2008 Woodie Awards
Matisya-who?
Chabad reggae at B.B. King's
Ross Gordon
Issue date: 2/15/05 Section: Arts & Culture
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By now I'm sure many of you have heard of Matisyahu, the teenage hippie turned Chabad reggae musician inspired by the sounds of Bob Marley, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, and hip-hop beats. Over the past year Matisyahu has gained national exposure in both Jewish and secular circles. He has been a guest on CNN, WNBC, Steve Harvey's Big Time, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Articles about him have appeared in The New York Times, the New York Post, the Boston Globe, the Jerusalem Post, and countless other publications. But on Saturday night December 25th, Matisyahu took his stardom one step further when he headlined at The B.B. King's in Manhattan, which in its previous four years has hosted such famous acts as B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, The Allman Brothers, The Wailers and many others.
Just in case a Chabad reggae singer wasn't odd enough, The B.B. King's made sure to book an equally unique opening band appropriately named Bazaar Royal, which combined the sounds of P.O.D, Godsmack, Soundgarden, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Jarule. The band members were as diverse as their musical influences, featuring a Dominican singer sporting an afro packed tightly under his black hooded Hendrix sweatshirt with metal spikes going halfway up his left sleeve, an African American backup vocalist, an Asian bass player, a Spanish female DJ, a white drummer with dyed blonde hair, and a white guitarist in a winter hat. The music was heavy, but had a subtle groove that made me want to bob my head instead of jump around. Their singer also opted for melodies and rhymes, instead of screaming at the top of his lungs. However, some of the lyrics were rather childish, as in their Weird Al type cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge" where the chorus went "I'm not gonna steal, cause it's not my way. I'll just take what's yours, and keep it anyway." However their cover of Kiss's "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" featured some very powerful singing on the part of the vocalists.
Once Bazaar Royal cleared the stage, the crowd began packing in. People rushed their way up to the front, pushing to get the best view. Matisyahu soon came out looking the way one might think a Lubavitcher would dress in a Beit Midrash. His crunched up black hat, long beard, sport coat, black vest, and dangling tzitzit made him easy to spot for those who had never seen him before. Then, before anyone had a chance to come to grips with the clashing image before them, the show started and all skepticism was forgotten. Matisyahu began by playing songs from his new CD, "Arise, Shake off the Dust." He spat out his spiritually influenced lyrics with smooth delivery and timing, while the crowd began to bounce to his beat. While one of his hands flickered to the rhythm of his lyrics, the other held the microphone like a hip-hop star. Within minutes, bodies began surfing across the crowd, tumbling and twirling in the hands of the lively audience. It wasn't much later that Matisyahu performed his famous beat-box routine, a drum-like simulation with the mouth and voice that was invented by early hip-hop artists. The band cleared the stage and Matisyahu stood alone in the spotlight. He began with a Carlebach-type nigun, shuckeling and swaying in concentration. Then out of nowhere, he broke out into his beat-box routine, making a drum beat with his mouth while humming the bass line and melody. In case that wasn't impressive enough, he then began to speed up, doubling the tempo while adding in a whole slew of sound effects.
Just in case a Chabad reggae singer wasn't odd enough, The B.B. King's made sure to book an equally unique opening band appropriately named Bazaar Royal, which combined the sounds of P.O.D, Godsmack, Soundgarden, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Jarule. The band members were as diverse as their musical influences, featuring a Dominican singer sporting an afro packed tightly under his black hooded Hendrix sweatshirt with metal spikes going halfway up his left sleeve, an African American backup vocalist, an Asian bass player, a Spanish female DJ, a white drummer with dyed blonde hair, and a white guitarist in a winter hat. The music was heavy, but had a subtle groove that made me want to bob my head instead of jump around. Their singer also opted for melodies and rhymes, instead of screaming at the top of his lungs. However, some of the lyrics were rather childish, as in their Weird Al type cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge" where the chorus went "I'm not gonna steal, cause it's not my way. I'll just take what's yours, and keep it anyway." However their cover of Kiss's "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" featured some very powerful singing on the part of the vocalists.
Once Bazaar Royal cleared the stage, the crowd began packing in. People rushed their way up to the front, pushing to get the best view. Matisyahu soon came out looking the way one might think a Lubavitcher would dress in a Beit Midrash. His crunched up black hat, long beard, sport coat, black vest, and dangling tzitzit made him easy to spot for those who had never seen him before. Then, before anyone had a chance to come to grips with the clashing image before them, the show started and all skepticism was forgotten. Matisyahu began by playing songs from his new CD, "Arise, Shake off the Dust." He spat out his spiritually influenced lyrics with smooth delivery and timing, while the crowd began to bounce to his beat. While one of his hands flickered to the rhythm of his lyrics, the other held the microphone like a hip-hop star. Within minutes, bodies began surfing across the crowd, tumbling and twirling in the hands of the lively audience. It wasn't much later that Matisyahu performed his famous beat-box routine, a drum-like simulation with the mouth and voice that was invented by early hip-hop artists. The band cleared the stage and Matisyahu stood alone in the spotlight. He began with a Carlebach-type nigun, shuckeling and swaying in concentration. Then out of nowhere, he broke out into his beat-box routine, making a drum beat with his mouth while humming the bass line and melody. In case that wasn't impressive enough, he then began to speed up, doubling the tempo while adding in a whole slew of sound effects.