Note: Because of the way the Weebly mind works, I had to date this the third to get it to the top of the pile. Current time is 6:43 pm December 2.
'Tis the first night of Hanukkah. And you know we love to celebrate the Festival of Lights at Stubby's. I've been doing Christmas mixes for...geez, close to 35 years, now. That is Christmas mixes for family and friends. If you want to talk mixes for my own head, you could add another 10 or 12 years to that (yes, I'm a very old geezer). But round about, oh, 1996 or so, one of my co-workers who happened to be Jewish asked me if I'd ever done a Hanukkah mix. Adam Sandler's tune was all over the radio at the time and might, in fact, have been on one of my mixes that year. The question made me think. I hadn't, but could I? Was there enough interesting Hanukkah music of assorted genres that such a thing was even possible, the way I do things? I had one Hanukkah song in mind that I'd been looking for for a long time. We've played it here before--"Chanukah Chase" by The Short Sisters (who are neither short nor sisters). I thought if I could just find that track, then maybe... In 1997, the first "Festival of Lights" collection was released and I was off to the races. I believe I officially became a Hanukkah hound in 1999. My first Hanukkah mix wasn't completed until 2001. This year, I completed "Stubby's Chanukah 7"--yes, 7. Not only that, this year's was a 2-disc mix (and the second 2-disc mix in the series). The music, at this point, is most definitely out there. Our First Night Hanukkah cat is the cover for "Stubby's Chanukah 7". Ain't he purdy?
Sometimes, I like to wait on the a cappella wars, but these guys clearly won the Internet this year. Six13 doing a perfect a cappella Hanukkah cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (they're a little loose with the history, but still...). Worth it for the a cappella guitar solo alone. Six13's "Bohemian Chanukah" can be yours from Amazon and other digital retailers.
Sometimes, I like to wait on the a cappella wars, but these guys clearly won the Internet this year. Six13 doing a perfect a cappella Hanukkah cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (they're a little loose with the history, but still...). Worth it for the a cappella guitar solo alone. Six13's "Bohemian Chanukah" can be yours from Amazon and other digital retailers.
I suppose it's because of the movie and the timing, but most of our annual a cappella Hanukkah favorites managed to work Queen in somewhere. One did not. Unfortunately, Shir Soul's "Hanukkah - A Jewish Africa parody" is not available to purchase or download. But, if it weren't for the other guys doing such an amazing Queen cover, Shir Soul could have had the best new Hanukkah video this year...if only for the acknowledgement that the a cappella wars have been going on for so long, it's hard to come up with something new to do. Oh, but Shir Soul does have an album out there--"Holiday Shir"--with several of their Hanukkah favorites, including "Timeless as the Stars".
Like Six13, the Y-Studs went the Queen route. But they do deserve credit for covering songs from the Freddie Mercury catalog that were not "Bohemian Rhapsody". The Y-Studs grew out of the a cappella group from Yeshiva University. They haven't been involved in the a cappella Hanukkah wars as long as some of the other groups, but they've turned out some super quality efforts in the past few years. "Don't Stop Me Now", which you can find at Amazon, adds to their Hanukkah legacy.
Unfortunately, The Maccabeats, who started the a cappella Hanukkah wars with their "Candlelight" video back in 2010 (which still slaps, btw), fall into fourth place this year with "I Have A Little Dreidel" done in many different musical styles. Some were very good--I'd love to hear a full Blues version (and the Gospel is super cool). Some not so much (I'm not sure they have the whole Bluegrass thing down). And, hey, they managed to get their Queen on at the end of the video. But, though The Maccabeats are very good and have a solid back catalog, they got Macca-beaten this year. Grab the group's 2018 Hanukkah single at Amazon.
Well, we're about an hour and a half late getting this up, tonight. And we'll probably be late again tomorrow night when we return with more Festival of Lights festivities and candlelight magic. So get used to it.
RSS Feed
