I love it when bands send me discs, though it takes me way too long to get the review written. Levitikus, a new Jewish rock band in the mold of Blue Fringe and 8th Day, sent me their disc a couple of months ago. I noted it in my 'upcoming releases' posts, but still haven't really written a review. Not sure why. Possibly, and I mean this constructively, they sound like a lot of new bands. I like their sound (though I don't think it's quite as ground breaking as they do.) The guys can handle their instruments (though the vocals tend to go a big flat). I like their compositions (but they're a bit mono-dimensional). All in all, the album was cool but never made it into heavy rotation. I do think, though, that there's a good core there that could turn into something really interesting given a little time. I was delighted to see that they've finally gotten out and played live. And at no less a venue than the venerable Knitting Factory. Great job, guys.
Levitikus - Mah Rabu - Live at The Knitting Factory
"Levitikus sees itself as much more than just a band rocking away. Through the direction of Avi Fried and Moshe Gottlieb, Levitikus has decided to break through the fences and form a Jewish-American rock band that bases its music on classic and modern rock while still maintaining a Jewish identity. With a less subtle and a more open attitude about issues in today's Jewish community, Levitikus sings about topics of relevance that most of us can relate to in one way or another."
I'm a Conservative Jew living in a Christian farm town in Michigan, USA. For me, Jewish music used to be Adon Olam, Hava Nagila, and Fiddler on the Roof. I started getting a clue a few years ago. Jewish music is Klezmer dances, Sephardic ballads and Chassidic niggun. It's thousand year old hymns, three hundred year old Shabbat table songs and 60 year old partisan resistance songs. It's contemporary hip-hop, punk rock, electronica, jazz, and chamber music. In addition to loving its musical and spiritual qualities, Jewish music helps me connect my family with a much broader and diverse Jewish culture than is available locally. The Teruah blog helps me document my exploration and share it with others. Why the name Teruah? Teruah is a call on the shofar on Rosh Hashanna.
Hear me interviewed on the Israel National Radio show "The Beat with Ben Bresky" Please email me about your band, event, album, blog, podcast, research or favorite Jewish music obsession. I'd love to hear it or about it.
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