Beastie Boys and friends get out the vote

The Beastie Boys have gathered a group of famous friends to take part in a swing-state voter-awareness tour.

So far, three October/November shows have been confirmed (in Richmond, VA; St. Paul, MN; and Milwaukee, WI) featuring a rotating roster of guest stars including Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Ben Harper, Crosby & Nash, Santogold and Tenacious D. Currently confirmed shows are detailed below, and additional concerts are expected.

"We are going to do a few shows in hopes that we can remind people to vote," the Beastie Boys said in a joint statement, adding that they are endorsing Sen. Barack Obama. "This election is too important, too much is at stake to stay at home. We hope that you can come out, have a nice night, dance, sing, get your freak on, and then wake up the next morning and get everyone that you possibly can to get out and vote."

Representatives from Rock The Vote will also be on hand to distribute information about local polling sites and early voting locations.

In addition to doing their civic duty, the Beastie Boys continue to support last year's all-instrumental effort, "The Mix-Up," which reached No. 15 on The Billboard 200 and scored a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. The set is the hip-hop trio's first studio release since 2004's "To the 5 Boroughs," which itself emerged after a six-year gap following 1998's "Hello Nasty." "The Mix-Up" is also the group's first instrumental-only effort since the 1996 compilation "The In Sound from Way Out."

All three Boys play instruments on their latest album, which is supplemented by contributions from longtime collaborator Mark Ramos-Nishita (a.k.a. Money Mark). A couple of songs from the set are streaming at the Beastie Boys' MySpace page.