Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin wrap up this year’s Hanukkah Sessions with a Kiss cover
The series also includes covers of songs by The Clash, Amy Winehouse, Lisa Loeb, the Ramones, and more
Music Features Dave Grohl![Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin wrap up this year’s Hanukkah Sessions with a Kiss cover](https://img.pastemagazine.com/wp-content/avuploads/2021/12/15021110/c5674ea2d254611b24dc97280ca399e0.png)
Last year saw the always–busy Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters’ producer Greg Kurstin wrap up a horrible 2020 by giving the world a series of presents with their Hanukkah Sessions project. For eight days, Grohl and Kurstin celebrated the holidays by covering Jewish musicians, from Beastie Boys and The Velvet Underground to Elastica and Drake. Not content with the work they accomplished back then, the duo has returned for a 2021 edition that concluded last night with a two-person performance of Kiss’s “Rock And Roll All Nite.”
Grohl, in full Demon make-up and glasses, handles vocals as the pair play in a studio draped with tinsel and presented through a grainy filter. Between shots of the performance, Kurstin and Grohl read books, vacuum, take a drive to go buy Slurpees, and do yoga in their face paint, ending the video with Grohl saying he’s sad that they’re done for the year.
Before they got to this point, the pair covered The Clash’s “Train In Vain (Stand By Me,” ripped kazoo solos for Billy Joel’s “Big Shot,” broke out a keytar for Van Halen’s “Jump,” worked some “oy!”s into the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” had Grohl’s daughter Violet sing the lead on Amy Winehouse’s “Take The Box,” put some death metal growls and double kicks on Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You),” and, in our personal favorite, got properly glitzed up for a rendition of Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana.”
In the Kiss video’s description, Grohl writes that while this year’s Sessions are “gonna be tough to beat,” he and Kurstin will be back next year to outdo themselves somehow. He leaves us with the invitation to “rock and roll all nite and party everyday until next Hanukkah” and a parting “L’Chaim!!!!!”
With this done, perhaps Grohl can actually chill out for a few weeks before returning for another year of taking on so, so many projects.
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13 Comments
Do you think if Kurt had made it we’d’ve been spared this nonsense?
But we’d have to endure the Kurt and Courtney Family Variety Hour: Featuring ¡Charo!
I had to look up if Charo is still alive.
And???
She is.
She literally has more talent in her left pinkie than you do in your whole body and would have as much business hanging around a theoretical Kurt Cobain as any skilled musician. The only argument against it would be some high-school idea of coolness being more important than talent. Edited to add: sorry Big Salad. I thought the “and” was pointing at my noting that Charo is a real musician who deserves respect. Also, while I’m editing my comment I’ll add that I’d much rather see a Kurt Cobain family hour instead of, you know, the tortured cool guy who eventually killed himself.
I knew because she was on that Pee-Wee Herman radio show just last week.
Charo is an amazing guitarist. What are you even talking about?
I know, she got lessons from Segovia! And she was also a staple on variety shows.
Nah, would have just taken longer. Dave was going to go goofball at some point.
Johnny Cash was Jewish?
IRL Gene Simmons is an actual dick.True story.
I preferred last years where they did straight covers. They got too goofy this year.