The Infamous Stringdusters celebrated the beginning of Hanukkah on Thursday with the release of The Hanukkah Singles. This Festival of Lights release arrived via the newly-founded Americana Vibes label, a partnership alongside Regime Music Group, and sees the Stringdusters covering “Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)” and “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah”.
Arriving less than a week after the band’s first-ever Christmas themed record, Dust the Halls: An Acoustic Christmas Holiday, The Hanukkah Singles sees the Grammy Award-winning quintet adding their unique bluegrass take on the Jewish holiday classics. Similar to Dust the Halls, The Infamous Stringdusters recorded The Hanukkah Singles through a digitally collaborative effort. Despite the distance between members, the powers of the internet aided them in the creation of both holiday releases.
“It was a new, wonderful experience recording ‘Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah’ and ‘Maoz Tzur’, and adding them to our holiday collection,” said dobroist Andy Hall in a press release. “Truly an honor to learn a couple Hanukkah classics for you!”
Check out the two Hanukkah covers below and click here for more listening options.
The Infamous Stringdusters – “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah”
[Video: The Infamous Stringdusters]
The Infamous Stringdusters – “Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)”
[Video: The Infamous Stringdusters]
To celebrate the holiday releases, the Stringdusters will appear on Fans.live this Sunday, December 13th, in partnership with Relix Magazine. The band’s appearance will come as part of a multi-night holiday celebration, which will include Matisyahu‘s “Festival of Light 2020” streams from The Capitol Theater (12/10, 12/11, 12/17) and Goose‘s “Goosemas” livestream from Rockefeller Center (12/11).
“The holidays are approaching, a time to come together and celebrate life, our community and our connections to each other,” said Stringdusters banjoist Chris Pandolfi in a press release. “This connection has never been more important. These songs were put together remotely, collaborating on arrangements and parts, putting our unique Stringdusters spin on a collection of timeless holiday classics. This is for everyone and we hope it brings joy and happiness for years to come.”
Sunday evening’s content will include a mix of pre-recorded live performance, a fireside Zoom-style chat, and night four Hanukkah candle lighting. Though the stream is free to attend, donations are encouraged. Click here for more information.