Thursday, January 23, 2020
We Need to Do Better On This!
Over at Jew in the City... Nissim Black Weighs In On Black And Orthodox Jewish Tensions
Monday, January 06, 2020
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Been A While Since I Posted One Of These
Peeps you see at gigs.
"The Bored Guest"
This wild-eyed yeshiva guy with a smashed hat is bored at his friend's engagement party. Socially awkward, he doesn't really feel comfortable eating petit fours and making conversation with other guests. So, he'll come over and nudge you to totally change the pleasant vibe and play a dance set because "the chosson wants to dance". This, despite the fact that the chosson told you they may not even want any dancing at the party and certainly don't want a dance set just then. A quick demurral, with a statement that you can't start a dance set without the express direction of the ba'al simcha scotches his plan and leaves him wandering the party awkwardly.
"Don't Worry We Hired Someone Else"
We've run into a few of these peeps over the years. The most recent one saw us playing a Simchas Beis Hashoeva gig on Sukkos and took our card. "We're always doing events locally and I hadn't realized you did this. We'll definitely call you for the next one." Flash forward to Chanukah and we bump into each other. "We had a last-minute party yesterday afternoon. I'd have called you, but I lost your card. Not to worry we hired "X" instead." Because it's super hard to find someone in your neighborhood who you know personally if you've lost their card. Thanks for the comforting knowledge that we needn't worry because you found someone else.
"The Bored Guest"
This wild-eyed yeshiva guy with a smashed hat is bored at his friend's engagement party. Socially awkward, he doesn't really feel comfortable eating petit fours and making conversation with other guests. So, he'll come over and nudge you to totally change the pleasant vibe and play a dance set because "the chosson wants to dance". This, despite the fact that the chosson told you they may not even want any dancing at the party and certainly don't want a dance set just then. A quick demurral, with a statement that you can't start a dance set without the express direction of the ba'al simcha scotches his plan and leaves him wandering the party awkwardly.
"Don't Worry We Hired Someone Else"
We've run into a few of these peeps over the years. The most recent one saw us playing a Simchas Beis Hashoeva gig on Sukkos and took our card. "We're always doing events locally and I hadn't realized you did this. We'll definitely call you for the next one." Flash forward to Chanukah and we bump into each other. "We had a last-minute party yesterday afternoon. I'd have called you, but I lost your card. Not to worry we hired "X" instead." Because it's super hard to find someone in your neighborhood who you know personally if you've lost their card. Thanks for the comforting knowledge that we needn't worry because you found someone else.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Monday, November 25, 2019
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
It's A Small World!
Interesting to see which community/ies an ex-Lakewooder is mining for material. Matt Dub releases a follow up to Adama V'Shamayim.
Thursday, November 07, 2019
Ban All The Things!!!
There's an idiotic post over at YWN. MAILBAG: The Jewish Music Industry Should Never Use Guitarist Avi Singolda Again
I'm pretty sure I know who wrote this. But it really doesn't matter. It's just stupid. And that's coming from someone who has been critical of everyone [not really everyone, but a huge chunk of the recordings made] using the same guitar player. I've written about this in the early days of this blog, including specifics about not being moved by much of the commercial guitar work Avi's done on such recordings. IMO, I hear a ton of talent/chops, but little "soul".
Nevertheless, the notion of boycotting someone because he stands up for his beliefs is troubling to me. The reality is that respect for women, and inclusiveness for women is a big issue in the world at large. And, no matter how the frum community explains Halacha, it is seen and experienced as negative/derogatory by most outside the system. And so, asking people to endorse/participate in something they feel is morally wrong is unjust. This wasn't going to be a concert for the frum community, in which respect is warranted towards their right to observe as they see fit. It was meant to be a broader performance for Israeli society at large. And, in that context, standing up for inclusiveness is a perfectly appropriate action to take. In fact, the frum community needs to have the common sense to understand how it's perceived (rightly or wrongly) by the outside world and choose it battles accordingly. This was a dumb point to take a stand on. The end result. Everyone feels bad. It could all have been avoided with a little bot of common sense and foresight beforehand.
So, by all means, I encourage producers/artists to find a guitarist whose unique expression/sound appeals to them for their recordings, rather than just using the same guy everyone else is. But, don't boycott Avi because he stood up for something important for him. Rather learn from him that when something is important to you, speak up, rather than just go along with it.
I'm pretty sure I know who wrote this. But it really doesn't matter. It's just stupid. And that's coming from someone who has been critical of everyone [not really everyone, but a huge chunk of the recordings made] using the same guitar player. I've written about this in the early days of this blog, including specifics about not being moved by much of the commercial guitar work Avi's done on such recordings. IMO, I hear a ton of talent/chops, but little "soul".
Nevertheless, the notion of boycotting someone because he stands up for his beliefs is troubling to me. The reality is that respect for women, and inclusiveness for women is a big issue in the world at large. And, no matter how the frum community explains Halacha, it is seen and experienced as negative/derogatory by most outside the system. And so, asking people to endorse/participate in something they feel is morally wrong is unjust. This wasn't going to be a concert for the frum community, in which respect is warranted towards their right to observe as they see fit. It was meant to be a broader performance for Israeli society at large. And, in that context, standing up for inclusiveness is a perfectly appropriate action to take. In fact, the frum community needs to have the common sense to understand how it's perceived (rightly or wrongly) by the outside world and choose it battles accordingly. This was a dumb point to take a stand on. The end result. Everyone feels bad. It could all have been avoided with a little bot of common sense and foresight beforehand.
So, by all means, I encourage producers/artists to find a guitarist whose unique expression/sound appeals to them for their recordings, rather than just using the same guy everyone else is. But, don't boycott Avi because he stood up for something important for him. Rather learn from him that when something is important to you, speak up, rather than just go along with it.
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
The Music Is Too Damn Loud!
At the NJ Jewish Link... Dangerous Simchas.
I'm conflicted about these kinds of essays which appear periodically in various Jewish media.
I'm conflicted because the essential point is, of course, correct, and blindingly obvious. However, the only effect I ever see from one of these articles is a short-term increase in snide commentary and rudeness from guests at weddings/parties, often before a note is played and even when the volume is perfectly reasonable. And, as a musician who is known for being very volume conscious, I do not see our community valuing that as a priority when choosing musicians for their event.
As well, these articles elide/omit the very real issues contributing to the problem which are out of the band's control.
For example, I recently played a party at one shul in a wealthy MO community. The room felt super loud, and so I measured the volume level with a decibel meter and it was over 95dB before I ever played a note. That's the ambient level of noise with people talking in the room. It's not really possible to be heard in a room with that level of noise without being "loud", certainly for the people standing near the speakers.
Many of the venues our community uses are not sound friendly, with poor acoustics as well as room design and layout issues. If a badekin is held in a loud room with hard reflective surfaces and a noise trap skylight situation, musicians will sound loud even at low volume. A horn section playing Od Yishoma in that room, as is typical at most weddings, will be too loud even without amplification. And the sound will also be muddy/boomy and unclear.
Additionally, we make a lot of huge affairs, which necessitate corresponding accommodations. Playing music to cover a dance floor for 50 people is very different from doing so for 600. More volume is generally needed. Solutions are possible, in theory, like having extensive speaker placement throughout the room, instead of relying on speakers from the bandstand covering the whole room, for example, but these solutions can add thousands to the cost and are not always practical due to dual-use rooms/double-bookings at venues/etc. that don't allow enough time to set up and properly soundcheck such a system.
Sometimes, tables are placed directly in front of the band. No matter how careful the band is about volume, it's not going to be comfortable to sit at those tables during the dance set and try to converse. And that's true even if the band is playing at Rabbi Zahtz's recommended volume level.
The music styles popular in the community make a difference as well. Certain instruments need to be played at volume for those styles to sound correct. For instance, a rock beat played on drum set softly doesn't sound the same as one played hard. The timbre of the drums is different. And so simply playing softer doesn't achieve the desired musical result. It just sounds wrong. Solutions are possible, to an extent, like shielding the drummer behind a plexiglass screen, for instance, but this isn't always possible and it also adds cost.
It might be great if every event had an acoustic klezmer band playing nigunim at low volume, but the reality is that this is not the music our community listens to. The artists our schools and shuls bring in for special events and concerts are, in the main, contemporary music performers whose music requires this sort of approach/instrumentation to sound right. It's unfair to play Jewish pop music for the kids at our schools when the kids arrive every morning, bring those artists in for concerts and special events, have the school choir sing those songs and then be surprised that that's the music our kids know and want at their simchas. And, there is much value to that music. I'm not trying to criticize it per-se here, just point out that those sounds require specific performance techniques that can result in louder volume/more bass etc.
So although I agree with the main point, and try hard to keep volumes down wherever possible, if the past is any guide, I fear that the only outcome of this article will be more short-term poor behavior directed towards me. I'm, sadly, not expecting more bookings due to this article. In this case, I hope that I'm wrong.
I'm conflicted about these kinds of essays which appear periodically in various Jewish media.
I'm conflicted because the essential point is, of course, correct, and blindingly obvious. However, the only effect I ever see from one of these articles is a short-term increase in snide commentary and rudeness from guests at weddings/parties, often before a note is played and even when the volume is perfectly reasonable. And, as a musician who is known for being very volume conscious, I do not see our community valuing that as a priority when choosing musicians for their event.
As well, these articles elide/omit the very real issues contributing to the problem which are out of the band's control.
For example, I recently played a party at one shul in a wealthy MO community. The room felt super loud, and so I measured the volume level with a decibel meter and it was over 95dB before I ever played a note. That's the ambient level of noise with people talking in the room. It's not really possible to be heard in a room with that level of noise without being "loud", certainly for the people standing near the speakers.
Many of the venues our community uses are not sound friendly, with poor acoustics as well as room design and layout issues. If a badekin is held in a loud room with hard reflective surfaces and a noise trap skylight situation, musicians will sound loud even at low volume. A horn section playing Od Yishoma in that room, as is typical at most weddings, will be too loud even without amplification. And the sound will also be muddy/boomy and unclear.
Additionally, we make a lot of huge affairs, which necessitate corresponding accommodations. Playing music to cover a dance floor for 50 people is very different from doing so for 600. More volume is generally needed. Solutions are possible, in theory, like having extensive speaker placement throughout the room, instead of relying on speakers from the bandstand covering the whole room, for example, but these solutions can add thousands to the cost and are not always practical due to dual-use rooms/double-bookings at venues/etc. that don't allow enough time to set up and properly soundcheck such a system.
Sometimes, tables are placed directly in front of the band. No matter how careful the band is about volume, it's not going to be comfortable to sit at those tables during the dance set and try to converse. And that's true even if the band is playing at Rabbi Zahtz's recommended volume level.
The music styles popular in the community make a difference as well. Certain instruments need to be played at volume for those styles to sound correct. For instance, a rock beat played on drum set softly doesn't sound the same as one played hard. The timbre of the drums is different. And so simply playing softer doesn't achieve the desired musical result. It just sounds wrong. Solutions are possible, to an extent, like shielding the drummer behind a plexiglass screen, for instance, but this isn't always possible and it also adds cost.
It might be great if every event had an acoustic klezmer band playing nigunim at low volume, but the reality is that this is not the music our community listens to. The artists our schools and shuls bring in for special events and concerts are, in the main, contemporary music performers whose music requires this sort of approach/instrumentation to sound right. It's unfair to play Jewish pop music for the kids at our schools when the kids arrive every morning, bring those artists in for concerts and special events, have the school choir sing those songs and then be surprised that that's the music our kids know and want at their simchas. And, there is much value to that music. I'm not trying to criticize it per-se here, just point out that those sounds require specific performance techniques that can result in louder volume/more bass etc.
So although I agree with the main point, and try hard to keep volumes down wherever possible, if the past is any guide, I fear that the only outcome of this article will be more short-term poor behavior directed towards me. I'm, sadly, not expecting more bookings due to this article. In this case, I hope that I'm wrong.
Monday, November 04, 2019
Shirei Artzi
Over at VosIzNeias... Women Singers Not Welcome At Charity Concert Promoting Unity Among Israelis
Sunday, November 03, 2019
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Rats!!!
The caterer at a recent wedding I played had a pic of Reb Shaya in his office. I didn't eat anything.
APPALLING: Video At Concert in Jerusalem Makes MASSIVE Bizayon Out Of Reb Shayela Keristerer
APPALLING: Video At Concert in Jerusalem Makes MASSIVE Bizayon Out Of Reb Shayela Keristerer
Rats!!!
The caterer at a recent wedding I played had a pic of Reb Shaya in his office. I didn't eat anything.
APPALLING: Video At Concert in Jerusalem Makes MASSIVE Bizayon Out Of Reb Shayela Keristerer
APPALLING: Video At Concert in Jerusalem Makes MASSIVE Bizayon Out Of Reb Shayela Keristerer
Friday, October 11, 2019
IP Halakhah
In this piece, "IP Halakha", Rabbis Daniel Z. Feldman presents varied approaches which ought to be applied to unauthotrized music sharing as well. There are several approaches any of which work, but the main point is clear. The fact that so many in the frum world dispute it -- moreso justify it -- represents an astounding educational fail.
Monday, October 07, 2019
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Friday, September 20, 2019
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Tuesday, September 03, 2019
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Tuesday, July 02, 2019
Monday, July 01, 2019
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
More Wedding Rules
Meant to poast this when I first saw it... NEW WEDDING RULES: Rabbonim Sign Letter About “Goyish Music” at Weddings
Should really be titled "Rabbonim let askanim take the lead again". It's shameful that they seem not to recognize that they need to talk to people in the business before signing on to and/or promulgating these. [See Bechoros 21b]
V'ein kan makom lha'arich. Vedok.
Should really be titled "Rabbonim let askanim take the lead again". It's shameful that they seem not to recognize that they need to talk to people in the business before signing on to and/or promulgating these. [See Bechoros 21b]
V'ein kan makom lha'arich. Vedok.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
BD'E - Velvel Pasternak Z"L
I'm saddened to hear of the passing of Velvel Pasternak, Z"L. His company, Tara Publications, was a gamechanger in the Jewish music world, publishing all sorts of sheet music collections from Chasidic, Israeli, Klezmer, Sephardic and more. Velvel was a teacher and ethnomusicologist who lectured widely about Jewish music. Here's a clip from one such lecture. Yehei zichro baruch.
Thursday, June 06, 2019
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Monday, May 27, 2019
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