AJ, from what I know of your musical tastes, I think you will really enjoy YLT live. They started out very Velvet Underground influenced, but are considerably more nuanced now--though the feedback remains a key element of the live set. And yet, as mentioned, they will intersperse quiet, achingly beautiful numbers, melodic pop, and really cool covers. On Monday they played "We're an American Band" (it WAS Independence Day here, "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," and "How She Boogalooed It" from the Beach Boys' Wild Honey!!!! It's a totally fun show.

I did once take a girl to a YLT show, and she really liked their quiet album And Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out, but the feedback was too much for her...

YLT's album Fakebook was a big inspiration to me when Chris and I made the Mavericks album. Georgia and Ira have been friends of ours forever. Go see them, absolutely.

I saw them a lot in the early days, but I've only seen them a few times in the last few years. The impression has always been the same for me, though. They are a great live band for the same reason that they're a great studio band, because they do exactly what they want. So if you go with any preconceived notions based on their latest record (OK, CD=I'm dating myself), or something somebody's told you about a single show, you might be disappointed, because your experience might be very different. To me, that's what's always made them so exciting. You never know who might show up (that's probably more true when they play close to home), or what one-off cover they might try, or what instrument any of them might play at any given moment. Go, and have a good time.

Just ordered my tickets, `nuff said!