Rocking the Boat

by Drew Mackie

ONE CRAZY NIGHT: If the sudden influx of tinsel
and tree flocking into your everyday life doesn’t fill you with the
holiday spirit, you might be interested in the Hanukkah Tour 2006,
which pairs Jews and punk music for a rocking response to the
Christmas season. The Oakland punks of Jewdriver — itself a
response to the skinhead punk band Skrewdriver — advertise
themselves as one of the worst bands in the Bay Area. Jewdriver
will be joined by Yidcore, which is currently on its first-ever
American tour, and its punk covers of Jewish classics like “If I
Were a Rich Man” as well as originals like “Why Won’t Adam Sandler
Let Us Do His Song?” are sure to put you in a Jewish-punk frenzy.
And to close out the show will be New Orleans band The Zydepunks,
which fuse Cajun, Irish, and Jewish sounds like nobody else.
Literally. It all goes down on Sunday, December 17 at Casa de la
Raza at 8 p.m.

SHARP CHEESE: Perhaps most familiar to house
and electronica fans from its broadcasts on XM Radio, Los Angeles’s
Max Cheddar — comprised of Brent Beaudette, Sean Smith, and David
Heil — has climbed up the Southern California club scene. Now, Max
Cheddar is starring at Elevation — Club Couchez’s night of
experimental dance music. Elevation starts on Saturday, December 16
at 9 p.m.