April 2017

Today marks one year since Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk was published. It’s been a fun ride spreading Jewish punk cheer, with articles about the book, guest posts on other blogs, and great events! Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk was reviewed or featured in Jewniverse, New Voices, Algemeiner, Rabbi Patrick Podcast, and Reviews by Amos Lassen. Abroad, it was reviewed or featured in the Jewish Telegraph (England), the European Institute of Jewish Music (France), and Hayom (Switzerland).…

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Check out my blog posts recapping all the times I’ve seen Golem, Moshiach Oi!, and the Shondes.  Last night, I saw Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird, which calls its music “Radical Yiddish Punkfolk Cabaret,” at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan. It was my eighth time seeing Berlin-based Kahn perform, including with Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird, with other musical outlets, and as an actor. Below is a recap of all eight shows. (Update: The tally is now eleven!) While some Daniel Kahn…

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I was happy to hear from Jean-Gabriel Davis a few months ago. Davis is the lead singer and pianist of a band called Klunk (short for “klezmer-punk”) in Paris. He also works at the European Institute of Jewish Music, and I was grateful for his nice review of Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk. Klunk released their debut EP on March 23. Klunk takes Old World, klezmer songs in Yiddish and mixes them with punk rock and metal. It’s fusion…

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On March 23, Golem, a klezmer-rock band with a punk edge, staged a fake wedding. It was an opportunity for Golem to perform a wide variety of songs and styles that they play at weddings but not their concerts. Golem also adapted a Jewish tradition of fake weddings from the Catskills. Singer/accordionist Annette Ezekiel Kogan told Hollywood Soapbox: I was actually reading a book about the Jewish hotels in the Catskill Mountains that were flourishing the ’50s and ’60s. So…

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