Saturday, March 3, 2012

We are all Constellations. The latest from Mikey Pauker

Earlier this week I blogged about NuRootz musician Alison Westerman. Today I've got the latest video from her fellow NuRootz collective musician Mikey Pauker. I got a chance to see Pauker perform at the URJ Biennial and was impressed. He's part of a really select club of people that includes Matisyahu, Y-love, the Moshav band that are equally comfortable in religious Jewish settings and in very secular rock club settings and doesn't change his set list much between the two.

Here's his latest video, Constellations. It's not one of his more explicitly Jewish pieces, but I dig it.

Pauker's a California guy, but is current living and attending a Yeshiva in Nahalot, Israel and soaking it all in. Here's an excerpt from his blog
"I have fully immersed myself in a super natural, complex, beautiful, mystical culture filled with life!!! I have been living in Nahloat which is a Silverlake/East Village/ Mission District type of community in Jerusalem. The people here are artists/hippies the create sort from all over the world. This is a spiritual community right across from the Shuk which is an open market similar to what you see in movies where people bargain for fresh produce, like in the Disney classic Aladin. Every day I eat fresh barakas, produce, and drink fresh juice. I am still keeping up with my daily yoga and meditation. During the week days I wake up early head to the yeshiva to study Tania. From Tania, I walk over to the Mikveh, (a spiritual bath house), where I cleanse my soul and physical body. From there I walk up stairs where I pray and wrap tefilin on my body. Every morning I pray during the entire Shachrit morning service and then I continue with Shemona Esrei. On the days they have torah service I am finally able to follow along with the hebrew text without using any vowels. I am able to understand the prayers and the intentions behind all of them. Every morning I am able to get VERY present with the universe through morning prayer and I am falling in love with this practice."
Wish I was there buddy. Seriously.

To get more info on Pauker's recordings, tours, and his spiritual adventures in Israel, check out his website.

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