Crossroads: Matisyahu in Detroit

There is no doubt that, as the lead off song for his new album and last nights concert suggests, Matisyahu is at a crossroads. He's shed the visible trappings of Chassidus and Orthodoxy, losing a lot of fans in those communities in the process.  He's also continuing to make some of the most soulful, spiritual, and without a doubt Jewish, pop music made in the US in decades, bringing in new fans with each album and tour. His concert in Detroit last night, to an adoring packed house at Detorit's Fillmore Theater, showcased many of the challenges he's facing at this point in his career.

Four years ago, also at the Fillmore, I attended my first Matis concert. The audience was about half full and was one of the most diverse crowds I'd ever seen. They were in jeans and t-shirts, in black hats or modest skirts, over 60, and under 10. Some clearly, visibly Jewish. Many not so clearly or not at all.  The two years that followed were much the same. Though the shows moved to the sauna-hot St. Andrews around the corner, the crowds were mixed and enthusiastic. Each year the crowds were a bit bigger and a bit more enthusiastic. This year, Matis' first Detroit appearance since shaving his beard, the concert was back at the Fillmore. The hall was packed and crowd was far less mixed. I still saw some kids, but didn't see a single black hat or visible yarmulke.

So did he sell out to bring in more fans, as some have charged? Is he continuing on his own religious exploration as he claims? I went to the show, having spent the last week listening to his new album Spark Seeker, hoping to find out. How would this album and show compare? Would this be the same Matisyahu, who's music has meant so much to so many?

My answer is mostly yes, though also no in a surprising way. First the yes. Sitting up in the mezzanine (if you look carefully at the fantastic stage diving picture above, you can see my wife's elbows all akimbo holding binoculars right above Matis' right knee), I closed my eyes and attempted, as Matis has suggested, to "dream awake." And he makes it easy. His rich voice and his uplifting image-laden lyrics were warm and familiar. His new songs blended well with his old favorites (fans will always argue if the new album is as good as the last. I say it doesn't have a single as catchy as One Day or Miracle and doesn't have any tracks that have grabbed me like the amazing Shattered ep from two years go, but it's pretty darn good).  He still called for Moshiach Now! in King without a Crown. He still exhorted me to be better, still pushed me love God, man, and myself better, and still gave me a room filled with people with whom to sing. So yes. Matisyahu is still Matisyahu, visible Jewish beard and jacket aside.

But there was one unexpected no. There was something that Matisyahu's beard and jacket gave him that he lacked last night and that's gravitas. Strictly from a theatric performance point of view, Matis' Chassidic garb set him apart from his audience and peers in a manner that suggested age, wisdom, and authority. It's arguable that this association was misplaced, a jacket and a beard do not earn the wearer any of those attributes nor do all those of age, wisdom, and authority look like a Chassidic Rebbe. But the association was real. And seeing Matis on bouncing around stage in a white t-shirt, jean jacket, stylish hair and sunglasses lessened that gravitas in a real way. With my eyes closed, I dreamed awake. With them open, I was at a very good rock concert.

So to those who now dismiss Matis as having sold out or, perversely view his previous persona as merely a shtick, you're deeply wrong and need to get over your own preconceptions. But as wonderful as last nights show was, for me there was something a bit less about it.  Maybe I need to get over my preconceptions too. Or maybe Matis, having reached this crossroad needs to find a new path where he can be true to himself but retain the gravitas that his vision and music demands.

Matisyahu - Crossroads (feat. J. Ralph)

Update: John Wofford, writing for New Voices, the National Jewish Student Magazine, reviewed Matisyahu's Aug 4, Grand Rapids, Michigan concert.  I think John and I mostly agree, though he didn't have the same feeling of loss of gravitas that I did. 

Eden and Prodezra Beats rock Chanukah

Last Friday, the Shades of Grey blog put up a nice post about the Brookly based Jewish rock trio Eden. I was going to post the Eden track "Yigdal" that SoG put up, but you can check it out here.

Instead I'm going put up my first Chanukah video of the season. It's only a few weeks away now. The video's got Eden backing the Savannah Georgia rapper Prodezra Beats at the Square 2010 festival in Charleston, SC last year. I dig Prodezra and it's great to see him backed by a live band. I love the classic heavy heavy bass guitar and the stratospheric guitar behind the rap. Would love to see them live.

Hinei Ma Tov/Come Clean with Prodezra



Proderzra Beats and Eden both have new tracks out. (well, new for me) I love Prodezra's production skills more than his rhymes but Connection Revealed is solid and worth checking out. I particularly dig "Wake Up, Rise."

Eden 's "Knock at the Door" came out last year, though it's not clear how to buy it. You can check out the tracks on myspace.

Prodezra Beat's "Proud To Be"

Prodezra Beats is best know for doing the production work on Y-Love and Describe's "Change" video. He dropped a new track "Proud to Be" recently. Good stuff. I wasn't keen on his first solo outing but this is definitely on the right track.

Proud To Be



Even better than Proud to Be, though, is the track Shofar Calling that he did for the ever awesome G-dcast website last year. I missed it when it came out so here it is...

Shofar Callin': The Rosh Hashanah Song

Love the detail in the lyrics and the shofar break. Get more info on Prodezra and his new album at Shemspeed.

Y-Love's "This is Unity"

My last post was Y-Love's great political anthem "For My People!" And I haven't posted a thing since. I've been through a couple of grueling weeks of writing research grant proposals. Three of them. At the same time. yeesh. It's fitting then, that now as I sit down to get back to blogging I've got an email from Shemspeed with Y-Love's latest...This Is Unity, from his new EP "See Me."

Y-LOVE "THIS IS UNITY" (Official Music Video)

"The “This is Unity” campaign highlights one of humanity’s most elusive concepts: Unity. As a result of extremisms and borders of class, race, religion and lifestyle, people have divided themselves into an ever-growing number of categories with which to separate from and label one another. In those categories themselves, we as humans often stereotype and stigmatize those who do not resemble the rest of the category.

“This is Unity” is an holistic, anti-bigotry campaign designed to highlight and celebrate diversity. From the music-video featuring Y-Love which highlights Jewish diversity, we hope to encourage a strengthening of Jewish unity and Jewish peoplehood worldwide. Through workshops and projects that bring together artists from different backgrounds to perform in front of varied and mixed audiences, Shemspeed makes its contribution to building bridges between peoples in the hope of encouraging shared experience, constructive dialogue and some impetus for the resolution of some of the world’s most pressing disputes.

Standing up for what is right in the face of what is wrong with the world — through love and unity. This is unity, and this is how we at Shemspeed, Be’Chol Lashon & Nu Campaign do it."

I dig the music and the message. The bounciness reminds me of Y-love's early Modular Mood tracks a lot more than his grittier Babylon tracks. I also dig the contrast between For the People, angry punk hip-hop fist-pumper of a protest song and This is Unity, a positive, inclusive jump-up. Great stuff, Yitz. Keep it coming.

By the way, for a way funnier take on Jewish racial and ethnic unity, check out Manishtah's classic vid "JOC Slapping."

For My People!

A couple of weeks ago I brought out Ylove and Diwon to play the Detroit JCC Stephen Gottlieb Music Festival and they put on an amazing show. I've been fans of theirs, and the rest of the Shemspeed crew, for ages and they keep getting better and better. While they were out here Diwon played me a bunch of tracks from Ylove's upcoming EP and Ylove played me his new, as then unreleased, video. Both were fantastic. And now they're starting to pop.

Ylove's "For My People!" is a powerful hip-hop protest anthem. This is pop music at its best folks... both catchy and lyrically deep. Ylove's got a vision and a voice and this one's got to be heard. If this one doesn't own the airwaves and downloads, there's something wrong with this country. Oh yeah, there is. Right. Almost forgot.

FOR MY PEOPLE from kasumi on Vimeo.

Here's the official release blurb....

Y-LOVE comes together with Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Kasumi, the revolutionary video artist, on "For My People", the politically charged protest anthem! Watch for their full-frontal social consciousness on their EP scheduled for release in 2012.

Recently awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, Kasumi is a media artist uniquely blending film and live-performance into dynamic videoart. Known internationally for her innovative work, she employs an arsenal of powerful digital technology to weave vibrant visuals and powerful audio into experiences with poignant cultural-political meaning. Kasumi’s richly expressive and compelling compositions have appeared at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Württembergischen Kunstverein Stuttgart and the Chroma Festival de Arte Audiovisual.

With a passion for collaboration, she has created distinctive media art for a myriad projects and performed alongside the likes of Grandmaster Flash, DJ Spooky, Modeselektor, and the New York Philharmonic. Her newest work, BREAKDOWN, premiered at Carnegie Hall in concert with the American Composers Orchestra. Her video “BREAKDOWN, The Remix” was named the 2010 Vimeo Awards Remix Winner.

Y-LOVE is currently gearing up for the release of "See Me", his pop and club-friendly EP, on May 17th, and is currently on tour promoting his new single, "The Takeover" featuring TJ Di Hitmaker.

FYI...Shemspeed put The Takeover up for free download recently. Go grab it.

One other note...this is a Jewish music blog, right? So I should point out that I love what Ylove is doing in the track. It's not nearly as explicitly about Jewish topics as some of his tracks, but you've got to love a refrain like "for my people...from the shul to the street." I've got visions of pissed of people marching down the street chanting that one. Teruah likes.

B-Mor7 and the Jewish Problem

Here's a great hip-hop track I found recently on bandcamp. The track is "The Jewish Problem" by the up and coming, Rhode Island based, hip-hop artist B-Mor7. While B-Mor7s tracks take on a range of subjects, The Jewish Problem is front and center personal response to the Shoah. While there's no shortage of Holocause related rock, pop, and hip-hop tracks, there's a sense of raw personal impact in the lyrics and delivery that jumps it up to front rank. Check it out...

B-Mor7 - The Jewish Problem


B-Mor7's pretty new and doesn't have a lot of interview or bio material out there, so I caught up with her via email to get sense of where she's coming from and where she's going.

Teruah: So...are you from Rhode Island originally? (FYI I'm from CT and used to go Providence for shows all the time. Mostly to punk shows at club called The Living Room, which probably isn't there anymore.)

B-Mor7: I’m from RI, I grew up in Edgewood (Cranston) and now I reside in Pawtucket. But I’ve spent most of my life in Providence (Divine Guidance) volunteering, working, performing and just hanging out.

Teruah: You mentioned (in an earlier email) that you play jazz and blues too, but the Magma Music v2 bandcamp tracks are all hip hop. Is hip-hop your main focus right now? On the bandcamp tracks are you mainly doing the rap or are you producing the tracks too?

B-Mor7: Yes, Hip Hop and Spoken Word Poetry. Everyone thinks I make beats but it’s actually the one thing I don’t do. I like to get tracks from a lot of different producers, some local and some international. I produce the album in terms of the lyrics, concepts, samples, guest appearances; but don’t actually create the beats themselves.

Teruah: Are you gigging at all? What kind of shows are doing? I saw your poetry on your website, are you doing any poetry slams? I used to do lot of them in CT.

B-Mor7: I was doing a some poetry slams but I’m not really into that right now because there isn’t a venue. I perform a lot of spoken word at different events though, mostly on college campuses or as intros to my Hip Hip performances. As for gigging I had a cd release party recently where I performed 2 sets and shared a venue with Chachi and his band Afrika Rainbow. They were amazing! Most of my shows are in the Providence/Pawtucket area but I’m branching out now into Boston as well. I’ll be opening for an amazing 9 piece female percussion band called Zili this week; they perform all over Boston on a regular basis. I’ve also collaborated with a lot of artists down south, in the Midwest and California. I hope to do more shows out there at some point.

Teruah: On the Magma Music 2, Jewish Problem was the only one that seems specifically Jewish themed. Is that right?

B-Mor7: Yes, actually on Magma Musik 1 I have a song called Evil Never Dies where I say a couple of lines in Hebrew but other than that I don’t have other Jewish themed music. The reason is complicated.

Teruah: How did you come to write The Jewish Problem? Are you Jewish yourself?

B-Mor7: I am half Jewish. Well, on my mom’s side so according to Jewish law I’m fully Jewish but my dad is not and I wasn’t raised Jewish. I visited my Bubby and Zady in Baltimore as a kid but I was not raised religious or celebrating most of the holidays. The main thing I remember is celebrating Hanukkah with my mom and singing the song in Hebrew; she was surprised I always remembered it year to year. The other thing I remember was very painful for me, which is why it took me so long to write the Jewish Problem song. When I was about 13 my mom told me that her relatives during the Holocaust were taken (the entire village) into a synagogue and burned alive. The only reason why I am here today is because her grandmother as a teenager had a lot of determination to come to America. Somehow she made it here and escaped the fate of her family. This touched me very deeply and caused me to hold a lot of pain inside. I couldn’t deal with it right away. It took me years to even face it and several more years to address it through writing which is usually how I deal with my feelings and express myself.

Teruah: How do you connect with being Jewish?

B-Mor7: As I got older I wanted to know more about my Jewish heritage and I began to look into it on my own. I found out about a workshop at a Jewish organization that combined painting with the sefirah (tree of life). This intrigued me and I started to look into Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism. I also linked up with some students from Brown University at the Hillel house where we embarked on an esoteric practice of Counting the Omer, 49 Days of Self-Refinement. In the midst of this I was reading more about the Holocaust and about my specific situation to get information about my history. This all culminated in the writing of the Jewish Problem, a song I was working out in my head for years and then finally got it down on paper and onto audio. It’s a powerful track that includes information on my background but also what Jews have faced.

Teruah: Any other aspects of your background that are important to your identity?

B-Mor7: Yes, Hip Hop culture runs through my being; within this I’ve incorporated African and African-American history and culture into everything I do. In fact, it’s what I currently teach at Rhode Island College. I am also extremely involved in Asian philosophy and culture. This includes becoming a yoga teacher and studying Sanskit, Hinduism, Buddhism and Vedanta. I also grew up with Lao and Cambodian people and recently traveled to Laos so I’ve studied the language and culture there as well. I’m also interested in “Latin” America and the Caribbean and I’m trying to learn Spanish. I even rap in Spanish sometimes and I’m trying to do more of this. One group (made up of many nations) that is typically marginalized are the “Native Americans”. I have many friends from different indigenous communities and I’m involved in Pow-Wow’s (Native gatherings) where there is a lot of drumming. Connecting with all of these rich cultures, histories and struggles have made me into the strong person I am today and have influenced my music tremendously. Although there are differences there is something spiritual that unites oppressed peoples. I find this connection through music. One of my goals is to create a fusion Hip Hop cd that combines my lyrics with different genres of traditional and indigenous music. I’ve already experimented with this with Middle Eastern, Cambodian and Indian music. I can’t wait to start recording! I’m probably going to do some punk/hip hop blends as well with live bands.

Teruah: Sounds great. Reminds me a lot of Ylove. I'll have to introduce you. How did your crew and audience respond Jewish Problem? Do you find they relate to it? (I'm guessing that they’re mostly not Jewish, is that right?)

B-Mor7: I’ve had this song for a few years but it was just released recently so not too many people have heard it. The ones who have are amazed by it and think it is awesome. They also say people aren’t ready to hear it yet…I don’t know if I’m ready to perform it. I read it once for a group I used to work with and it was very emotional for me to do that.

Teruah: Your song is very much its own, but it covers similar ground to Remedy's Never Again. Are you familiar with it?

B-Mor7: No, but I’d love to check it out.

Teruah: There's something about hip-hop (as well as punk, which is more my music) that’s great for music about defiance

B-Mor7: Yes!

Teruah: Both your and Remedy's raps really show a raw nerve. The Shoah was three generations ago. Lots of American Jews think of it as ancient history. How come it's so raw for you? (Let's be clear...I applaud you for it. Just asking.)

B-Mor7: That’s a good question. Several reasons. For one thing, 3 generations ago is not ancient history. Especially when it translates as me not being able to know my ancestors as well. Most people I know have large families. I don’t. This made me feel disconnected from my family, and my past. You also mentioned defiance. I’ve always been curious about the persistent defiance, rebellion and revolt of oppressed peoples throughout the world because these are the stories that exist but are usually ignored or pushed under the rug when history is taught and they are so important to our quest for humanity. When I started to record the Jewish Problem I stumbled across a trailer for the movie Defiance (a film about Jews who fled into the woods and fought off the Nazis) and the synchronized was perfect. I couldn’t wait for the movie to come out (a year later) but it gave me even more inspiration, information and ideas for my song. I even sampled a couple of lines from the trailer to place in my song for dramatic effect. As for hip-hop and punk music, in its purest form it is very defiant by nature. I definitely exude this essence in my music, lyrics and stage performance. It even shows in my studio name “Outlaw Culture”.

For more info check out B-Mor7's website and bandcamp site.

Rinat Gutman: Orthodox Woman with a Voice

There's a minor kerfluffle brewing on the Jew music scene lately. Jewish musician Naomi Less has called out the Jewlicious festival for not featuring enough women artists in her blog Jewish Chicks Rock. She basically called the progressive festival an Orthodox front. She got a response today from David Abitbol, aka Jewlicous, politely telling her she's got it all wrong. I'm not sure what to think. From my experience working on the Detroit JCC's Stephen Gottlieb Music Fest there are some many different voices, opportunities, and constraints involved in getting a festival staged it's amazing they happen at all. It may be that the subtle constraints that come from the individual tastes of the Jewlicious Fest presenters are leading to this outcome? Or maybe Less is just making noise about nothing?

One nice thing about Abitbol's response was the list of female performers that have been featured at the Jewlicious festivals recently. I'm familiar with most of them, but there are some new (to me) names I'll have to track down and some names that I've heard of but haven't featured lately or ever.

One that list is Israeli rapper, Rinat Gutman. According to this great interview in the Yeshiva University Observer, Gutman comes from a Charedi Zionist background with some ties to Breslov and Chabad. Gutman performs some women-only shows within the Orthodox community, but lots of shows for mixed secular crowds (such as the Jewlicious festival), too.

"In my rap I speak about things that come from inside, about thoughts and insights that come to me in response to things that happen to me in life. At this point in my life, the central message that I am trying to convey is about the western culture, which dominates everything. I talk a lot about the ramifications of this on our lives, and in my opinion, the implications for the approaching time periods are destructive.

For example, in my song Shekel v'Chetzi [shekel-and-a-half] I talk about our lives using the metaphor of a shekel v'chetzi store [dollar store]. In my eyes, this is the ultimate representation of western culture - the concept of instant gratification. You can find things almost for free, but you pass up on quality along the way. So I mention in my song all types of things that you can "buy" in this type of store, such as love, a professional degree, friends, etc.

I want to make a difference in the world of Jewish music because, in my opinion, it can still develop more. I want to take commonplace topics and make them humorous and lighthearted. For example, I have a Chassidic short story in a rap that talks about shidduchim in a funny and unusual way - it's about a groom who's too short and bride who's too tall, etc..

Good stuff, too, from what I've heard. I haven't seen her yet, but hope to. Get more info from Gutman's MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

Rinat Gutman - Chassidishe Tale Live at Rashimu

Rinat Gutman: Ooga Ooga Ooga Live ft. Ben Yomen רינת גוטמן- עוגה,עוגה

Yiddish Lazerbass

Math Rosen is a Montreal musician who plays, among other things, lazer bass. Lazer bass isn't an instrument, it's a varient of hip-hop that's heavy on bass and futuristic in tone. The genre name was coined by New Yorker blogger Sasha Frere-Jones. She was specifically describing a mix by Montreal DJ collective Megasoid and more broadly a group of musicians "bounded on the left side by the dyad of Los Angeles and San Francisco, sliced in half by Montreal, and ends on the right side in Glasgow, Scotland."

I don't have much info on Math Rosen other than that he's a Montreal DJ. I've got no idea why he thought to do a Yiddish Lazerbass, but I dig it. I also got no idea what that light/button table is that he's fiddling with. I'm assuming it's a control device for some kind of sequencer, but it's a new one on me. I shot him an email last night and will let y'all know if he get's back to me. Update: My buddy Hasidic Musician from Blog in Dm set me straight (as he often does). It's a monome 128, "a reconfigurable grid of sixty-four backlit buttons" tied to a sequencer app. Gorgeous.

Yiddish Lazerbass from Math Rosen on Vimeo.

Hat tip to the @yiddishkayt twitter feed & website for pointing me to Rosen. "Yiddishkayt strives to ensure the survival of the endangered thousand-year legacy of Yiddish language, culture and history."

Hanukkah Day 6: The Asthmatix...Latkes From Australia

Hanukkah Day 6 comes straight from Australia, courtesy David Brook. I've written about Brook's music adventures before...he and J. Harkham were the pair that put out the Darkcho album, easily one of my favorite Jewish recordings of 2010. This time he sent me the video for the first single from the new band The Asthmatix. It's not clear if Brook is playing on the recording, but I'm guessing he is. And he's not. He's friends with the band and produced the video.

The Asthmatix...Latkes

I really dig this video. It follows nicely after the klezmer meets hip-hop / house bands including Canada's Socalled, Germany's Jewdyssee, and England's Ghettoplotz. I'd love to see these folks spend some time at KlezKamp and improve their klezmer chops. Not quite in Socalled's league yet, but good stuff.

UPDATE 1: I just found another Asthamatix video, VaHAEnu. The video itself isn't as snappy as Brook's video for Latkes and it lacks the clever socalled-esque use of vintage narration cuts, but the violin and turntable are showcased much more effectively. My estimation of the violinist and the DJ jumped up a notch or two. Great stuff.

UPDATE 2: Brooks sent me the band's blurb (I love blurbs).

The Asthmatix have been blending the art of klezmer, hip-hop, middle eastern melodies and traditional turntablism since 2007. Taking to the stage with violin, keyboards, and turntables they have played Sydney venues including the 505, Name This Bar, Opera Bar and festivals including Shir Madness at the Bondi Pavillion. Band members include Mickey Morphingaz(Beats), Daniel Weltlinger (Violin), Dan Pliner (Keyboard), and Asparagus Mlynsky (Turntables) who will release their highly anticipated single, Latkes, in December, just in time for the Jewish festival.

UPDATE 3: You can get your own copy of the track from iTunes, or for the price of your email address at their website.

I can hear the shofar calling: Prodezra Beats Rosh Hashanah G-dCast

Proderza Beats, aka L'Shem Shamayim, offers up a hip-hop take on the Rosh Hashanna Torah reading.




Prodezra Beats has a new EP and videos out. Good stuff. Check it out.

G-dcast is a ongoing project to develop new online media to improve Jewish literacy. They are typically animated interpretations of the weeks's parsha. They're always interesting and often wonderful.

Nina Stiller - Polish Jewish club & hip hop

Ilan Rosenberg, host of the Jaffa Jive radio show on Ann Arbor's WCBN, just forwarded me two great Polish Jewish music recommendations. The first, the Bester Quartet (nee' the Crackow Klezmer Band,) I know, love, and have written about before. The second, Nina Stiller, I'd never heard of. Thanks Ilan!

Stiller's wild, singing Yiddish with a smoky voice over varying styles of club music. I haven't got any background info on Stiller other than this four year old product description on Amazon.com.

Stiller Comes from Poland Where She is a Singer, Actress, Dancer and Script Writer. For this Album, She Enlisted the Help of Leading Polish Producers Magiera and Agim Dzeljilji, Both Well Known on the Warsaw Independent Theatre and Hip-hop Scenes. Together They have Forged a Thoroughly Modern Sound that Fuses Traditional Jewish Songs with Contemporary Club and Hip-hop Sounds, Updating them Like You've Never Heard Before...yet Still Respecting their Awesome Traditional Past! the Result is a Sophisticated Blend that Will Satisfy Even the Most Fastidious of Listeners. The Disc is Enhanced with Three Videos of the Songs "Mayn Shtetele Belz", "Rivke", "Tshiri Bim".

I'll see if I can track down any more info. While I do...check this out.

RIVKE - BY NINA STILLER

DeScribe and Remedy raising funds for "My Keffiyeh"

Folks, recently I pointed you all to the kickstarter page raising money for a documentary on Punk Jews (which I'm proud to say has reached it's $10,000 goal!). Today I want you to know about Jewish hip hop artists DeScribe and Remedy's fund raising for their "My Keffiyeh" project. Here's their pitch...

In text...

"Shemspeed’s Israeli Keffiyeh is steadily gaining attention in the world of fashion, and in the process, spreading awareness of Jewish pride, respect, and cross-cultural unity. DeScribe, one of Shemspeed’s hip hop and reggae stars, has joined with Remedy,Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, to take this project to the next level through their new single, “My Keffiyeh,” and its accompanying music video. This dynamic music video will bring the Israeli Keffiyeh project into the public arena, as it airs on MTV, Fuse, and other cable channels. Not only will “My Keffiyeh” raise awareness of the Shemspeed Keffiyah project, it will also create global awareness of Jewish cultural pride, and showcase the diversity that exists in our community. At this point, all the technical pieces are in place, but we need your support to help make the project happen! Take part in this historic event by making a pledge today."

and video...

"My Keffiyeh" Music Video Promo (DeScribe & Remedy) from Shemspeed TV on Vimeo.

Now that they've made their pitch and you've decided what you think, I'm going to say that I don't get it. While I'm very pro-Israel, I'm frustrated enough about the Israeli governments actions that this appropriation of an Arab (and particularly Palestinian) garment seems clearly political, jingoistic, and tacky. I'm particularly uncomfortable with DeScribe and Remedy's usage of it as an element of Jewish pride. We have plenty, ranging from the Torah itself to the Magen David to a good bagel. We have no need of this.

But make your own decision. Support it if you like, and by all means tell me why I'm wrong if you disagree.

Jewish Music Fest Shoutouts, Chicago, SF, Toronto, Atlanta, Washington DC

My own adventures with the Detroit JCC Stephen Gottlieb Jewish Music fest aside, there are a number of Jewish music fests going on this summer that are worth pointing out. This is just a quick list, not an exhaustive one. If I'd don't mention one in the area you live in, check my left-side panel for a larger list of annual fests. If you're in Europe..check Ruth Ellen Gruber's extensive list of European Jewish Music Festivals.


Chicago Jewish Festival. Next Sunday, June 13, is the Chicago Jewish Festival. It runs from from 11 to 5ish, with 4 concurrent stages as well as food, art, and local organizations. I think the music is free, but am not sure. And I get to go! If you see me say howdy! I'll be live tweeting the show. This year artists will include my buddies StereoSinai as well as

"Tzioni ‘R' Us/Weiner Experience, Moshe Skier Band, The Ruby Harris Band, David Broza, Kol Sasson, Rabbi Joe Black, Listen Up! A Capella, Community Sing, David Broza, Jazmer, Barbara Silverman, Lafayette Klezmorim, Tarkay, Tracy Friend, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, Guy Mendilow, Shakshuka, Saul Kaye, Cantor Jeff Klepper, Tumbalalaika, Guy Mendilow, Kol Tikva, Lynn Hazan, Caryn Bark, Shining Lights, Jeff and Janis, Anna and Catherine Kazyansky, Mamaloshn Yiddush Song Group, Ed Holstein, Marilyn Price, Steve Justman, Shelechet Aviv Israeli Dance Troupe, Ballet Entre Nous, Aaron Freeman, Jessica Honor Carleton, Solomon Schecter Choir, Junior Klezmer Band, Guy Mendilow Band, Judy & David, Jessica Honor Carleton, Joel Frankel, Judy & David, Marilyn Price, Jewish Jammers, and Comedy Ventriloquist Chuck Field."

And rumor has it that Patrick A of Can Can and Punk Torah will be in town for festival as well, though not performing.

Whew. Looking at a list like this is humbling. As much as I think I know the list touring Jewish musicians, looking at the line of summer Jewish music fests makes me realize how much more action there is out there than I can track. Great fun.

San Francisco Jewish Music Festival. July 11. This year is the SF Music Fests 25th year. They had a big showcase in March and will be having another one in July.

"Artists include Eprhyme, Glenn Hartman and the Klezmer Playboys, Peter Jacques, Elana Jagoda, Kugelplex, Ira Levin, Joe Nguyen, Kat Parra, Red Hot Chachkas, Dror Sinai, Gerry Tenney and California Klezmer, Vocolot and Joshua Walters. Plus klezmer, maqamat (Middle Eastern modes) and Middle East percussion jam/ workshops, an Instant Chorus, and an Instrument Petting Zoo, in association with the Community Music Center and Zambaleta World Music Institute."

Ashkenaz Music Festival, Toronto. From Aug 31 to Sept 6. Headliner shows require $ tickets, but everything else is free. And considering most of the "everything else" would headliners at other festivals, this is amazing. I would love to go but don't think I'll be able to afford it. Anyone feel like sponsoring an itinerant blogger? No? Oh well. Maybe in two years.

"Abraham Inc., Adrienne Cooper & Marilyn Lerner, Andy Statman, Batsheva, Beyond the Pale, Canadian Cabaret hosted by SoCalled (including helly Posen, Brian Katz and Lenka Lichtenberg, Lache Cercel, Aviva Chernick, the Yiddish Swingtet, Mike Ankielwicz), Daddo, Daniel Kahn, Deep Minor, Di Fidl Kapelye, Flory Jagoda, Gypsophilia, Jaffa Road, Klezmer Kids, Konsonans Retro, Kosher Gospel w/ Joshua Nelson, David Wall, and Ken Whiteley, Kurt & Annette Bjorling with Di Fidl Kapelye, Lache Cercel and the Roma Swing, Marilyn Lerner, Mitch Smolkin, Nayekhovichi, Nayekhovichi, Sephardic Cabaret hosted by Aaron Bensoussan, Shtreiml, Sisters of Sheynville, The Flying Bulgars, The Huppah Project, The Klez Dispensers, The Lithuanian Empire, Theresa Tova, Toronto Jewish Folk Choir, Vira Lozinsky, Zully Goldfarb."

Atlanta Jewish Music Festival. Ok, it was last night and I missed it. But I wanted to give a shout out to one of the new Jewish music fests. First of all I love seeing some Jewish action down South. There's been a solid Jewish population down there for a long long time, but it doesn't get the attention that Jewish in northern east and west coast cities get. Secondly, the line up for their fest was pretty interesting. Yesterday's show included the Moshav Band, DeLeon, Girls in Trouble, and 4th Ward Afro-Klemzer Orchestra. What's interesting about this is that it was much more of a rock / pop concert than your typical fest. Most fests lean toward Jewish flavored folk / world music. As more Jewish rock, pop, and hip-hop bands are getting formed, I wonder how long it will be until more fests have stages like Atlanta's.

Washington DC Jewish Music Fest. It kicks off tonight and runs until June 13, with....
Screening of The Jazz Baroness, Danny Sanderson, Seth Rudetsky’s Deconstructing Broadway, Galeet Dardashti, Uri Gurvich Quartet, Saints & Tzadiks (Susan McKeown & Lorin Sklamberg), Golem with Girls In Trouble, The Macaroons Children's Concert, and Vagabond Opera.

Jewish Hipsters: Even more possible musicians for Detroit's JCC Stephen Gottlieb Music Fest

They're young, hip, and Jewish and are making noise. Here is a list of some cool Jewish musicians that I passed along to the JCC Stephen Gottlieb Music Fest committee. These folks play rock clubs as well as Jewish events and do it with style, with their Jewish identity a significant portion of their stage identity. For more of an explanation see my earlier post about Yiddish singers. As always, this is just a intro list..there's lots more out there.

Jeremiah Lockwood & Sway Machinery
Grandson of a cantor and a passionate delta blues guitarist, Lockwood
fuses the two into an amazing mix. Imagine if the Blues Brothers went
to Yeshiva instead of Catholic School.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLVQjV7wlQQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hfVIGwwtb8&feature=related
http://www.swaymachinery.com/

Girls in Trouble
Alicia Jo Rabins folk-pop band, singing in English about the stories
of women in the Torah. Personal favorite of mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r16i1lXk098
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q7p2hiCl7A
http://www.myspace.com/girlsintroublemusic

Y-Love
Amazingly good Orthodox hip-hop rapper. Raps in English, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Aramaic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsBd52_6iB0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqtpuVowuX
http://www.myspace.com/ylove

StereoSinai
Yummy "Bible-gum" pop band from Chicago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8qD3F7ybCo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX7OHf-8nrY
http://www.g-dcast.com/lech-lecha
http://stereosinai.blogspot.com/

David Griffin's Hebrew School
Wonderful guitar pop band that channels 1960's and 70's pop music
http://www.myspace.com/hebrewschool
http://www.youtube.com/user/hebrewschoolmusic#p/u/5/L0py5axAgto

Shir Yaakov, Eprhyme & Darshan
Shir Yaakov's a soulful singer who performs solo and teams up with
hip-hop rapper Eprhyme in the band Darshon.
Shir Yaakov: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g5EzbMsCnU
Eprhyme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1C8TUFXa4A
Darshan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Vaom7l-I8

The Shondes
Riot-grrl punk band with lyrics centering on Jewish and queer identity politics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ZINwloL6Q
http://www.shondes.com/

Good for the Jews & The Leevees
"The best band in the world since last Tuesday" Hilarious comedy musical duo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT1MeiqBbLc
http://www.goodforthejews.net

In that video the duo is backed by the band, The Leevees, a funny
Jewish rock band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMXqNllqEoU
http://www.theleevees.com

Rav Shmuel
Hassidic folk-rock singer-songwriter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiV_PI1-zLU
http://www.ravshmuel.com/

The Wailing Wall.
Swirly Bob Dylan-esque folk rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irD0imPfN6Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKqxZHw9T_E

Darshan's Hip hop Chad Gadya

Darshan's hip hop retelling of Chad Gadya is one of the more interesting new tracks for your Passover playlist. I don't love it, but it's definitely worth checking out.

2 from Shemspeed: Darshan and Dreams in Static

When I stand in front of people, virtually or physically, and tell them that we're in a silver age of Jewish music, exhibit A is often the Jewish hipster record labels Shemspeed and JDub. Labels successfully packaging Jewish music, approached from both religious and cultural perspectives, for hip 20-somethings? If that's not evidence that something fabulous is happening, I'm not sure what would be. So I look forward to every new release from these labels and am always happily surprised and challenged by them. These two albums, though, don't quite live up to my expectations.

The first album, Darshan's "Lishma EP" has taken me a month or so of listening to get into it, but I'm getting there. Here's their official blurb...

Darshan is "astral rap, liturgical jazz, audio alchemy. Harmonizing Hebrew chant with hiphop, folk rock with electro-pop, love poetry with kabbalistic psychology, Darshan is a unique and organic weave of world wisdom traditions and modern musical styles"

Darshan is a project of one of my favorite new vocalists, Shir Yaakov, and rapper & producer Eprhyme. Driven by Shir Yaakov's liturgical melodies and slow slow slow delivery and built on Ephrhyme's equally slow, staticky productions, this album sounds in many ways more like an Aphex Twin electronica album than it does hip-hop. I'm not sure that it works. There's a riskiness; a certain urban dreaminess to it that I can appreciate, but also a certain grinding tedium I can't. I'm told by folks that have seen them that their live show is outstanding. I can believe it. The raw material in these tracks is great. I could see Yotzer Or, my favorite track on the album, shaking the house. I can imagine the interplay between Shir Yaakov's melodic vocals and Ephryme staccato rap. The EP, though, seems held back by the lack of stage energy.

Why imagine it? Here's Darshan performing Yotzer Or at their album release party a couple of weeks ago.

Good stuff. But for me the EP doesn't quite live up to it.

Similarly, the second new Shemspeed release, Dreams in Static, draws on a large sonic palette, but the resulting picture is a bit blotchy. According to the official blurb,

"Dreams in Static conjures up the aesthetic of James Bond, Prefuse 73, & Pulp Fiction. Each song is the soundtrack to a film in a genre of its own. This is music that exists beyond pop and yet overflows with it. Serene Poetic strikes a balance between Diwon, a Brooklyn-based hip-hop producer, and Dugans, a multifaceted guitarist-composer from Texas. Using live drums, samplers, analog synths, electric pianos and guitars, Dreams in Static transcends genres and breathes new life and depth with each subsequent listen. The album teems with life, beauty and depth; it's an instrumental masterpiece that resurrects live instrumental music and guitar-based symphonies. It pops in a world where popular music has been left in a state of static."

Ok. Whew. That's a lot to cram into an album. And the album feels a bit crammed into. I'm an electronica fan from way back and can be really happy with broad-brush sonic adventures like this. At its best, this recording is happily deconstructive, breaking down pop genres into bits and reassembling them into long tone poems. My favorite tracks, including American Pastoral and Standing in Shadow live up to hype. They have a rich internal life that gets me immediately invested. Many of the tracks, though, sound more like demo reels than a movie soundtracks. Sounds flicker and weave, but never resolve into anything. I really dug this album when I first listened, but over repeated listening it didn't wear well. Your mileage may vary...check Dreams in Static out on their myspace page and in this video. Let me know what you think.

Dreams in Static feat. Eytan "I'm Gonna Get Back Up" Live

I do want to point out that I'm a big fan of Diwon, and in particular love his Tikkun Klalki remix. Download it from Shemspeed here. And check out the video.

Tikkun Klali # 10 (diwon dancedancetantz remix of Erez Yechiel)

Jeremy Cool Habash - Israeli Ethiopean Rapper

My twitter buddy, MochaJuden, sent around a link this video clip from the movie 2009 Israeli Film "Children of the Bible," directed by Nitza Gonen. It features Jeremy Cool Habash, an Israeli rapper of Ethiopian descent. According to an article on Boston.com, Habash is

"A graduate of yeshiva -- an Orthodox Jewish religious school system -- Habash steers clear of mainstream rap topics as well, preferring to sing about his love for Judaism, his concern about youth getting lost in alcohol and drugs, and his anguish about the treatment of Ethiopian Jews in Israel."

The clip on has a only few seconds of Habash rapping at the very end, but he's a wonderful storyteller.

If you're in NYC, you can catch a screening of Children of the Bible on February 11, 2010 at the 14th NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. If you want to screen the film, you can get info from Dragoman Film Distibution.

I haven't been able to find much information in English about Habash. If you're in the know, drop me a note. Thanks.

Eprhyme's "Punklezmerap"

There's been a lot of activity in Jewish hip-hop lately, with new talent popping up regularly. The most recent album to drop is Ephrymes "WayWordWonderWill" on Modular Moods / Shemspeed (also available through iTunes). I'm passing this video along to help announce the album, but honestly I don't care for it much. Eprhyme's got a good patter, but the song is pretty flat and uninteresting. And the production is truly weird. It makes a big show of layering in some klezmer samples, but Ephryme's vocals don't connect with it at all. I feels like I'm listening to two unrelated songs at the same time. Weird.

What do you think? Go check out Ephryme's MySpace page to hear a few of his other tracks. I like Shomer Saalam a bit better, but I'm not blown away.

EPRHYME - "PUNKLEZMERAP" (Official Music Video)

SOCALLED - You are never alone (Live)

I was just tipped off to this great live performance. Enjoy.

"SOCALLED having become such a monster star must now do midnight sessions at secret underground locations. This one was July 7/09 during Montreal's Jazz Festival. The concert was so secret I had to film it with my spy camera. Alex from Chicoutimi on violin. Damian from Argentina on Sax. Michael from Montreal on bass."

hat tip to YouTube user mtlborn for uploading the video.

House of Pain vs Klezmer

This week's zeitgeist moment is brought to you by Brazilian musician Faroff. The video, which has been popping up everywhere this week, is a mashup of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band, the Irish-American hip-hop group House of Pain, and a musician or group called Pa Brapad.

House of Pain vs Klezmer - Mashup by FAROFF

Hat Tip to YouTube user FanFaroff for uploading the video and to just about every music blog and person on Twitter for tweeting about it.