Phish and Avinu Malkenu

I got an email this weekend from my brother Nate about the band Phish. Nate and his wife Sara are big Phish fans. He wanted me to know that Phish plays Avinu Malkenu in concert. For those of you not familiar with Phish, they're a rock jam band in the tradition of the Grateful Dead. They pack stadiums and inspire fans like my brother and sister-in-law to drive all over the place to see their shows.

The story of how a Rosh Hashana prayer became part of regular set-list of one of the most popular bands in the country is exactly the kind that I was talking about last month when I wrote about the 'Jewish fringe' bands The Jewish Legend, A Silver Mt. Zion, and The Silver Jews. The Phish bass player, Mike Gordon, is Jewish and willing to connect his and the band's public identity with Judaism. According to an article written by Jacob Horowitz for JVibe, Gordon grew up in Newton, Mass attending a Conservative synagouge and a Solomon Schechter day school. Later on, he introduces his Phish bandmates to Avinu Malkenu and other Jewish and Hebrew songs. And this introduction was not just because he was fond of the music. According to the JVibe article, Gordon has an "effortless spirituality" and a deep connection with Judaism.

"Music," he explains, "fills many of the holes that religion leaves open. The philosophical feeling behind religion, a religious upbringing, and even the notion of praying to God is very abstract. This transfers directly to my relationship with music. While you cannot necessarily touch music, you can feel it and it is something to believe in." "I've always compared my movements on stage to davening [praying]," he added. "To me, music has always served as that type of religious release."

When I was growing up in the 80's, I was constantly awash with pop music full of Christian imagery and themes. I dealt with it, but always wondered why a popular music so full of Jewish musicians never seemed to slip in some Jewish material. It seems like it's finally happening. About time.

Phish 1999-10-03TMWSIY Avenu Malkenu

By the way, if you want to see some very well meaning, non-Jewish, Phish fans puzzling over Avinu Malkenu, check out this Phish FAQ page. I find it fascinating.