Hannukah Rocks

As a member of the tribe this time of year gets a little grating at times where you're inundated with all things Christmas(though I do have a soft spot for the Boss's rendition of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town). Well the new edition of The Village Voice has done a whole cover story on the 'upstart Jewish music scene' that is embracing their heritage.....

Get Down, Moses

Also if your looking for something to spin at your Hanukkah party you might want to pick up this....

The LeeVees - Hannukah Rocks

It's the brainchild of Adam Gardner (from Guster). I haven't listened to the whole things yet, but did hear some tracks on their website and it ain't too bad - and damn funny to boot. With song titles like 'Applesauce vs. Sour Cream', 'How Do You Spell Channukkahh?' and 'Jewish Girls (At The Matzah Ball) how can you go wrong. They'll be playing two shows on the 2nd and 3rd nights of Hanukkah 11/26 at the Bowery Ballroom and 11/27 at the Paradise Rock Club. So if your in New York or Boston might be a fun show to hit.

Or you could also try and score tickets to Yo La Tengo's annual Hanukkah run at in the 'Boken at Maxwell's (I think the entire 8 night run is sold out - but that's what Craigslist is for).

Here's a great website to keep you entertained while everything is closed on Christmas Eve...

Jews Rock

Take the quiz and see how many you get right. You'll definitely be surprised by some of the musicians that are Jews.

Now for some music, here's a couple of downloads from the person at the forefront of the Jewish music scene everyone's favorite Hassidic Reggae Superstar Matisyahu (who I previously wrote about here)....

Matisyahu - 2005-09-08 - Webster Hall -New York, NY
Matisyahu - 2005-11-05 Revolution - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

And finally if you're looking for some last minute Hanukkah gifts here's a couple of books to pick up....

Bar Mitzvah Disco : The Music May Have Stopped, but the Party's Never Over
Drek: The Real Yiddish Your Bubbe Never Taught You
Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South

Finally a post that my mom would be proud of!

Happy Holidays!!!!

FYI clearly no one knows how to spell this holiday correctly. I was prompted to change the spelling from Hannukah to Hanukkah and vice versa. But I've always gone with two Ns and one K. Listen to The LeeVee's as the address just this problem.