13 Concerts in New York to Get You Ready for the 2019 Holiday Season

The holidays are fast approaching! With 11 days until the start of Hanukkah and Christmas exactly two weeks away, the festive mood continues to grow here in New York, as it undoubtedly has in the rest of the world. Why not continue to ramp up the festivities with some live music?

New York is full of great live music all year round, but during the holiday season it can’t be beat! From huge artists like Mariah Carey and annual concert events like Jingle Ball to smaller yearly Hanukkah events from the likes of Moshav and Golem, there is something for everyone. We even celebrate the winter solstice big!

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, loves live music. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of holiday shows happening in New York over the next couple of weeks. Here are 13 to get you deeper into the holiday spirit!

1.       WALK Holiday Show/Goo Goo Dolls: Long Island’s WALK 97.5 is already getting into the holiday spirit with a 100% Christmas playlist, so it would make sense that the station would be gearing up for a holiday show of their own. That happens tonight at the Paramount in Huntington. 1990s rockers the Goo Goo Dolls headline the event with Beach Slang and ‘American Idol’ alum David Cook will opening. (12/11 @ The Paramount Huntington)

2.       Idina Menzel: Actress and singer Idina Menzel is a busy women. Aside from the release of ‘Frozen 2’ a few weeks ago, she also released a new holiday album, ‘Christmas: A Season of Love,’ in October. Menzel will be ending a three-show tri-state area holiday run of shows tonight with a stop at New York’s Carnegie Hall. (12/11 @ Carnegie Hall)

3.       Pre-Hanukkah Smackdown: Looking to get into the Hanukkah spirit even before Hanukkah begins. Drom NYC is presenting their “Pre-Hanukkah Smackdown” this Thursday with a worldly list of artists that put a spin on traditional klezmer, including the Afrobeat-infused sound of Zion80 and the klezmer-bhangra fusion of Sharabi. Headlining you have gypsy-punks Golem, who’s mix of klezmer, Yiddish melodies and high-intensity performance makes for a lively show you won’t want to miss. (12/12 @ Drom)

4.       Jingle Ball: iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball has become synonymous with the holiday season at this point. The series of yearly holiday events from the radio mega network, Jingle Ball brings together some of the year’s most popular artists to celebrate the season. This year’s New York line-up is a veritable who’s-who of chart-toppers, including Taylor Swift, Lizzo, the Jonas Brothers, Camila Cabello, 5 Seconds of Summer, Dan + Shay, Niall Horan, Lewis Capaldi, Halsey, Monsta X and Fletcher.  (12/13 @ Madison Square Garden)

5.       Mariah Carey: The queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey is currently celebrating the 25^th Anniversary of her first Christmas album, ‘Merry Christmas,’ and the inescapable holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The singer will be wrapping her 2019 holiday tour on Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden. (12/15)

6.       Hot For The Holidays: If you’re looking for a hip-hop holiday show, Hot 97 is gearing up for their annual Hot For The Holidays show next week. This year’s artists include Khalid, Wale, Layton Greene and The Bonfyre. (12/18 @ Kings Theatre)

7.       Lea Michele: Actress and singer Lea Michele released her first-ever Christmas album, ‘Christmas in the City,’ in October, which hit Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart at number 3. Catch her perform music from the album and more during a special three-night residency at the New York Society For Ethical Culture.  (12/19 -21 @ NY Society For Ethical Culture)

8.       Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Perennial holiday instrumental favorites the Trans-Siberian Orchestra are heading our way to spread some Christmas cheer. The group will be bringing their “Christmas Eve And Other Stories” show to Long Island and New Jersey next week. (12/20 @ Nassau Coliseum; 12/21 @ Prudential Center)

9.       Marky Ramone’s Holiday Blitzkrieg: Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg, featuring former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone, is set to rock New York’s Gramercy Theatre for their annual ‘Holiday Blitzkrieg.’ Like last year, the group will be joined by Bad Religion/Circle Jerks guitarist Greg Hetson.  (12/20 @ Gramercy Theatre)

10.   Make Music New York Winter: Back for its winter festival, Make Music New York will be celebrating the winter solstice with as much outdoor music as possible all over the city. Favorites such as Piano City (which features pianos placed randomly around the city for people to play), Flatfoot Flatbush (a folk music gathering) and “The Mobile Hallelujah” (traveling carolers singing Handel’s famous ‘Messiah’ movement) all return, and there will be plenty of opportunities to jump in and join a holiday parade or sing Christmas carols with your fellow New Yorkers. (12/21)

11.   CeeLo Green: “Forget You” singer and Goodie Mob member CeeLo Green is celebrating the holidays on the road for his “Holiday Hits” tour. Green will be playing songs from his 2013 Christmas album, ‘Magic Moment,’ as well as hits from throughout his career. (12/21 @ Sony Hall; 12/22 @ Suffolk Theater)

12.   Yo La Tengo: Yo La Tengo’s Hanukkah shows are a holiday tradition at this point. The band will be playing eight consecutive nights at the Bowery Ballroom starting December 22 (the first night of Hanukkah), celebrating every night with special surprise guests. All shows are sold out except the 24^th and 25^th (Christmas Eve and Christmas).  (12/22-29 @ Bowery Ballroom)

13.   Moshav: Another Hanukkah tradition: Moshav. The band will be playing their annual “Festival of Lights” show on Hanukkah night three / Christmas Eve. Soulfarm and Yimmy will be opening. (12/24 @ SOB’s)

With the holidays only weeks away, now is the perfect time to start celebrating with live music. Check out some of the shows listed above and let us know what holiday shows you’re excited to see this season in the comments below.

---

Find the perfect holiday music and more at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres to suit most music lovers. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Hanukkah 2017: Eight New Songs for Eight Nights of Hanukkah

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, starts at sundown tonight. A holiday filled with food, family and warmth, it is also a time for songs celebrating the time of year.

A lot of Jewish artists write songs specifically for the Hanukkah holiday. A cappella groups like Six13 and The Maccabeats release a new parody themed around it every year. Children’s music is also big for the holiday, as many of the traditions are geared towards including the young ones. Sometimes, artists even put out originals that bring holiday music to a new level.

In honor of the first night of Hanukkah, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of the new holiday songs released for 2017. Here are eight new Hanukkah parodies, originals and kids songs, one for each holiday night.

1.       Six13, “A Nice Jewish Boy Band Chanukah”: Six13 take things back to the late 1990s boy band / girl group craze with their latest parody mash-up. The song starts out with the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” talking about the origin story of the holiday and the lights lasting eight nights. It then turns into *NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me” and the eights nights of gift giving. The last and most over-the-top, part (possibly of their entire career) is their parody of The Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” where they talk about frying latkes. (video)

2.       Y-Studs, “Rise Up”: Y-Studs took a different approach to Hanukkah this year, covering Andra Day’s “Rise Up.” The song and video take on all the anti-Semitism that has been plaguing our society over the decades, but especially in the last year or so.  Y-Studs mash it up with “Rock of Ages,” a traditional song sung during Hanukkah (though not exclusively Jewish) that talks about taking on our enemies and coming out on top with G-d’s help. (video)

3.       Ben Schwartz / ‘Dreamworks Home: For The Holidays’ Cast, “Eight Days of Latkes”: Technically, ‘Dreamworks Home: For The Holidays’ is a Christmas special. But one of the songs on its soundtrack is a Hanukkah rap about eating latkes. The lyrics are a little on the dumb side, but its harmless. Plus, it’s packed with enough Hebrew and Yiddish words and sayings that it almost sounds like they know what they’re talking about. (video)

4.       The Laurie Berkner Band, “Candle Chase”: Continuing on with the children’s songs, Laurie Berkner released a video for her cover of “Candle Chase.” Berkner makes the song her own, slowing it down even more and adding in hand claps. Perfect for if you don’t want another rendition of “The Dreidel Song.” (video)

5.       The Maccabeats, “Candles on the Sill”: The Maccabeats went sentimental with their Hanukkah parody this year. “Candles on the Sill” is a parody of Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill,” itself an emotional look back on the good old days (not to mention one of the most popular songs of the year). The song finds the band looking back at their ten years together and all the memories they have lighting the holiday candles. (video)

6.       8^th Day, “Miracle Of Light”: There are so few truly original Hanukkah songs that aren’t meant for children. But 8^th Day has come up with a catchy mix of rock and soul about being someone’s miracle. Perhaps it’s a bit more love song than candle-lighting song, but hey, Hanukkah can have its love connections too. (video)

7.       Hillel Lugo, “Nes Gadol”: The full song may not be released yet, but this 44-second clip is good enough that I’m putting it on this list. Half in English and half in Hebrew, “Nes Gadol” is a hoedown about the miracle of Hanukkah, complete with violins and a foot-stomping beat. (video)

8.       Reb Jonny, “Light It Up”: Reb Jonny’s “Light It Up” is an upbeat indie-rock jam about the miracle of Hanukkah.  It’s melody comes off as joyous as the holiday itself. (video)

Hanukkah wouldn’t be the same without music and song to make it even brighter. These new songs and parodies capture the history, traditions and warmth of the holiday in both fun and somber ways. Check them out and add them to your Hanukkah get-together playlist.

---

Celebrate the holidays at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres to suite every music lover on your gift list. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or shop online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.