Happy Hanukkah! There’s no greater NYC-area indie rock holiday tradition than Yo La Tengo’s annual Hanukkah run which has been happening at Bowery Ballroom since 2017 (and Maxwell’s in Hoboken before that). They play all eight nights, never repeating a song throughout the run, and the shows feature surprise guests as opening bands, comedians, musicians who join Ira, Georgia and James during their main set. There are also usually guests during their covers-filled encores. You don’t know who is going to be there till you show up and see the flyer on the door.
This year Hanukkah runs tonight (Merry Chrismukkah!) through January 1 and tickets are currently sold out, but the band often release some day-of show or during the week, and it’s worth checking back if you’re really trying to go.
While we don’t know who any of the special guests are this year (or any year), it’s always fun to guess. On the music side there are a couple locks: Ira’s mom, Marilyn, comes out for the encore on the final night to sing “My Little Corner of the World, and frequent collaborators Sun Ra Arkestra have opened and joined the band one night every year since they’ve been doing it at Bowery.
Otherwise it’s hard to guess. Hanukkah runs through New Year’s Day which is a time that almost nobody is touring. There are lots of locals though, including YLT’s Matador labelmates Horsegirl, Model/Actriz and Water From Your Eyes, and even The Hard Quartet seem possible (some of the members are local). Other locals include The Feelies, various members of Sonic Youth, Arooj Aftab, Stuart Bogie, John Zorn, Endless Boogie, Steve Gunn, The Ladybug Transistor, Joanna Sternberg, Allegra Krieger, Alan Braufman, Bush Tetras, Antietam, Jon Spencer, Shahzad Ismaily, Sam Amidon, Ava Mendoza, Alan Licht, Michael Shannon, Real Estate, Stephin Merritt, Oneida, Parquet Courts, Wreckless Eric, and more.
Expand to Boston and Philly (and beyond) and the options become even wider (J Mascis, Kurt Vile), but Yo La Tengo also regularly get fly-ins (Superchunk, Low, Mekons, Ben Gibbard) and sometimes get bands to reunite for a show, like The Aislers Set last year and in 2019 they got Boston cult heroes Christmas to reform on Christmas. There are also acts like Lambchop, The dB’s, Robyn Hitchcock, Jennifer O’Connor, Jeff Tweedy, Kid Congo, Oneida, Mary Halvorson, Mary Lattimore, John McEntire, Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Jeff Parker, Bill Callahan, John Medeski, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Barbara Manning, Nels Cline, Matmos,and Nick Lowe who are friends and have appeared a few times at Hanukkahs past.
Other guesses: Rosali, David Nance, Mary Timony, Joe Pernice, a New Pornographer (or all of them), Bitchin Bajas, Jon Wurster, Alan Sparhawk, The Softies, or Fievel is Glauque. How about some Big Swings? Last year Beach House played. So this year, what about one of the Kims (Deal or Gordon)? Guided by Voices? Jessica Pratt? MJ Lenderman? Julien Baker & Torres? Vampire Weekend?
Could this be the year Phish warms up for their Madison Square Garden run by opening for YLT?
As for comedians/humorists, David Cross usually shows up as Rabbi Sugarman, and you can almost always count on Eugene Mirman, Jon Benjamin, Jon Glaser and Todd Barry to make an appearance. Otherwise, almost anyone in the world of comedy seems possible. They’ve had Jim Gaffigan and Ronny Chieng in recent years; Aziz Ansari is in town, John Mulaney has done it in years past (and is in town for Broadway play All In, as is Fred Armisen), and other likely sets could include various Sedarises (David or Amy), John Hodgman, Janeane Garofalo, John Early, Joe Pera, Conner O’Malley, John Oliver, Gary Gulman, Neil Hamburger, Miranda July, Cole Escola, Jo Firestone…the list goes on.
Who do you think might show up? We can’t wait to find out.
Check out photos from previous YLT Hanukkahs…
