The Hanukkah Sessions: A Three-Year Series Overview

By: Emily Eade

During the pandemic, musicians Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin created a project called “The Hanukkah Sessions,” which started as a silly idea and then became something bigger. It became a lesson that a simple gesture goes a long way. They used this time to try and expand awareness of the Jewish holiday through music. Each day of Hanukkah, they would come out with covers of songs by Jewish musicians. 

I bet you didn’t know many of the musicians we love are Jewish or have Jewish descent, from musicians such as Janis Ian to Amy Winehouse and many more. 

In 2020, “The Hanukkah Sessions” started the night of December 10th and ended the night of December 17th. Night one the musicians gave us a crazy rendition of ‘Sabotage’ by the Beastie Boys. Night two we received ‘Hotline Bling’ by Drake, and night three they gave us a cover of ‘Mississippi Queen’ by Mountain. Night four the duo gave us an interesting… cover of ‘F*ck the Pain Away’ by Peaches with additional vocals by Peaches herself toward the end. Night five came with a Folk touch with the song, ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & #35’ by Bob Dylan, whereas on night six we received a Britpop cover, ‘Connection’ by Elastica. On nights seven and eight, we received Rock covers, ‘Frustrated’ by the Knack, and ‘Rock & Roll’ by the Velvet Underground. 

In the second year, the sessions became a bit more fun, and this series of covers started on the first day of Hanukkah November 28, 2021, and ended on December 5th, 2021. The duo started night one with a crazy Screamo performance of ‘Stay (I Missed You)’ by Lisa Loeb. Night two they gave us a beautiful Punk cover of ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ by the Ramones, and night three with a classic cover of ‘Copacabana’ by Barry Manilow. Night four the duo gave us a classic synth cover of ‘Jump’ by Van Halen. Night five was different and had a magical feel when Grohl’s daughter, Violet, performed ‘Take the Box’ by Amy Winehouse. On night six the duo had a “bit” of fun with a kazoo on their cover of ‘Big Shot’ by Billy Joel. On nights seven and eight the duo gave us Rock covers, ‘Train in Vain’ by the Clash, and ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ by KISS. 

The third year, the sessions were very different, they were in front of a crowd and sung by musicians other than Grohl. This series of covers were published on December 18th and ended the night of December 25th. Night one the duo had help from their friend Judd Apatow with performing the song ‘Spinning Wheel’ by Blood, Sweat, and Tears. On night two they had the help from P!nk to perform her song ‘Get the Party Started,’ and on night three Inara George and Tenacious D helped the duo perform the 10cc song, ‘The Things We Do for Love.’ Night four, Violet Grohl would take on the challenge of performing the song ‘At Seventeen’ by Janis Ian. Night five they performed with Beck on his song, ‘E-Pro.’ On night six the duo managed to get the only non-Jewish member of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Karen O, to perform their hit ‘Heads Will Roll.’ On nights seven and eight the duo would perform songs, ‘The Spirit of Radio’ by Rush with the help of Jack Black, and ‘We Love LA’ by Randy Newman. 

During “The Hanukkah Sessions,” Grohl was primarily on the drums and main vocals, and Kurstin was primarily on the keyboard. The duo started off with a creative and fun twist during a hard time, only to realize that they were doing something more for the listeners, giving them something to look forward to. While in the process of spreading awareness of Hanukkah. This three-year series opens your eyes to the number of musicians who are Jewish. I know for me, I didn’t realize a handful of them were.