The holiday season is full of musical events — but what if you’re looking for something a little more exciting than Handel’s Messiah and The Nutcracker? Look no further because Flavorpill has got you covered. We’ve searched far and wide to come up with this list of 10 singular seasonal happenings nationwide, from Yo La Tengo’s annual Hanukkah residency to a few intimate winter evenings with Andrew Bird to three of our favorite New Year’s Eve shows. Thanksgiving may still be a few weeks off, but if you see something you like, snap up your tickets now — all of these unique events are sure to sell out fast.
The Music Tapes Lullabye Tour November 4-January 16; US and Canada
For the past few years, noise-pop superhero Julian Koster’s Music Tapes have done holiday caroling tours, showing up at fans’ homes to sing Christmas songs. In 2010, they’re doing something similar, with a twist: this year is the Lullabye Tour, “a comforting, enchanting, and very special evening of Music Tapes’ dreamlike songs, stories and games for sleepover parties to ordinary homes across the land (US and Canada).” Peruse the dates below, and visit Merge for more information on how to host or attend a performance and to find out what exactly the St. Nikolai game is.
Tour dates:
11.04 – Nashville, TN 11.05 – Mountain Home, AR 11.06 – Memphis, TN 11.07 – Baton Rouge, LA 11.08 – Houston, TX 11.09 – Austin, TX 11.11 – Austin, TX (St. Nikolai Game) 11.12 – Dallas & Denton, TX 11.13 – West Texas 11.14 – Albuquerque & Santa Fe, NM 11.15 – Flagstaff, AZ 11.16 – Phoenix, AZ 11.18 – Los Angeles, CA 11.19 – Los Angeles, CA (St. Nikolai Game) 11.20 – Wrightwood, CA (and area) 11.21 – San Francisco, CA 11.22 – San Francisco, CA 11.23 – Davis, CA 11.24 – Chico, CA and Eugene, OR 11.25 – Portland, OR 11.26 – Portland, OR (St. Nikolai Game) 11.27 – Olympia, WA 11.28 – Seattle, WA 11.29 -Idaho / Montana 11.30 – Utah / Wyoming 12.1 – Denver, CO 12.2 – Columbus, NE 12.3 – Omaha, NE 12.4 – Minneapolis, MN 12.5 – Maquoketa, IA 12.6 – Chicago, IL 12.7 – Chicago, IL (St. Nikolai Game) 12.8 – Cleveland, OH 12.9 – Buffalo, NY (area) 12.10 – Rochester, NY 12.11 – Ithaca, NY 12.12 – Syracuse, NY 12.13 – Northampton & Amherst, MA 12.14 – Williamstown, MA 12.15 – Tivoli, NY 12.16 – Poughkeepsie, NY 12.17 – Marlborough, NY 12.18 – Philadelphia, PA 12.19 – NYC 12.20 – NYC 12.21 – Worcester, MA 12.22 – Winterport, ME 12.30 – Brattleboro & Saxtons River, VT 12.31 – Henniker, NH 01.01 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada 01.02 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada 01.03 – Detroit, MI & environs 01.04 – Bloomington / Indianapolis, IN 01.05 – Pittsburgh, PA 01.06 – Baltimore, MD 01.07 – Washington, DC 01.08 – Richmond, VA 01.09 – Raleigh, NC 01.10 – Asheville, NC 01.11 – Atlanta, GA 01.13 – Athens, GA 01.14 – Athens, GA 01.15 – Athens, GA
Cover image: The Music Tapes at a fan’s Brooklyn home, 2009. Credit: Heidi Vanderlee.
Low’s Christmas Tour November 27-December 18; West Coast and Midwest
To coincide with the reissue of their album Christmas, veritable indie rockers Low will embark on a mini-tour that brings them from Minneapolis to California to Colorado. Lucky audiences will also get to hear new material from their forthcoming full-length, C’mon.
Tour dates:
11.27 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center 12.10 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern 12.11 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios 12.14 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall 12.15 – Los Angeles, CA – Spaceland 12.17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court 12.18 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
Yo La Tengo’s Eight Nights of Hanukkah December 1-8; Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
Every year since 2001, Yo La Tengo had been celebrating Hanukkah with eight nights of benefit performances at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. But when they didn’t do it last year, we feared the tradition was over. Not so! The 2010 event is on, and if past Hanukkah concerts have been any indication, we can look forward to high-profile guest appearances — David Byrne has been known to take the stage — and plenty of other fun surprises. Unfortunately, the shows are already sold out, so if you want tickets, you’ll have to rope a friend into taking you or try your luck on Craigslist. Watch YLT play The Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale” with the late, great Alex Chilton during 2007’s Festival of Lights below.
Aimee Mann’s Christmas Show December 10-12; Largo, Los Angeles
Now in its fifth year, Aimee Mann’s Christmas Show has become an institution. And it isn’t just the singer-songwriter belting out some carols — it’s a full-on, old-fashioned variety show, featuring comedy and other diversions. While past special guests have included everyone from Will Ferrell and Michael Cera to The Decemberists and even “Weird Al” Yankovic, the year’s stable features lovebirds Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel, as well as Michael Penn, Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, and Rich Sommer, with other surprised promised.
Harry and the Potters Yule Ball December 12-19; Northeast
Let your inner child — or geek — out at the Wizard Rock luminaries’ annual Yule Ball. While past years’ Harry Potter fanboy events have been confined to Boston, 2010’s version has expanded to include Brooklyn and Philly dates. Like-minded supporting acts will vary from venue to venue and include Draco and the Malfoys, the Whomping Willows, Math the Band, and many more. (Visit their website for specific line-ups.) Best of all, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Harry Potter Alliance, which uses the books to empower young people to fight for social justice.
Tour dates:
12.12 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church 12.18 – Brooklyn, NY – The Bell House 12.19 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East Downstairs
Xmas with an X December 15-January 1; West Coast
It’s been 30 years since X released their blistering debut album, Los Angeles. To celebrate, the band is doing a short jaunt around the East Coat, beginning with four LA-area shows and finishing up in Portland, OR on New Year’s Day. The evenings will begin with a screening of the 1986 documentary X: The Unheard Music, include a few cuts from last year’s festive Merry Xmas from X, and most important feature the band performing Los Angeles in full. The Doors’ Ray Manzarek, who produced the album, will sit in on keyboards at two San Francisco dates.
Tour dates: 12.15 – House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA 12.16 – Majestic Ventura Theatre – Ventura, CA 12.17 – House of Blues – Anaheim, CA 12.19 – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA 12.27 – Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace – Bakersfield, CA 12.28 – Slim’s – San Francisco, CA (w/ Ray Manzarek) 12.29 – Slim’s – San Francisco, CA (w/ Ray Manzarek) 12.31 – Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA 01.01 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
Andrew Bird’s Gezelligheid December 16-17; Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago
A Dutch term that means something like “cozy,” “convivial,” and “belonging” — a great trio of adjectives for the holiday season — Gezelligheid is the feeling Andrew Bird hopes to convey with this Chicago event, which he debuted last year. The shows will focus on Bird’s solo instrumental work. Speaking in advance of the 2009 show, he told Consequence of Sound, “I’m inspired to do this based on childhood memories of performing Handel’s Messiah in various churches on an annual basis. The music will be mostly original instrumentals using my voice only to intone. I want the audience to be both lifted and comforted as we head into another cold and dark winter.”
The Roots December 31; Brooklyn Bowl, New York City
Patti Smith’s annual Bowery Ballroom New Year’s shows are sold out, so what’s a music fan who wants to stay the hell away from Times Square to do to ring in 2011? Well, you could do worse than head to Brooklyn Bowl, where The Roots will be playing no fewer than three sets. Considering that these versatile musicians always have a few tricks up their sleeves, we’re expecting the unexpected — and since they’re well-connected, we don’t think its unfair to assume that a special guest or two will be lighting up the stage.
Yeasayer and HEALTH December 31; Metro, Chicago
If what you’re doing at the stroke of midnight is supposed to symbolize what you’ll be doing in the year to come, then it might be a good idea to ring in 2011 with the lush, incantatory sounds of Yeasayer. Shake off all the previous year’s baggage with the noise-tastic HEALTH set that will precede it.
The Flaming Lips Perform The Soft Bulletin December 31; Cox Convention Center Arena, Oklahoma City
Even your average Flaming Lips show is an all-out party, so can you imagine what Wayne Coyne and co. will do for New Year’s Eve? Last year, they did Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon for their beloved hometown fans. But the plan for 2010-2011 is even more exciting: the Lips are poised to play their classic 1999 album, The Soft Bulletin. Tickets are still available — for only $30, which is starting to make us think the evening is also worth the price of a plane ticket…