Upcoming Michigan Jewish Music Events

Hi folks...Spring is upon us. My dogwood is flowering, the kids are talking more about camp than school, and bands are touring. It's a great time for Jewish music on the North Coast.

Here are a couple of concerts that I know of coming up in May. If you know of others, let me know!

Kosha Dillz plays Union Station in Traverse City, Detroit, and Mt. Pleasant on May 5, 6, and 7.

Kosha Dillz is a hot Jewish hip-hop musician. His latest album Beverly Dillz, has been described as "uptempo, synthesized introduction to a spiritual fast life of the Hollywood underground via Garden State perspective, sprinkled with a touch of unorthodox "kosher" heritage and culture." For information on his tour stops or about his albums and mixtapes, see his myspace page.

Daniel Kahn plays the Detroit Folk Festival and Craft Fair on May 15th (or 16th?)

Michigan's own Daniel Kahn will be back from Germany to visit family and to play the 1st Annual Detroit Folk Festival and Craft Fair. Kahn plays a wicked Yiddish punk cabaret, evoking the salons pre-war Vienna and Berlin singing about parasitic capitalist bosses and Russian army draftees. I saw him wow a crowd of 400 in the fall and can't wait to see him again. Sorry I don't know which slot in the two day fest he's playing, but check in on the Festival website. They promise more info soon.

Uncle Moishe and the Mitzvah Men will hit the Detroit 'burbs on May 16

Uncle Moishe has been a mainstay of Orthodox children's music for decades, with a whole of series of popular CD's, video's, and concerts around the world. I don't have much info on the concert, but you can get contact info on the Detroit PlanIt Jewish website.

Heartland Klezmorim play the Detroit JCC on May 27

Lansing's own Heartland Klezmorim will be playing at the JCC in West Bloomfield on May 27 at noon. HK plays a loose and brassy klezmer that's always great fun.

The Shonde's hit Ann Arbor's B-Side on May 30.

The Shondes are one of my favorite punk bands, mixing diaspora Jewish and queer identify politics into "a twisted carnival film noir come true." Their riot-grrl growling is driven by typewriter drumming and lifted by a swirling violin, lush, lovely, and barbed. Oh, and they're some of the sweetest folks I've met and I owe Temim a corned beef sandwich and a donut.

The Ann Arbor B-Side is an all ages club. So bring your all-ages to the show. And to get warmed up, grab a copy of their brand new disc.

Update: The Red Sea Pedestrians play pretty much everywhere

I goofed and forgot to include the touring schedule of The Red Sea Pedestrians, Kalamazoo's own klezmer-tinged roots rock band. My bad. The RSP is a family favorite and was in heavy rotation in the car for a month after seeing them live last summer.

"The Red Sea Pedestrians are a one-of-a-kind, full-blown, instrument-swapping fusion between tradition and the here-and-now. We’re talkin’ high-energy world-beat grooves, hypnotic laments from the earth, songs of celebration and wonder: a warped and beautiful blend of Klezmer, Greek, Gypsy, Celtic, Jazz and American Roots, all filtered through the band’s original vision"

Here's their handy-dandy touring schedule widget with all their summer adventures listed. They'll be playing near you at least once. Promise.