I don't know if he still does it, but Ernie (Not Bert) used to follow his Christmas In July posts with Chanukah In August (currently, Ernie's on Day 39 of Christmas In July; yeah, don't try to figure it out, just be happy he does it). Being as I missed most of 2017, I thought I'd borrow Ernie's Chanukah In August and mention a few of the better releases I/we missed out on. Maybe we can make it a thing.
Besides, it gives me the opportunity to introduce you to Missy Katz (not her real name). My relationship with Missy Katz is a bit complicated. She was my mother's girl and she and my mother were so completely bonded, while I was completely bonded with Mrs. Katz (not her real name). With both my Mom and Mrs. Katz gone. Missy and I are stuck with each other and trying to make the best of it. Missy Katz (not her real name) is 11 years old. We found her on a roadside when she was just a few weeks old (no mama or brothers or sisters anywhere in sight). Mom had her declawed, so she's indoor only. She's very active and playful (even at 11), a natural hunter. But she's also like Sour Patch Kids in reverse: first she's sweet, and then she's sour. Bedtime, she will lie on my stomach and purr so loud the house shakes. Then, still purring and for no reason at all, she bites (and her bites are deep, yo). Some nights, I'll be sleeping quite soundly and wake up in the morning with a trail of dried blood down my arm. I don't think she knows it's a bad thing, though I tell her all the time. She's got some other quirks. She likes to hold her tail between her paws and she'll frequently stand on her hind legs for extended periods (looking like a meerkat).
Missy Katz (not her real name) was a pain to get a picture of. I'd have her all set up and, just as I'd snap the picture, she'd turn her butt to me. So this is the best I could do. Anyway, Missy Katz (not her real name) will be our blog cat mascot going forward. Now on to the music. And, just so you know, Hanukkah 2018 begins at sundown on Sunday, December 2 (or so my calendar says).
Besides, it gives me the opportunity to introduce you to Missy Katz (not her real name). My relationship with Missy Katz is a bit complicated. She was my mother's girl and she and my mother were so completely bonded, while I was completely bonded with Mrs. Katz (not her real name). With both my Mom and Mrs. Katz gone. Missy and I are stuck with each other and trying to make the best of it. Missy Katz (not her real name) is 11 years old. We found her on a roadside when she was just a few weeks old (no mama or brothers or sisters anywhere in sight). Mom had her declawed, so she's indoor only. She's very active and playful (even at 11), a natural hunter. But she's also like Sour Patch Kids in reverse: first she's sweet, and then she's sour. Bedtime, she will lie on my stomach and purr so loud the house shakes. Then, still purring and for no reason at all, she bites (and her bites are deep, yo). Some nights, I'll be sleeping quite soundly and wake up in the morning with a trail of dried blood down my arm. I don't think she knows it's a bad thing, though I tell her all the time. She's got some other quirks. She likes to hold her tail between her paws and she'll frequently stand on her hind legs for extended periods (looking like a meerkat).
Missy Katz (not her real name) was a pain to get a picture of. I'd have her all set up and, just as I'd snap the picture, she'd turn her butt to me. So this is the best I could do. Anyway, Missy Katz (not her real name) will be our blog cat mascot going forward. Now on to the music. And, just so you know, Hanukkah 2018 begins at sundown on Sunday, December 2 (or so my calendar says).
2017 wasn't exactly a great year for new Hanukkah music. One of my favorites, though, was "Hanukkah Rocks" by Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could. Rymer's band is ostensibly a Kids band and the track was one of two Hanukkah tracks (the other being "Rainbow Candles") off his seasonal album "Revvin' Up The Reindeer". I like it because, musically, it sounds like something the Archies would have done. The world needs the occasional Bubblegum Hanukkah tune. But, truth be told, I'm not sure Brady knows the holiday. Apparently, he's having his latkes with "sugar and spice". I thought it was sour cream and apple sauce (yeah, the video tries to save it, but I'm not buying it). There's a cat in the video, so all is forgiven. If anybody wants to know, I take my latkes plain, thank you very much.
And speaking of Bubblegum Hanukkah.... Yeah, we got the usual batch of a capella Hanukkah videos that weren't available for sale or download (we'll save those vids for our Eight Nights of Hanukkah festivities). But can it just be coincidence that the one you could buy was Six13's "Nice Jewish Boy Band Chanukah"? You mean to tell me we had a whole Bubblegum Hanukkah thing going on last year and I missed it? Oy!
When making a Hanukkah mix, should you ever wish to, you approach it just as you would a Christmas mix. You want balance, flow and some originality. Obviously, you don't want 80 minutes of "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel". You might want to have some fun with it, but you want to be respectful. Authenticity is good, too. Basically, if you're a goy like me making a mix for Jewish friends, you want your Hanukkah mix to say "I know this holiday means as much to you as Christmas does to me." True enough, Hanukkah is not the most important holiday on the Jewish calendar (which allows you some wiggle room for missteps). But remember, if you're goy making a Hanukkah mix, you're essentially a guest in someone else's home.
You also, probably, want to mix up the genres. And that makes this Hanukkah tune probably the best of 2017. "Al Hanissim" is a traditional Jewish prayer that translates to "on the miracles". It's a prayer of thanksgiving (though not a prayer of Thanksgiving). Following the opening prayer, the lyrics tell the story of either Hanukkah or Purim (depending upon the holiday). For a long time, I searched for a version that sounded joyful and, over time, I did find a few. But Moshe Storch released a version in 2017 that's not only joyful and fun, and sung entirely in Hebrew, it's Country! Yee Haw! "Al Hanissim (Country Style)"! Put that in your Hanukkah mix and smoke it.
You also, probably, want to mix up the genres. And that makes this Hanukkah tune probably the best of 2017. "Al Hanissim" is a traditional Jewish prayer that translates to "on the miracles". It's a prayer of thanksgiving (though not a prayer of Thanksgiving). Following the opening prayer, the lyrics tell the story of either Hanukkah or Purim (depending upon the holiday). For a long time, I searched for a version that sounded joyful and, over time, I did find a few. But Moshe Storch released a version in 2017 that's not only joyful and fun, and sung entirely in Hebrew, it's Country! Yee Haw! "Al Hanissim (Country Style)"! Put that in your Hanukkah mix and smoke it.
While you might not want 80 minutes of "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" for a Hanukkah mix, you probably don't want to avoid it altogether. It's essentially the "Jingle Bells" of Hanukkah music. So pick a good one. 2017 gave us just such a selection. The Michael Treni Big Band recorded "Dreidel" as a Latin Jazz number, "Loco Latin Top", included on their Christmas album "You Better Watch Out". If you're trying to mix up your sounds and genres, "Loco Latin Top" fits like a Hanukkah glove.
What would Chanukah in August be without some freebies, right? Gonna give you two because, technically, one isn't from 2017 and the other is barely Hanukkah.
First up is Aaron Holder's "Chanukah Lights". This is a nice Folk Pop number from Holder, who has also recorded a lot of more traditional Israeli music. "Chanukah Lights" (aka "Hanukkah Lights"), as you might have guessed, is the track that isn't from 2017. I believe it dates back to 2015, but it was re-released last year and I originally found it with the 2017 date.
A note about free downloads from Soundcloud. Tag or label them properly immediately after downloading. Some artists understand the value of proper tagging and others don't. And, if you don't make sure they're labeled or tagged appropriately as soon as you download them, you're going to wake up one day with a folder of tunes you have no idea what they are, who sings them, or anything else. No, I have no such a folder. I'm not that organized. I have tunes I can't identify all over the place on my computer. Learn from my mistakes; Lord knows, I never do.
First up is Aaron Holder's "Chanukah Lights". This is a nice Folk Pop number from Holder, who has also recorded a lot of more traditional Israeli music. "Chanukah Lights" (aka "Hanukkah Lights"), as you might have guessed, is the track that isn't from 2017. I believe it dates back to 2015, but it was re-released last year and I originally found it with the 2017 date.
A note about free downloads from Soundcloud. Tag or label them properly immediately after downloading. Some artists understand the value of proper tagging and others don't. And, if you don't make sure they're labeled or tagged appropriately as soon as you download them, you're going to wake up one day with a folder of tunes you have no idea what they are, who sings them, or anything else. No, I have no such a folder. I'm not that organized. I have tunes I can't identify all over the place on my computer. Learn from my mistakes; Lord knows, I never do.
Now this one I recommend highly...but only if you're a bit adventurous. The artist is Damion Shade & The Savage Young and this comes from the album "The Swallower of X-Mas". You might think, from the title, that this is a Christmas album. Well, it is and it isn't. None of the songs mention Christmas or anything wintery at all. There are only a very few times where there's any reference at all that, if you really stretch your mind, might be some oblique reference to something a step or two removed from the season (most memorably "Jesus figurines scattered all over your house" in "Punctuation"). But, the more I listened, the more I concluded (perhaps wrongly) that this was indeed a very specific holiday piece...centered very tightly upon the fallout and subsequent darkness of a very very VERY bad breakup. Not some puppy love breakup, but a serious adult break. Since there's nothing in the songs that says so, I'm largely taking my cue that it's a holiday split based upon the album title.
"The Swallower of X-Mas" is so dark and bleak, overall, I'd only recommend it's use in any holiday mixtape to those with extensive experience at using such material (kids, don't try this at home). If you really know what you're doing, though, man, this album packs a wallop. And damn if I don't want to hear more from Damion Shade.
"The Swallower of X-Mas" is so dark and bleak, overall, I'd only recommend it's use in any holiday mixtape to those with extensive experience at using such material (kids, don't try this at home). If you really know what you're doing, though, man, this album packs a wallop. And damn if I don't want to hear more from Damion Shade.
For our current purposes, we're fortunate that "Hooray For Hanukkah" is, to my ears, the most listenable and accessible track on the album. I just love the Indie sound of this track. Unlike the other songs on the album, there's even a passing reference to the holiday ("Whose house is this with candles lit"), but that's about as Hanukkah as it gets. At the core is someone who may or may not be nearing the final stages of grief..."I need you. I don't need anything. Ambitions piled up in the sink. I really want to leave and I really want to be nothing." Brilliant powerful stuff.
As with Christmas music, so much Hanukkah music can be a checklist. Let's see, we've mentioned the Menorah, the Dreidel, Latkes...I think we're all set. It's a little less annoying for Hanukkah music because the radio isn't playing it to death. But "Hooray For Hanukkah" is no checklist holiday song. It's an honest human moment (albeit a dark one). I love it, personally. Your mileage, as always, may vary.
As with Christmas music, so much Hanukkah music can be a checklist. Let's see, we've mentioned the Menorah, the Dreidel, Latkes...I think we're all set. It's a little less annoying for Hanukkah music because the radio isn't playing it to death. But "Hooray For Hanukkah" is no checklist holiday song. It's an honest human moment (albeit a dark one). I love it, personally. Your mileage, as always, may vary.
Well, I can't close on that note. I need a palette cleanser. And I have just the thing. Born in Australia, Alexis Fishman is a bit of a renaissance woman. She's an actress, having starred in numerous cabaret and Off Broadway productions, she's a playwright, a singer and songwriter, and a Jewish educator in New York. In October, Alexis will return to Australia to star in her new show "Amy Reimagined", about the life of the late Amy Winehouse. Her Hanukkah single is from late 2016. It's a swinging Big Band Jazz number, "My Baby Eats All The Hanukkah Gelt".
I suppose I should really do 8 tunes, you know, but I think 7 will do for August. So that's all for now. Hopefully, we'll have more Hanukkah goodness for you in the coming months. Until then, Happy Hanukkah from Stubby and Missy Katz!
I suppose I should really do 8 tunes, you know, but I think 7 will do for August. So that's all for now. Hopefully, we'll have more Hanukkah goodness for you in the coming months. Until then, Happy Hanukkah from Stubby and Missy Katz!
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