Black hats, thick beards and kippot are not the usual fashion accessories seen at the Parish at the House of Blues on a given night.
But last Monday, Matisyahu, a Hasidic Jew, performed and drew in an interesting mix of people. The crowd consisted of Rastas, Hippies, Orthodox Jews and preppy-styled boys, all of which came together to experience the spiritually charged reggae of Matisyahu Miller.
Matisyahu’s live show was all about the blend. Starkly different social groups mingle as the band blends its own religious faith with reggae, hip-hop and psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll.
The various ingredients produce a potent cocktail that is both fun to drink and brings one to one’s knees.
On their first national tour, the performance introduced the audience to a tightly wound reggae band. Guitarist Aaron Dugan kept his solos interesting by throwing in some Middle Eastern licks to his echo and “wah-wah” drenched psychedelic tone. The improvised leads had direction and purpose.
Bassist Josh Warner laid the phat grooves needed to fill out the low end and played well with drummer Jonah David, whose ice, a huge diamond-studded Star of David, garnered more attention than his actual playing.
Matisyahu’s powerful vocals soar over the band’s music. He sings with a great deal of fluidity, bleeding over from rhythmic English to biblical Hebrew and then to biblical English. He even beat-boxed during the band’s hour and a half set.
Raised outside New York City, at the age of 14, a friend introduced Matisyahu to Bob Marley, whose “words and message struck [him] in a profound way.”
After dropping out of high school to follow a tour with the band Phish, he later went to a reform school in Oregon to “straighten out.” There he spent most of his time beat-boxing and playing music with friends.
Later, while attending the New School University in New York City, he met a Hasidic rabbi in Washington Square Park who reintroduced him to his Jewish roots, where he steadily took on the Hasidic lifestyle.
At least twice during the show, he spoke about the inspirations of his songs, saying they came from the Psalms of King David and the destruction of the ancient Israelite Temple.
His religiously inspired words were sung with an intensity not often showcased in the current music scene. His passion lent the performance a spiritual quality, adding to the already energetic music.
While probably nine out of 10 religiously inspired bands utterly fail to ever create any good music, Matisyahu may be the exception because he is sincere without being preachy or turning into a novelty act.
Sure he sings about Mt. Zion, King David and an array of other characters from the Hebrew Bible, but what reggae group doesn’t? The only difference is that Matisyahu practices Hasidic Judaism and does not have dreadlocks.
The concert proved a good one because Matisyahu performs with a strong sense of self-awareness. Not trying to imitate anyone, the band serves its songs to the audience raw, leaving them stunned and refreshed at the spectacle just witnessed.
Sammy Loren can be reached at [email protected].
As a Hasidic Jew, Matisyahu doesn´t perform on Friday nights and eats Kosher food, even while on tour. (JDUB Records)
