May 2016

There’s a new Jewish punk band, and it’s a Yiddish pop-punk band! Asher Yatzar formed last year and got its name from the prayer said after excretion. The Chicago band played its first show in March. Click here to watch a video from an Asher Yatzar show. In the below interview, drummer/singer Dave and guitarist/singer Shmul discuss how singing in Yiddish isn’t so radical, how Asher Yatzar’s debut show got bogged down by Israel-bashing, and how Jews can exercise their…

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I was eager to read MDC: Memoir From a Damaged Civilization by MDC singer Dave Dictor, which came out last week. I knew MDC’s song “The Jew That Got Away,” but I wasn’t sure if Dictor was Jewish or wrote the song. The chorus declared, “Now I’m Max’s grandson, and I’m back to say, here I am, the living proof of the Jew that got away.” The lyrics ended with “And a shalom to you, motherf*cker!” Dictor addressed the extent to which he…

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I enjoyed receiving photos from readers when their copies of Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk arrived in the mail. Some shared photos of the book via text messages and Facebook posts. In what is truly a sign of the times, some took selfies!   Yidcore singer Bram Presser poses with Louie.   This reader impressively emulates the facial expression depicted on the book’s cover.   This reader is responsible for getting me into Flogging Molly (my gateway into ethnic punk) and Yidcore…

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Joshua Sherer is The Schleps. He handles vocals, guitar, bass, drums, and recording for the one-man Jewish metalcore band. The Schleps’ earlier songs included “Maoz Tzur” and “Adon Olam.” For Passover last month, The Schleps released a new song, “Adir Hu.” Click here to listen. “Adir Hu” has never rocked so hard! One could debate whether this metalcore song is more metal than hardcore/punk, but the guitar sound has a great, heavy crunch, whatever you want to call it. Sherer said that while Passover…

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