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Christmas has cool songs, like “Father Christmas” by The Kinks, or
“Wonderful Xmas Time” by Paul McCartney. Where are the cool Hanukkah songs? “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel”? Boring, boring, boring. That’s exactly why Adam Gardner (Guster) and Dave Schneider (The Zambonis) started a band called The LeeVees, to take up the important task of writing a bunch of sweet and rockin’ indie-pop songs on their album, “Hanukkah Rocks.”
“It’s an album I play every year because, honestly, i’s hard to find fun-filled songs about latkes and gelt.”
-Bob Boilen (NPR Music / All Songs Considered)
The Story of The LeeVees in 8 Hanukkah Miracles:
1. 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.”
2. 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 anthem “Latke Clan” and “Applesauce vs. Sour Cream” — in less than an hour. Fittingly, they wrote all the songs for “Hanukkah Rocks” in eight days.
3. A few months later, The LeeVees were signed to Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, and Adam and Dave were at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT recording their album. Producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Trey Anastasio) added his uncanny ability to make their rock songs sound like orchestral bombasts. “Hanukkah Rocks” was released on October 25 th , 2005.
4. The LeeVees were invited to open for Barenaked Ladies on all U.S. dates of their “Barenaked for The Holidays” 2005 tour. Adam and Dave put together a killer five-piece live band, and hit the road for 18 shows.
5. In 2023, The LeeVees were invited to NPR’s Washington DC headquarters to perform a Tiny Desk Concert. Former All Songs Considered host and Tiny Desk Concert co-creator Bob Boilen returned from his recent retirement to welcome The LeeVees and bring them his famous homemade bagels. The band currently holds the record for most food eaten during a Tiny Desk Concert.
6. In 2024, The LeeVees were heavily featured in WTTW’s “A Celebration of Hanukkah” special, including interview, live performance, and archival footage. The program was broadcast to all PBS stations nationwide, and would go on to win an Emmy for “Outstanding Achievement for Informational/Instructional – Long Form Content”.
7. In 2025, The LeeVees celebrated the 20th Anniversary of “Hanukkah Rocks” with a special limited-edition vinyl pressing of the album. The pressing also included “Jewish Stars” (an iTunes exclusive B-side from 2006) and “The Penny” (a brand new, previously unreleased song).
8. It’s 2026, and The LeeVees are still going strong! This year they will bring their “Hanukkah Party for All” to stages in Maine, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.
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.