Jewish musicians have figured prominently in some extremely successful, mainstream acts that had punk rock roots but went in a different direction musically. We will focus on the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, and P!nk. Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys was a landmark group that helped bring hip-hop to the mainstream in the 1980s. All three members—MCA (Adam Yauch), Mike D. (Mike Diamond), and AdRock (Adam Horovitz)—were Jews who grew up in New York.…
Punking Up the Friday Night Service
Posted on February 12, 2016I sometimes lead Friday night services for an independent minyan. I’ve never made a conscious effort to “punk up” services, but I have done so in a few different regards. “Adon Olam” is a prayer that is sung to a wide variety of melodies, including traditional melodies and pretty much anything else. Back in 2003, as part of a basement show I organized called the Lacking Musician-ship Gig, I sang “Adon Olam” with Green Day’s “Minority” playing in the background.…
Farewell, Shmarya Rosenberg of Failed Messiah
Posted on February 5, 2016Shmarya Rosenberg announced on Tuesday that, after nearly 12 years, he is leaving his blog, Failed Messiah. Failed Messiah was a one-man powerhouse covering (and uncovering) injustice, hypocrisy, and a variety of issues in the Orthodox world. Failed Messiah was a big reason I got interested in running a Jewish blog in the first place. In 2004, when PETA did an investigation of a kosher slaughterhouse, Failed Messiah was at the forefront of covering the ensuing scandal and furthering discussion in the Jewish blogosphere.…
Jew Cocks: Circumcised for Your Pleasure!
Posted on January 29, 2016I had a feeling that I’d find out about another Jewish punk band once it was too late to include the group in Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk. So instead, appearing on this blog, are the Jew Cocks! Warning: Sometimes punk rock can be offensive! The LA-based band released its first full-length album, Full Release, in July. The album cover featured an anthropomorphized penis wearing various Jewish signifiers (a yarmulke, a Star of David necklace, and a tallis) and standing in a pool of semen,…
Not Dead
Posted on January 22, 2016Both Jewish culture and punk have faced frequent claims that they are dead. Both have showed strong resistance against naysayers who make those claims. There have long been predictions of the demise of the Jewish people and their culture. Klezmer music was presumed dead until its revival, which began in the 1970s. At many points in recent decades, people have feared the loss of Yiddish and the Eastern European Jewish culture it anchored. The number of Yiddish speakers has dwindled,…
Fiddlin on Ya Roof
Posted on January 16, 2016This week I got to see the new Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof, which just opened last month. It was my first time seeing Fiddler on stage as an adult, and it was a blast witnessing all the iconic songs, beloved characters, and classic lines. There’s a special reason why the Fiddler songs speak to me so much. In 2005, Yidcore released Fiddlin on Ya Roof, a punk rock cover of the entire Fiddler score. I pitched a review of the album to New Voices. The…
B’Nai Mitzvah and Bestowed Adulthood: Adolescents Getting Into Punk as Men
Posted on January 5, 2016To signify that they are now adult members of the Jewish community, boys have a bar mitzvah at age 13 (and girls have a bat mitzvah as early as 12). This bestowal of adulthood happens around the same time (or shortly before) many adolescents get into punk rock. It could be inspiring at that age to think that one is now an empowered adult who really could change the world. It would be far-fetched to say that b’nai mitzvah (the…
Yiddish New York Klezmer Blowout
Posted on January 1, 2016While most musicians in Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk play punk rock, Chapter 4 looks at punk influences of musicians playing klezmer and other types of Jewish music. The chapter explores an overview of klezmer (most notably the Klezmatics and Hasidic New Wave), Radical Jewish Culture (especially Pitom), Golem, Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird, and Electric Simcha. On Monday, I attended the Yiddish New York (YNY) Klezmer Blowout concert, part of the week-long YNY festival. One of the…