Pitchfork

With their penchant for yanking obscure covers out of the ether, Yo La Tengo aren't just a great band-- they're a great band with bottomless knowledge of rock'n'roll's fringes. And the band has been known to flex their music nerd chops on the much-loved New Jersey radio station WFMU, playing cover requests from listeners. But recently, Yo La frontman Ira Kaplan has been spending a little time on the other side of the boards over at WFMU, showing off that well-defined taste of his as a guest DJ.

Ira's averaging about one show a month, filling in for absent DJs. While he doesn't have a regularly scheduled show, you could do a lot worse than sitting around all day listening to WFMU waiting for Ira to pop up in place of your regular DJ. Or, you could use this handy dandy little gizmo on the Yo La Tengo website that will e-mail you whenever Ira is set to reach out to radioland.

The WFMU website sports playlists and streams for Ira's past shows, and an MP3 of a full Christmas Eve set. Turns out he likes the Black Lips and Amon Tobin!

However, don't expect much Ira DJ action between January 9 and 19, as Yo La Tengo are heading out on the southern leg of their Freewheeling Yo La Tengo tour. Lambchop's Kurt Wagner, no stranger to freewheeling himself, will open all dates.

Freewheelin':

01-09 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom *
01-10 Carrboro, NC - Carrboro Arts Center *
01-11 Charlotte, NC - Visulite *
01-12 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse *
01-14 Athens, GA - Melting Point *
01-15 Birmingham, AL - Workplay *
01-16 Louisville, KY - 930 Listening Room *
01-17 Nashville, TN - Belcourt Theatre *
01-18 Memphis, TN - Gibson Lounge *
01-19 Springfield, MO - Randy Bacon Gallery *

* with Kurt Wagner