From the mailbag...

Julie writes:

why did you review Heedoosh's album now? it can hardly be called "new" as it's been out for quite a while... just curious.

I reviewed the Heedoosh CD now because their publicist sent me a copy recently. I’d been trying to get it done before Pesach, but didn’t get to it in time.

Sruly Meyer forwards a link to an AIM chat he had with Jordan Gorfinkel:

I think it's a very good read, your readers would certainly enjoy it!

An Interview On The History and The Story Behind Jewish A Cappella .

Menachem comments on Heedoosh:

purim song is a rip-off of the Beatles "for the benefit of mr kite"...that said, it is still a great song, i.e. the ripped-off song is part of the meaning

Speaking of, KFAR's Adam Davis writes that "Heedoosh is playing a show for me this Monday for Yom Haatz. The info is up at KFAR's website."If you're in Chi-town, you might want to check it out.

Rhondda writes:

I can comment briefly on the "7/8 Kohen" --
always interesting to be in a new shul for one's first chaggim... well, I was in this shul in the fall but I don't remember the duchanning then... Anyway, these blokes (bless'em) -- one of 'em knew an old tune -- maybe his dad sang it -- but evidently his dad sang it at least a perfect 4th below this fellow's real range... but that didn't stop him from singing it... there... not in his real range... and the other handful of kohanim really, bravely, tried to fall in.... it took the 2nd time for them to realize, "oh, yeah, he wants to sing that one," and then drag their poor voices down to the cellar to join him...