Aw man. That was an awesome show. The Makkabees opened with their unique brand of heavy metal renditions of Jewish classics – Shabbat Shalom, Mashiach, Oseh Shalom etc. and yes – a horah mosh pit broke out. Totally insane – totally fun. Next up was Rabbi Yonah and Shankbone. Highlights included their very original rendition of By The Rivers of Babylon. Good times, good times.
This was followed by a fashion show by Evey Rothstein and her Harajuku inspired label Glamorous Rebel. The show was very fashion forward featuring taffetta skirts, high tops, eighties inspired hair and makeup – kawaii!
Next up was crowd favorite Rav Shmuel. He rocked out with some covers (a unique combo of the Beatles Hey Jude and the Ramones I Wanna Be Sedated) and a collection of original compositions. Rav Shumuel used to tour with Phish, and you might recognize him from NYC open mic nights or Mike’s Place in Jerusalem.
Finally, the show concluded with a dynamic rendition of Yiddish and Klezmer tinged hip hop by SoCalled
Laya wishes to add: included SoCalled’s performance was the group Beyond the Pale, and the Gospel singer Doris Glaspie, who rocked our socks. We were also honored to hear the first ever SoCalled/Esther Kustanowitz collaboration with a fascinating rendition of “9:45”, the announced time of bus departure to the beach the following morning.
All the acts were great!
The one that stands out in my mind was Rav Shmuel. GET THIS MAN A RECORD DEAL NOW! He put on a great show, and I couldn’t stop laughing as I watched this hasidic man singing “I wanna be sedated.” Seriously, somebody needs to get him a record deal and get him on the road, he was great.
And the Makabees were the perfect opening act, establishing a perfect mood for the audience. Didja notice the audience was twice as large as last year’s?
Some day in the future, people will look back at this concert as a watershed moment, a gathering of the cutting edge in JewMu (my just-now coined term for Jewish Music).
Or maybe they won’t. But they should!
Whichever of all y’all programmed this puppy should be damn proud of yerselves.
Wow, what a great concert! I missed the first few acts, ‘cuz my friends stopped by to see me (and brought me a 40 Magnum to pour to my homies in the LBC). But Rav Shmuel was a riot, and I fool-danced to SoCalled’s and Beyond the Pale’s neo-Klezmer mixes. A great time was had by all! 🙂
Not to nitpick, but Rav Shmuel also covered “Karma Police” by Radiohead in his medley. That surprised the heck out of me, in a good way. Great song, that one. Weird, but great.
It was an amazing concert! I really enjoyed all the music, especially Rav Shmuel!
And don’t y’all forget it… “9:45” is possibly the greatest bus departure themed song ever created. And you were there to see and hear it…
I hope somebody recorded the concert, that would be a cool CD to have…
BTW, if you guys have pictures, I need them for an article the Jewish Journal is running (and it would be cool to have some of the ones above)! Send them to intern@jewishjournal.com. Thanks a bunch!