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Yo La Tengo Closes Left Coast Live Main Stage

Left Coast Live is nothing less than ecstatic to secure Yo La Tengo to headline the main stage on Saturday, June 26th. One of the most enduring and endearing bands of the indie scene for the last twenty years, Yo La Tengo are impossible to pin down, yet have a very distinct sound. They can pull off epic psych jams, soulfully crooned pop nuggets, garage type stompers or hushed electronic pieces and usually have all of these elements and more within the same album. Ira, Georgia and James are masters of variety and certainly have the track record to show it.

Whether they are backing Ray Davies or releasing an EP of Sun Ra covers, and even composing several soundtracks including “Adventureland” and an all instrumental album for a French underwater documentarian, Yo La Tengo makes all their material seem effortless, yet inspired and always sonically amazing. Their last record and eighth full-length release for Matador Records “Popular Songs” was of course an exercise in the aforementioned scattered brilliance and proves they haven’t lost a creative step.

You never know what you’re going to get from Yo La Tengo, you just know it’s going to be interesting. It is a real coup for Left Coast Live to host this genre defying troop and their performance on June 26th is not to be missed.

The Park

One of the most sought after rhythm sections in the Bay and beyond, The Park is notorious for their ability to “bring it” with raw honest groove and captivating energy in whatever musical context they find themselves. The Park’s musical diversity and astounding musicianship has allowed them to cover much ground supporting artists across the board such as Ubiquity recording phenom Nino Moschella, 70 ‘s soul legend Darondo, U.K. soul sensations Alice Russell and T.M. Juke, Happy Mayfield (singer songwriter LeeBob Watson + The Park), the hiphop ensemble Righteous Movement, and many many more…

Ever since Derek (Drums n’ the kitchen sink), Josh (bass n’ thangs), and Ben (keys bells n’ whistles) first got together in the bathroom-sized practice room in San Francisco in 2002, they have shared an infectious drive to making music that feels good and a calling to bring that music to the masses. This force has allowed The Park to emerge as one of the most sought after rhythm sections in the bay and beyond. As emcees, horn players, and vocalist came through the old space on Wednesdays to get down, the concept of “The Park” was born.

See The Park at the Agenda Lounge on Saturday, June 26th.

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OK Go Headlines Left Coast Live 2010

LCL 2010 Headliner: OK Go

We are thrilled to announce that OK Go! will headline the main stage at Left Coast Live 2010 on June 25, 2010.

OK Go’s story starts with Damian Kulash (vocals, guitar) and Tim Nordwind (bass) who met as children when they formed a band called The Greased Ferrets that featured folding chairs played as drums. They met Dan Konopka (drums) in college, and formed OK Go in 1999. Andy Ross (guitar, keys) joined the band making this famous foursome complete in 2005.

Since then, OK Go has become the pioneer of the viral video, one of the most licensed bands of the 21st century and a top iTunes seller. OK Go is at the cutting edge of music while constantly pushing boundaries, and fans have responded to the OK Go music movement around the world, best demonstrated through the video dance to “A Million Ways,” that hundreds of amateur foursomes have imitated via YouTube.

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This is A Journey Into Sound: Exploring DJ Culture

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

This is A Journey Into Sound….of Things to Come: Exploring DJ Culture

Location: Theatre on San Pedro Square
29 North San Pedro Street, San Jose, CA 95110
Time: 7:30pm Doors Open; 8:00pm Discussion Begins
Cost: Free

The turntable’s evolution from home appliance to musical instrument and other new groundbreaking technologies which has created a whole new culture and musical movement. Over the last decade, Turntablism has continued to evolve and grow with new innovators new technologies that have further expanded the “live music” definition.

Join Stephan “DJ Sake One” Goldstone, Paolo “Cutso” Bella of the Bangerz and other special guests for an intimate exploration of this ever changing genre that has audiences groovin’ and nodding their heads in unison.  We’ll explore how these DJs create their music and how these tastemakers engage thousands of fans each week with ever evolving mixes. We are thrilled to have these Bay Area DJ innovators speak about their craft and creative process.

The Legendary Stardust Cowboy

With over 40 years of playing music, Norman Carl Odam, also known as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, still puts on an energy-packed performance.

Norman, or Ledge as his fans call him, was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas: home of the largest contiguous cotton-growing area in the world. His musical inspirations can be attributed to country music legend Chet Atkins.

After mastering the guitar, bugle, kazoo and rub board by 16, Ledge eventually came up with his title. “I thought I was a legend in my own time,” he says of giving himself a stage name. “I was thinking of cowboys and space, and I put the two together.”

Inspired by what else was out there, Ledge took to the road and traveled around playing gigs. Ledge’s 1968 single “Paralyzed” hit the Billboard Top 200. In the 70s, David Bowie used a portion of Ledge’s name for his breakout album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Years later the two would meet and eventually both cover one of the other’s songs.

Since 1997, Klaus Floruide of the iconic punk band the Dead Kennedys, has been playing with bass in the Altamont Boys as Ledge’s backing band. The Altamont Boys also include guitarist Jay Rosen and drummer Joey Meyer.

Ledge has released several albums and singles over the years and continues to play live shows. Artistically gifted but still a bit unconventional, Ledge now resides in San Jose and is one of the city’s finest.

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-Robin