The LeeVees

Name four great Hanukkah songs. OK, then how about two good

Chanukkah songs? Not easy, huh? “Dreidel, Spin, Spin, Spin” is a fun

little ditty but let’s face it, it doesn’t exactly rock and/or roll. Even the

great Jewish songwriters, from Irving Berlin to Lieber and Stoller, only

wrote Christmas songs. The Festival of Lights could really use some

tunes!

Two nice Jewish guys have taken up the important task of writing a

bunch of great, rockin’ Hanukkah songs. Adam Gardner (Guster) and

Dave Schneider (the Zambonis) have joined forces and started a band

called the LeeVees, and they have a new album of sweet and rockin’

indie-pop songs solely about Chanukah called “Hanukkah Rocks.”

Yes, every song is about Chanukah. Some say such a concept is a bit

obsessive but Adam and Dave prefer the phrase “extremely focused.”

A little background on the guys: Rita and Robert Schneider’s son

Dave founded the Zambonis in 1996. The Zambonis only write songs

about hockey. That’s right, hockey. Barbara and Allan Gardner’s son

Adam co-founded Guster in 1991. Guster does not write songs about

hockey and yet they somehow manage to write really good songs

anyway.

In April of 2005, the Zambonis went on tour with Guster. On the bus

somewhere between Denver and St. Louis, Adam said to Dave, “We

should write some songs together!” Dave responded with a blasé

“Yeah, that would be fun” and strode over to the sink to make some

tea. “We should only write songs about Chanukkah!” Adam exclaimed.

Dave froze, his brain wheels spinning with excitement. He turned to

Adam and was about to ask him if he was serious, but before he could

even say it, Adam blurted out, “I’m serious.”

The two quickly grabbed some acoustic guitars, went to the back of

the bus and wrote the first two LeeVees songs: the Beach-Boys-in-

yarmulkes anth “Latke Clan” and “Applesauce vs. Sour Cream” — in

less than an hour. Fittingly, they wrote all the songs for the new

LeeVees album, “Hanukkah Rocks” in eight days. It was a Hanukkah

miracle!

The amazing thing is, these aren’t just songs about Hanukkah.

They’re also just good songs. While making a rock Hanukkah record

could easily rely on the novelty and kitsch factor of the concept, this

album manages to stay on the right side of the line, offering up truly

musical arrangements underneath witty and humorous lyrics.

Gardner and Schneider have a knack for asking the tough questions,

like “How Do You Spell Channukkahh?” and setting it to catchy, fun

music. The classic punk crunch of “Gelt Melts” provides plenty of fist-

pumping sing-along action while the propulsive “Goyim Friends”

overflows with playful pride and joy; “Jewish Girls (at the Matzoh Ball)”

and “At the Timeshare” get downright wistful, even poignant.

Their producer friend and Dave’s neighbor, Peter Katis (Interpol, The

National, Get Up Kids) has added his uncanny ability to make these

rock songs sound like orchestral bombasts.

Adam hopes that the LeeVees’ festive, rocking Hanukkah songs will

bring happiness to the Jewish community and to the world at large.

Dave is hoping that being in a cool all-Jewish rock band will finally get

him something he has never had: a date with a Jewish girl. Really, it

would make his mother very happy.

Joining Adam and Dave in The LeeVees’ touring band are Shawn

Fogel (Golden Bloom) on bass, Dan Saks (DeLeon) on keys, and

Dave Butler (Guster) on drums.