The Essential Advent Calendar: December 1 – The Lighthouse And The Whaler Share ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’

It’s that time of year again! Welcome to the Essential Advent Calendar 2022 as we open the first door and find Cleveland rock band, The Lighthouse And The Whaler’ and their take on the classic holiday hymn, ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’.

‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ is available from Friday 2 December and can be streamed and downloaded here.

Speaking on their cover, the band wrote:

“‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ is one of those songs that takes me back to Christmas when I was a kid. Sledding, tons of snow, presents under the tree, it has this instant ability to take me straight back to childhood. So it was the perfect song for us to recreate for the holidays.”

The Lighthouse and the Whaler – photo credit: Nick Demarais

A light and airy acoustic track, ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ is the perfect start to our new Advent Calendar. The song comes with a lyric video that captures the feeling of a traditional, snowy Christmas, one which many of us may well long for.

Founded in 2008 by Michael LoPresti, who was joined by Ryan Walker and Mark Porostosky, The Lighthouse And The Whaler released their 2012 album, ‘This Is An Adventure’ to great acclaim. NPR described them as “an artist on the rise” and their praise continued to mount. The following years saw them touring and releasing their sophomore Long Player, ‘Mount Royal’, from which the single, ‘I Want To Feel Alive’ has gone on to garner more than 10 million streams to date. More touring followed, ahead of their 2017 release, the EP ‘Paths’. 2018 saw them drop the singles, ‘Into The Unknown’, and ‘Future Bling’, while the band continued touring. Their recent 2020 releases included singles ‘Brothers’ and ‘California Sun’, leading into a new EP, ‘Brothers (B-Sides)’, and a full-length LP entitled ‘Talk’ (released autumn 2021). The band has continued to spearhead new sounds and styles throughout 2022, with more music on the way in 2023.

The Lighthouse And The Whaler continues to add to their already impressive list of syncs with placements in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘American Idol’, and the worldwide trailer for Disney’s ‘Christopher Robin’. They have gone on multiple US headlining tours, including sold-out shows at The Echo, Schubas, Mercury Lounge, and Beachland Ballroom. They have shared the stage with artists such as Ra Ra Riot, The Temper Trap, Jukebox The Ghost, and more.

Michael LoPresti says, 

“This is The Lighthouse And The Whaler that we always wanted it to be. There’s something there for you in the songs. There’s something you can find for yourself, no matter where you are in life, it came from a place where we were finding that for ourselves as well. We tried to make every single moment worth the listen, so that people will want to go on that journey again.”

Watch the lyric video for ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ below. You can find out more about The Lighthouse And The Whaler and their music online on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and their official website.

The Lighthouse And The Whaler - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Official Lyric Video)

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com