Lazer Lloyd

Last updated

Lazer Lloyd
Acoustic-LL-outdoor.jpg
Lazer Lloyd, 2022
Background information
Birth nameLloyd Paul (Lazer Pinchas) Blumen
Born (1966-05-07) May 7, 1966 (age 57)
New York City
Genres Rock, Singer Songwriter, Americana, folk, blues rock, psychedelic rock, jam band, blues
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
Years active1981–present
LabelsLots of Love Records
Website lazerlloyd.live

Lazer Lloyd (born Lloyd Paul Blumen; May 7, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Lloyd's music is a mix of acoustic and electric Americana, rock, folk, blues and psychedelic styles with lyrics touching on life, love, and struggle. He performs throughout the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Brazil, both in person and through social media. [1]

Contents

Born in the United States, Lloyd moved to Israel in his 20s, where he played guitar for the influential Jewish rock band Reva L'Sheva. Following the band's breakup, he fronted the blues rock trio Yood before starting his own solo singer-songwriter career. [2] [3]

Early life

Lloyd was born in New York City in 1966 and grew up in Madison, Connecticut and Berkeley Heights, NJ. He began playing guitar at age of 13. His first band formed in his teens, Legacy, played covers of 1950s rock and roll. They played at a 1982 battle of the bands at Daniel Hand High School and toured throughout Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, including opening for Michael Bolton at Toad's Place in New Haven. [4] [5] [6]

He attended Skidmore College, where he studied music under Milt Hinton, Randy Brecker, and Gene Bertoncini. [6] Lazer cites B. B. King speaking in a master class about keeping his large band together for many years by looking for good people first and considering their musicianship second as a source of inspiration to him as a young man." [5]

Career

The Last Mavericks

Upon graduating from Skidmore, Lloyd returned to Connecticut and formed a blues rock band called the Last Mavericks, which he later described as "Stevie Ray Vaughan meets Bruce with a bit of a grunge sound". After moving to New York in the early 1990s, the band recorded a demo for Atlantic Records, who subsequently offered Lloyd a chance to record a solo record in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Garry Tallent of the E Street Band. [4] [7] During this time, he also opened for artists like Prince, Johnny Winter, and Randy Brecker. [7] [8]

During the negotiation period for the record, Lloyd was playing guitar in Central Park when he met a homeless man who told him about singer-songwriter Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and invited Lloyd to perform with the rabbi at a synagogue in Manhattan. At the concert, Lloyd was struck by Carlebach's warmth and talent as well as his willingness to embrace Lloyd's roots rock and blues style into his more traditional Jewish musical style. Lloyd was fascinated by the use of the flat five chords, which appear in both blues and traditional Jewish music. The two became friends, and Carlebach ultimately persuaded Lloyd to fly to Israel to play with him. Rabbi Carlebach passed away three months later (October 1994) and never made it back to Israel to join the young musician. Lloyd ended up settling. [5] [9] He became a baal teshuva and studied at Dvar Yerushalayim and Kfar Chabad. [4]

Reva L'Sheva and Yood

Lloyd joined the band Reva L'Sheva in 1996, replacing founding member David "Harpo" Abramson. Releasing six albums, the band was credited with inspiring a post-Carlebach style of jam band-influenced Jewish rock played by bands like Moshav, Soulfarm, and Blue Fringe. During their tenure, they were promoted by radio host Ehud Manor and appeared on Army Radio and Channel 1. They disbanded in 2004, although they returned for a concert at Zappa Jerusalem in 2014. [10]

In 2005, he and bassist Yaakov "Dr. Jake" Lefcoe co-founded the blues rock band Yood, although the group had been in development since 2000. Acquiring drummer Moshe Yankovsky, they debuted at Mike's Place in 2006 and released two albums, Passin'over (2007) and Real People (2008). They also played the Beit Shemesh Festival and gave a Chabad-sponsored college tour in the United States. [11]

Solo career

After releasing some albums as Eliezer Blumen in the early 2000s, Lloyd recorded the album Higher Ground in 2004 with Ofir Leibovitz of the Israeli rock band Nikmat HaTraktor. [7]

Lloyd opened for British blues guitarist Snowy White at a 2011 performance in Tel Aviv. Among those in attendance were rock singer Shalom Hanoch and radio DJ Ben Rad of 88FM, the latter of whom subsequently began playing Lloyd's music frequently. [7] That same year, Lloyd released three new albums: the all-Hebrew album Haneshama, the acoustic album Lazer Lloyd Unplugged, and the live album Blues in Tel Aviv, as well as a concert DVD called Lazer Lloyd Live From Israel. [12] [8]

In 2012, he released the electric blues album My Own Blues and collaborated with singer David Orbach on the album King of Blues.

Lloyd released a second acoustic album, Lost on the Highway, through Blues Leaf Records in August 2013. In October, as part of the Jewish Unity Music Project, he released a music video called "Ha'am Sheli" ("My People"), featuring vocals from Israeli singers Gad Elbaz, Shlomo Katz, Aharon Razel, and Naftali Kalfa. [13] The following summer, he embarked on a North American tour, including a Canadian tour with members of the Downchild Blues Band and a US tour with members of the Chicago Blues Kings. [5]

Lots of Love records

In 2015, he released his first internationally distributed album, the self-titled Lazer Lloyd, which included eleven of his own original songs and a cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", through Chicago's Lots of Love Records. The album reached No. 4 on Roots Music Report's blues albums chart, while the singles "Burning Thunder" and "Broken Dreams" reached No. 1 and No. 7 on the blues singles chart, respectively. [6] [11]

In 2016, Lloyd released two CDs for sale on the road, Guitar Jams and The Moose is Loose (a live concert recorded at a Moose International Lodge in Kankakee, Illinois). These road CDs were followed by a major 2017 international digital and physical release with his Freedom's Child album. The Freedom's Child album gained 150 points on the Americana Music Association chart in the first 28 days after release.[ citation needed ] Lazer's instrumental "Esquecas Do Mundo (Forget the World)" has become a beloved track with Brazilian & UK fans with millions of views on YouTube and thousands of comments.[ citation needed ]

Lots of Love Records released a self-standing Lazer Lloyd vocal and guitar solo single "Backstreets" recorded in one take in New Haven, CT during a visit to his parents while on tour.[ citation needed ] The song was picked up by the Acoustic Blues playlist on Spotify and will soon hit a million streams on Spotify.[ citation needed ]

In 2020 Lloyd released his eleventh solo album, Tomorrow Never Comes, recorded in Nashville with Eric Paul (Townes van Zandt, Willie Nelson), in Wimberley, Texas with producer/engineer Chris Bell (Don Henley, Eagles, Eric Johnson), and in Memphis, Tennessee. The band for the album included Michael Rojas on keyboards, Michael Spriggs on rhythm guitar, Eddie Bayers on drums, and bass players Mark Fain and Eli Beaird.[ citation needed ]

Artistry

Lloyd has been noted for playing blues with Arabic tunings, what he has described as "a combination of Mississippi and Moroccan tuning". [6] He compared the sound of his self-titled album to "playing an old Robert Johnson guitar together with an Egyptian oud." [14] In particular, his cover of "Dock of the Bay" is played with a tuning of DADADD, which he describes as "half-oud/half-guitar" tuning that adds "an Arabic/new-age touch." [15]

Lloyd's music also incorporates a wide range of genres, including Americana, blues rock, folk, psychedelic music, jam band, and jazz. [lower-alpha 1] Critics have noted his skill as a lyricist, able to elevate life's joys and struggles into inspirational material. [16] [17] [18]

Music and spirituality

Lazer's spirituality and love of people is rooted in his early life at home where his family participated in the national A Better Chance program. Lloyd grew up in a house full of kids from all backgrounds all sharing music and family in a warm caring environment. Lazer's mother was instrumental in starting the first Reform Temple in Madison, CT. [4] [14] "Music was always being played in our home" according to his father, Joel' [lower-alpha 2] , who introduced him to blues, folk, rock, and jazz music, [7] [12] and took him to concerts by George Benson, Carlos Santana, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, inspiring him to pursue music. [4] [5] Lazer met and was inspired to move to Israel by folk-singer and spiritual guide Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach through a chance encounter with Rabbi Chaim Shimon Wahrman at the Millinery Center Synagogue in New York City. Lazer often tells the story at shows as an example of the potential importance and positive impact of every person and experience in our lives.

Equipment

Lloyd's first guitar was a Fender Lead Bullet 3 bought at Manny's Music in New York, and he played mostly Telecasters throughout college. [19] He enjoys searching for vintage guitars on the road and regularly changes his main instrument – often working on upgrades and improvements before trading on to the next guitar. In addition to maintaining his carefully curated collection of guitars, Lloyd often plays LaGrange Guitars – an Israeli luthier which endorses him and makes guitars to his specifications. Lazer Lloyd uses D'addario strings on his guitars.

Discography

Solo albums

Live and acoustic albums

  • Lazer Lloyd Unplugged (2011; acoustic)
  • Blues in Tel Aviv (2011; live)
  • Lost on the Highway (Blues Leaf, 2013; acoustic)
  • The Moose is Loose: Live at the Kankakee Moose Lodge (Lots of Love, 2016; live)

Singles

  • "Ha'am Sheli (My People)" (2013)
  • "Moroccan Woman" (2014)
  • "Broken Dreams" (2015)
  • "Burning Thunder" (2015)
  • "America" (2017)
  • "Love After The Flood" (2017)
  • "Backstreets" (2017)

With Reva L'Sheva

With Yood

Related Research Articles

Moshav, formerly known as Moshav Band, is an Israeli-American Jewish rock band originating from Moshav Mevo Modi'im. Founded in 1996 by Yehuda Solomon and Duvid Swirsky, the group moved to Los Angeles in 2008 and have released ten studio albums. With a sound incorporating elements of alternative rock, folk, funk, and reggae, they were credited, alongside Soulfarm and Blue Fringe, with advancing Jewish rock in the early 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matisyahu</span> American musician

Matthew Paul Miller, known by his stage name Matisyahu, is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician.

For the purposes of this article, “contemporary” refers to the period from 1967 to the present day, “Jewish” refers to the various streams and traits of Judaism practiced. Many Orthodox Jews use the term “religious” to refer to a strict adherence to Jewish law. For the purposes of this article, “religious” refers to the content and context of the music itself: liturgical or implicit references to the divine.

Chaim-Dovid Saracik is an Orthodox Jewish Chasidish musician who lives in the Old City of Jerusalem. He professionally goes by the name Chaim Dovid. He has produced more than eleven albums and has played for thousands of people over the past couple of decades.

Reva L'Sheva was an Israeli Jewish rock band formed in 1994 by lead singer Yehudah Katz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rabbis' Sons</span> Jewish music group

The Rabbis' Sons is a Jewish music group that released most of its albums between 1967 and 1974. It consisted of Rabbis Baruch Chait, Label Sharfman (vocals), Itzy Weinberger (vocals) and Michael Zheutlin, with David Nulman on steel guitar and Mickey Lane on bass fiddle. The group got its name because Chait, Sharfman and Weinberger were all sons of rabbis.

The Diaspora Yeshiva Band was an Israeli Orthodox Jewish rock band founded at the Diaspora Yeshiva on Mount Zion, Jerusalem, by baal teshuva students from the United States. In existence from 1975 to 1983, the band infused rock and bluegrass music with Jewish lyrics, creating a style of music it called "Hasidic rock" or "Country and Eastern". The band was very popular on college campuses in the early to mid-1980s, and was well known in Jerusalem for its Saturday-night concerts at David's Tomb. It had a considerable influence on contemporary Jewish religious music, inspiring later bands such as Blue Fringe, 8th Day, Reva L'Sheva, Soulfarm, the Moshav Band, and Shlock Rock. Fifteen years after it disbanded, band leader Avraham Rosenblum revived the band under the name Avraham Rosenblum & Diaspora and produced several more albums.

Hamakor was an Israeli Jewish rock band from Mevo Modi'im. They were formed in 2006 by lead singer Nachman Solomon and released two albums, The Source (2007) and World On Its Side (2010). The group's fluctuating lineup at different times included musicians like Bruce Burger, Chemy Soibelman, and Mendy Portnoy, and members would go on to participate in groups like G-Nome Project, Shlomit & RebbeSoul, and Zusha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RebbeSoul</span> Musical artist

Bruce Burger, known by his stage name RebbeSoul, is an American singer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer. Performing since the early 1990s, he has released five solo albums and has recorded with the bands Hamakor and Common Tongue. Since 2011, he has collaborated with Yemeni-Israeli vocalist Shlomit Levi of Orphaned Land as the duo Shlomit & RebbeSoul.

Jewish rock is a form of contemporary Jewish religious music that is influenced by various forms of secular rock music. Pioneered by contemporary folk artists like Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and the Diaspora Yeshiva Band, the genre gained popularity in the 1990s and 2000s with bands like Soulfarm, Blue Fringe, and Moshav Band that appealed to teens and college students, while artists like Matisyahu enjoyed mainstream crossover success.

Yood is an Israeli Jewish rock band from Jerusalem. They formed in 2005 with singer/guitarist Lazer Lloyd, bassist Yaakov Lefcoe, and drummer Akiva Girsh. They released two albums, Passin'over (2007) and Real People (2008). Yood play hard rock with elements of blues, country, and grunge that Yoav Friedman of Ynet called "redolent with the scent of seventies rock."

Tofa'ah is an Israeli Jewish rock band formed in Jerusalem in 1981. They are notable for being the first known all-female Orthodox Jewish rock band, preceding later groups like Ashira and Bulletproof Stockings. They have released eight albums since 1984.

Adam Wexler is an American-Israeli musician, best known as the bassist for influential Jewish rock groups Diaspora Yeshiva Band and Reva L'Sheva.

Ben Zion Solomon is an American-born Israeli musician, best known as a founding member of the seminal Jewish rock group Diaspora Yeshiva Band, for whom he played fiddle and banjo from 1975 to 1983. A disciple of Shlomo Carlebach, Solomon and his family were among the first residents of Carlebach's moshav, Mevo Modi'im. His sons later founded the bands Moshav, Soulfarm, and Hamakor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mendy Portnoy</span> Musical artist

Mendy Portnoy is an English-born Israeli singer, pianist, composer, and producer. He is best known as half of the folk rock duo the Portnoy Brothers with his older sibling Sruli. He has also released two albums as a solo artist.

Yehudah Katz is an American-born Israeli singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and activist. He first rose to fame as the lead singer of seminal Jewish rock band Reva L'Sheva. As a solo artist, he has released three albums and performed with prominent Israeli singers like Ehud Banai and Kobi Oz. He is also the founder of the non-profit organization Artists and Musicians for Israel (AMI).

Yehuda Solomon is an Israeli-American singer, songwriter, and hazzan. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the band Moshav, which heavily influenced Jewish rock in the late '90s. He is the son of Diaspora Yeshiva Band member Ben Zion Solomon, while his siblings include Noah Solomon of Soulfarm.

Noah Solomon Chase is an Israeli–American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and mandolinist for the Jewish rock band Soulfarm.

Yitzhak Attias is a Gibraltar-born Israeli Jewish musician. He was the percussionist for Reva L'Sheva for several years and has released two solo albums.

Breslov Bar Band is an American experimental klezmer band based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2009 by bandleader Binyomin Ginzberg, the band has released three albums, Have No Fear (2010), Happy Hour (2013), and Holy Chutzpah (2022). They are noted for their experimental interpretations of traditional Breslov nigunim.

References

  1. ↑ Colin Campbell (July 1, 2016). "We All Have Our Own Blues". Blues Matters . Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  2. ↑ Lee Zimmerman (June 8, 2015). "Lazer Lloyd: No Middle Ground in the Middle East". No Depression . Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ Willie G. Moseley (January 1, 2016). "Lazer Lloyd Blues in Israel – A Common Bond". Vintage Guitar . Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 David Brinn (November 13, 2008). "Soul music". The Jerusalem Post . Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Eloise Valadez (June 19, 2014). "Israel's blues king Lazer Lloyd returns to U.S. homeland". The Times of Northwest Indiana.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Mark Zaretsky (August 6, 2015). "Former Madison musician Lazer Lloyd a blues rocker in Israel". New Haven Register.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Ben Shalev (April 20, 2012). "American Singer Swears by Blues and Miracles". Haaretz .
  8. 1 2 Ben Bresky (November 8, 2011). "Religion and Rock – Lazer Lloyd Releases New CD". Arutz Sheva.
  9. ↑ Anthony Weiss (December 1, 2014). "Hasidic musician Lazer Lloyd sings the black hat blues". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  10. ↑ Brinn, David (January 1, 2014). "Reva L'Sheva's seven-year itch". The Jerusalem Post . Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  11. 1 2 David Brinn (September 21, 2015). "Lazer Lloyd spreads his musical message abroad". The Jerusalem Post . Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Donelson, Marcy. Lazer Lloyd at AllMusic
  13. ↑ Yoni Collins (November 11, 2013). "Lazer Lloyd's still got the blues". The Jerusalem Post .
  14. 1 2 Avishay Artsy (August 13, 2014). "Lazer Lloyd, Israel's king of blues, comes to L.A." The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.
  15. ↑ Willie G. Moseley (January 1, 2016). "Lazer Lloyd Blues in Israel – A Common Bond". Vintage Guitar . Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  16. ↑ Jim Hynes (July 21, 2015). "Lazer Lloyd". Elmore . Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  17. ↑ Gary von Tersch (August 1, 2015). "Lazer Lloyd". Big City Rhythm and Blues . Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  18. ↑ Nathan Norgel (July 24, 2015). "Album des Monats Juli 2015 in der Wasser-Prawda". Wasser Prawda . Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  19. ↑ Willie G. Moseley (January 1, 2016). "Lazer Lloyd Blues in Israel – A Common Bond". Vintage Guitar . Retrieved January 1, 2016.

Notes

  1. ↑ Extensive information on the formation of Lazer Lloyd's style and songwriting range including musical examples is available on his website http://lazerlloyd.com
  2. ↑ personal correspondence quote from Joel Blumen

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.