Yo La Tengo kicks off tour tonight

Did you know that Hanukkah starts tonight? Yeah, neither did I. Maybe my biological Jew clock is busted or something. Thank goodness that Yo La Tengo is here to remind all of us, Jew and gentile alike, that the Festival of Lights begins on Dec. 4 this year. The venerable indie group kicks off its (semi-)annual celebration of Hanukkah tonight with eight consecutive shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken, N.J. As usual, expect numerous special guests and plenty of dreidel and latke-related hijinks.

But that's just the beginning of the Yo La Tengo odyssey. The group will take a little stroll through the American South and Midwest early next year, giving some off-the-beaten-path locales the chance to catch a series of intimate Yo La Tengo sets. The band calls it the "Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour."

Here's the official description of the tour from the band's website:

"A little bit 'Storytellers', a little bit 'Unplugged', with a soupcon of their famously varied Hanukkah shows, it will feature the band playing an almost-acoustic set of songs from their entire catalog, with stories about their life as a band, and an encouraged back-and-forth with the audience."

The dates:

December
4 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
5 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
6 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
7 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
8 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
9 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
10 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
11 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's

January
9 - Charlottesville, Va. @ Satellite Ballroom *
10 - Carrboro, N.C. @ Carrboro Arts Center *
11 - Charlotte, N.C. @ Visulite Theatre *
12 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse *
14 - Athens, Ga. @ Melting Point *
15 - Birmingham, Ala. @ Workplay *
16 - Louisville, Ky. @ 930 Listening Room *
17 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Belcourt Theatre *
18 - Memphis, Tenn. @ Gibson Lounge *
19 - Springfield, Mo. @ Randy Bacon Gallery *