Matisyahu
I am really not the sort of person to show up at somebody's house and demand that they sing and dance for me. You know, just like I wouldn't want people to come to my house and demand that I fix their computers. Oh... wait.
So that's why I'm not going to go to Crown Heights to track down Matisyahu, even though I am fairly bummed out that he doesn't have any scheduled concert dates in New York City. Thanks very much to all those who have been proposing these little borderline restraining order stalking adventures in Brooklyn (and similarly, in Cambridge) but I'll have to decline.
Too bad, I know.
Matisyahu Miller is an American reggae performer, who is also a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic community in Brooklyn. That latter fact makes him sort of a novelty act, but the music is actually quite good. In general, reggae music is very relaxing, mostly due to that repetitive beat. And Matisyahu's lyrics don't seem to be about drugs or sex or anything particularly provoking, so they provide a very pleasant interlude during a crowded afternoon commute. Quite frankly, I can't really tell what the lyrics are, but I did gather (after listening to both records several times) that it's very cool and groovy to be an Orthodox Jew.
I really wanted to go to one of his shows, mostly because I've been wondering what kind of crowd it would draw. I envisioned a bunch of Hassidim wearing tie-die t-shirts, smoking pot, and rocking out Kingston style. But in reality, it will most likely be a group of people just like me - very sophisticated grad students with an impeccably versatile taste in popular music.
Has anyone been to any of his shows? Or planning to go?
4 Comments:
i'm telling you, he lives RIGHT NEXT TO MY HOUSE. literally, it's a 5 minute WALK.
I've been to one of the concerts, and it was so much fun! I am sure there will be more concerts in NY, and I am pretty susre theres one in Boston soon. You should go.
Can't help you with the concerts, but the lyrics are freely available online (for instance, http://www.azlyrics.com/m/matisyahu.html - beware the popups!)
He was in Toronto last night. I told you you should come up here...get some good baseball too.
His lyrics are about drugs and sex, though unusually for a Reggae singer, he's against them.
Me no want no sinsemilla
That would only bring me down
Burn away my brain no way my brain is too compound
Torah food for my brain let it rain till I drown
Thunder!
Let the blessings come down
The mindlessly simple acceptance of old testament symbolism without any leavening understanding of metaphor works as well with Judaic fundamentalism as with the Rastafarian version. You can see him perform live online at http://www.matismusic.com/ and read a fine description of what he (and his audience!) are like at http://tinyurl.com/puagt/
I think of Samuel Johnson's comment...it's "like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.""
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