I love a cappella music. Anyone who saw how excited I was when Rockapella (of Carmen Sandiego fame!) came to perform at my college can attest to this. If you’re not familiar with the concept of a cappella, it’s the art of singing without instrumental accompaniment. Some people stick strictly to singing, while more contemporary groups may have singers provide the sound of instruments with human vocals. Fun fact: a cappella is actually Italian for in the manner of the church. Think about it – some of the oldest a cappella is in the form of songs for religious purposes, like the Gregorian chant.
But, I don’t have a degree in music; I’m just an a cappella aficionado. Rather, I want to introduce you to one of my favorite a cappella groups: The Maccabeats.
First of all, how can you not love that name? This is an all-male a cappella group from Yeshiva University, a private Jewish college in New York. I first heard of these guys back in the spring, a few months after their breakthrough hit Candlelight went viral. On the off chance you haven’t heard Candlelight yet, it’s a parody of the popular song Dynamite, redone to be about the plight of the Maccabees. You can check it out below:
There’s two different sides to this group. They are arguably most well-known for taking popular songs and parodying them by using stories from the Old Testament (from the Catholic point of view). Aside from Candlelight, they’ve done Purim (on the story of Queen Esther) and The Book of Good Life (brand new, and already a favorite of mine). However, their first album is a mix of Hebrew and English songs. I must confess that I don’t understand a word of their Hebrew lyrics, but they are undoubtedly beautiful to listen to. The three English songs included are all covers: Go the Distance from Disney’s Hercules, Daniel Powter’s Bad Day, and Matisyahu’s One Day – very eclectic, but very well done. If you’re interested in just getting to know The Maccabeats, their song The Book of Good Life is currently available for free download (any size donation is suggested).
A cappella has always been a popular style for Christian vocalists. Any favorites out there, either traditional (think Gregorian chant) or contemporary?
4 thoughts on “The Maccabeats”
I am soooo glad you wrote about them! I became obsessed a little over a year ago with them! They actually came to Pittsburgh to perform at the local Jewish Community Center (JCC) where my husband and I worked at the time, but we couldn’t get tickets.
Oh. My. Gosh. I love them!!!! Going to go listen to more now. Thanks for the post, Allie!!
@Kayla Glad to hear that someone else out there has heard of them! That’s too bad you didn’t get to see them in concert – I bet they’re amazing performers live. I’m keeping my eye on their schedule to see if they swing by me so I can try to be the nerdy, clueless Catholic girl in the back. 🙂
@Julie Hope you enjoy! I know I have, as my boyfriend knows all too well when I break into Candlelight on a whim. 🙂
Aaaah!!! True LOVE! 🙂 This is my favorite kind of stuff…I’ll spend hours surfing the net looking for good recordings of acapella groups. Thanks for the tip on a good new group.