Pitchfork

Photo by Ryan Muir

Keep the dreidel; gimme the indie rock. Jersey's own Yo La Tengo have announced their plans for their nearly-annual run of Hanukkah shows, which will go down each and every night from December 21-28 at Hoboken's venerable Maxwell's venue. The gigs will feature a set from the locals, plus some comedy and at least one more musical act.

In keeping with tradition, however, Yo La Tengo aren't planning to tell you just who's opening before you attend. As frontman Ira Kaplan writes in a post on the band's MySpace blog, that's "mostly because we won't know until the last minute, but-- we cannot tell a lie-- also because we're ornery that way." Money for the shows goes to charity, and as such, the band is soliciting suggestions for possible organizations to receive the donations.

Ira did eliminate one possibility as to the band's mystery guests: it will not be fellow Garden Staters the Feelies. Kaplan points this out by way of inviting folks out to Yo La Tengo's New Year's Eve show at nearby Montclair, New Jersey's Wellmont Theater, which will see the trio joined by those very Feelies and also Vivian Girls.

For now, however, YLT have a few dates in eastern Asian to attend to.

Yo La Tengo:

10-15 Taipei, Taiwan - The Wall Live House
10-16 Taipei, Taiwan - The Wall Live House
10-18 Seoul, South Korea - Olympic Park
12-21 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Hanukkah show)
12-22 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Hanukkah show)
12-23 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Hanukkah show)
12-24 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Hanukkah show)
12-25 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Hanukkah show)
12-26 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Hanukkah show)
12-27 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Hanukkah show)
12-28 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (Hanukkah show)
12-31 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre *

* with the Feelies, Vivian Girls