The Teapacks - Israeli Afrobeat Jewish Punk

I've been feeling a bit stodgy lately. I've been blogging about a lot of great Jewish music, but a lot of it has been serious, or at least, meaningful stuff. I've had a long week and serious stuff is not what I need right now. I need to get back to basics (my basics, at any rate). I need some music that's big, crazy, cranky, and full of life.

(My 3 year old daughter just ran through the room singing "This is not what I want, this is NOT WHAT I PLAN" from High School Musical 2 at the top of her lungs. That qualifies too. Sort of.)

Fortunately, the Teapacks fit the bill. These guys bump, shuffle, and squawk with the best of them. They remind me of when I used to go to shows all the time and would slam, pogo, and otherwise do off-kilter punk boy dances to ska bands up from New York or Washington DC. Ska bands at a punk club were a beautiful thing. We all had an evening off from glowering (musically) at and slamming in to each other. This was our fun music.

And the Teapacks have got it down. They've got the grooves and attitude, the beat and they lyrics. Listen to the lead singer Kobi Oz ranting about leaders going to push the button (see below). It's as topical today as it was 20 years ago, though the leaders are different and the button is different. And ranting about it on stage with a good band at your back is still great street theater. C'mon everyone, maybe we won't change the world (we're not hippies, y'know) but at least we can look the world in its crummy grimey face. bump bump cue the horns.

Teapacks - "Push The Button" (Israel 2007)

I love the fact that Teapacks were Israel's entry to the Eurovision last year. What a great antidote to the insipid pop that usually floods the contest. You can find out more about the Teapacks at their myspace page and their website.

Hat tip to YouTube user EurovisionAndMore for posting the video. This video was just what I needed today.