were another triumph," Abramson continues. "I am amazed every year by the amount of work. Each YLT show is different and not just in regards to the setlist. It's very rare when they don't have at least one extra musician, if not an entire band, join them for at least part of their set (and the encores). They really strive to bring the audience something special and unique. Mazel Tov!" 

The Sun Ra Arkestra has been playing yearly since the Hanukkah shows moved from Maxwell's (ending in 2012) to the Bowery Ballroom in 2017. Led by Marshall Allen, who at age 98, has complete control of this Afro-futurist group of 12. Allen has played in the group since 1958.

As is traditional at these YLT events, the Arkestra also joined Georgia Hubley, James McNew and Ira Kaplan on stage to help bring the musical space trip to its climax with evergreen renditions of "Speeding Motorcycle" (Daniel Johnston), "Dreaming" (Sun Ra), "All the Glitter is Gone" (Yo La Tengo), "Emulsified" (Rex Garvin & the Mighty Cravers), "More Stars Than There Are In Heaven" (Yo La Tengo) and the rousing "Nuclear War" (Sun Ra) with the timely lyrics:

If they push that button

Gonna blast your ass 

So high in the sky 

You can kiss your ass 

Goodbye, goodbye

Encore songs included "Take Care" (Alex Chilton), "3/5 Of A Mile In 1/10 Of A Second" (The Jefferson Airplane) and "I Can't Stand It" (The Velvet Underground). 

And, as always, the grand finale is a lovely version of "My Little Corner of The World, " sung by Kaplan's mom Marilyn. This song was made famous by Anita Bryant (1960) and Marie Osmond (1974) and was later covered by Yo La Tengo on its album I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One in 1997.

Yo La Tengo's new album, This Stupid World, is out on Feb. 10, 2023. 

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Daniel Efram is an East Village-based photographer-curator. He is the producer of "The Steve Keene Art Book."

Setlist credit: Jesse Jarnow Frank & Earthy

'Red Alert' at the Bowery Ballroom

The Bowery Ballroom was one of the more than 1,000 music venues across the country to bathe their facilities in red light last night to encourage Congress to pass the Restart Act.

Per Billboard:

Spearheaded by the #WeMakeEvents coalition, the #RedAlertRESTART campaign seeks to bring awareness to the dire situation live music faces if Capitol Hill does not supply support for venues that have been shuttered since mid-March in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was at the Bowery Ballroom on Delancey ... and shared this video clip...



Find more info at the National Independent Venue Association here.

Presenting Mercury East Presents, which brings together several local music venues

In case you didn't see this news yesterday... press release via the EVG inbox...

Michael Swier, co-owner of Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge and an original founder of the Bowery Presents, and Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company, have joined forces to create a new promotions and booking venture called “Mercury East Presents.”

Focused on the coveted live music market in New York City, the alliance creates a nexus of current and future independently-owned and operated venues within the five boroughs while capitalizing on shared expertise and industry strength to serve artists and fans alike. Mercury East unites iconic venues throughout the city under one umbrella, establishing a network of clubs and theaters, including Swier’s Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom, Live Nation’s Irving Plaza, Gramercy Theatre, Warsaw and Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk.

The group will continue to expand this portfolio and will assist in growing artists by bringing acts to NYC’s most venerable open rooms, including Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, The Beacon Theater and Radio City Music Hall. Mercury East will also collaborate with Founders Entertainment, who have introduced hundreds of new artists to the New York market through appearances at their Governors Ball, Meadows Music & Arts Festival and festival after parties.

Both parties have a proven track record in the New York live entertainment scene. Live Nation remains the leader in live entertainment for the region, producing 2,000 events for more than 5.5 million fans in the NYC area in 2016. And Swier’s Bowery Ballroom has hosted thousands of events since its opening in 1998, and is nationally recognized as one of the premier live music venues in the countrry thanks to its talent bookings and intimate performance atmosphere. Well known to music lovers, The Mercury Lounge continues to offer a boutique vibe, welcoming crowds of 250 since its opening in 1994.

Check out the Mercury East website here.

Back in August, the AEG-owned Bowery Presents parted ways with the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge, as Variety reported.

Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, along with The Bowery Presents, will be booking shows at Webster Hall on 11th Street once renovations are complete.

More Boss Hog

My photos from the Boss Hog show Wednesday night were pretty so-so. Luckily Gabi Porter was there from Prefix for some shots of Boss Hog and the crowd...but not me.



Here's one other shot from the EV Grieve camera:

Boss Hog at the Bowery Ballroom

Boss Hog played their first NYC show in nearly eight years a few hours ago at the Bowery Ballroom. Too often I expect the worst...like some sort of nostalgic horror show. The Band Who Should Have Stopped Years Ago. I felt that way for a few minutes at the onset of the show...I was expecting more, as if I was supposed to be magically transported back to 1990 NYC. Anyway! Not that I was overthinking things! That quickly passed, and I enjoyed the Boss Hog hit parade...I'm looking forward to some new material and a new album now, OK?





And Dirty Martini served as MC for the evening...