Popular Chassidic rock band, 8th Day, co-founded by brothers Shmuel and Bentzi Marcus, is one of the most sought after music acts these days. The group has now released nine studio albums and they have been top sellers on the Alternative Rock, World Music, Reggae and Jewish Music charts for the last decade.
Yet, the band got a call this year they never expected. The casting directors for Disneyland had been searching for a music group to represent Chanukah during the 2024 holiday season and they felt they had found the right group.
“I thought it was a joke at first,” Bentzi Marcus told COLlive. “We couldn’t believe that they would reach out to us.”
But it was the real deal. After a short audition process, the producers at Disney were excited to welcome 8th Day to their musical performances lineup.
“It was a humbling experience to be representing Chanukah on this scale,” Shmuel Marcus shared. “Most people there had never met a chasidic Jew let alone a chasidic rock band!”
The cast and crew at Disney were extremely welcoming to the band, helping to supply kosher food backstage and scheduling their shows around Friday nights and Shabbat.
8th Day performed their original hits with the grand finale, the Chanukah hit “Miracle of Light.” They also featured their new single “Smile Remix,” a remake of their classic hit from 2011.
“With everything that’s happening in the world, it was the perfect message for us to spread positivity and be ambassadors of light,” Shmuel said.
Adapted from COLlive
