List of Jewish rock bands

Last updated

The following is a list of Jewish rock bands and artists, bands which have Jewish themes in their music.

List

EstablishedArtistNotes
1959 Shlomo Carlebach German-born Hasidic rabbi. Lllllll and musician. Drew inspiration from then-contemporary folk music and hippie culture. Founded Moshav Mevo Modi'im, birthplace of several influential Jewish rock bands.
1976 Diaspora Yeshiva Band Formed at Diaspora Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Played a bluegrass and rock fusion with Jewish lyrics.
1976 Safam "Jewish-American" folk rock band formed by members of the Zamir Chorale of Boston.
1981 Yosi Piamenta Jerusalem-born Orthodox singer-songwriter and rock guitarist. Described his music as "klezmer with electric guitar".
Craig Taubman Conservative singer-songwriter, best known for his children's music.
1982 Isaac Bitton
1984 Tofa'ah All-female Jewish rock/blues/jazz band from Jerusalem.
1985 John Zorn Avant-garde composer and founder of Tzadik Records.
1987 Shlock Rock Known for their Jewish-themed parodies of popular songs.
1991 Steve Lieberman American Jewish outsider musician with elements of punk and metal. Also known as "The Gangsta Rabbi".
1992 Sam Glaser Los Angeles-based Orthodox singer-songwriter.
1993 Reva L'Sheva Carlebach-influenced folk rock band. Bassist Adam Wexler was in Diaspora Yeshiva Band.
1996 Soulfarm Carlebach-inspired folk rock band. Lead singer Noah Solomon Chase is the son of Diaspora Yeshiva Band's Ben Zion Solomon.
Dan Nichols Reform singer-songwriter from Raleigh, North Carolina; founder of the band E18hteen.
Hasidic New Wave Experimental klezmer band from Manhattan.
1998 Moshav Band Founded at Mevo Modi'im in 1995. Members Yehuda, Yosef, and Meir Solomon are sons of Diaspora Yeshiva Band's Ben Zion Solomon and were neighbors of Carlebach growing up.
Rick Recht St. Louis-based singer-songwriter who made his name performing at Jewish summer camps. Founded Jewish Rock Radio in 2010.
Adi Ran Hasidic musician based in Ramat Gan. Songs featured in the 2004 Israeli film Ushpizin .
2000 Yidcore Australian comedic punk rock band.
Pharaoh's Daughter American psychedelic folk band with Middle Eastern and klezmer influences, promoted through Tzadik's Radical Jewish Culture series.
2001 La Mar Enfortuna Side project of Elysian Fields focused on rediscovering Sephardic music. Incorporates jazz, folk, rock, Middle Eastern, and Latin music. Formerly signed to Tzadik Records.
2002 Oi Va Voi British Jewish experimental klezmer band.
2003 Blue Fringe Carlebach-inspired pop rock band, formed at Yeshiva University in 2001.
Sefarad Turkish Sefardic rock band.
2004 Matisyahu Formerly-Hasidic reggae fusion artist; experienced mainstream success with his album Youth and its single "King Without a Crown".
Black Ox Orkestar Canadian folk/jazz/rock band performing Yiddish folk songs. [1]
2005 Golem New York-based klezmer/folk punk band.
2006 Rav Shmuel Hasidic rabbi and singer-songwriter playing alternative rock and anti-folk music.
Heedoosh American-born Yemenite grunge/britpop band led by brothers Yaniv and Yahav Tsaidi.
Aharit Hayamim Israeli reggae rock band influenced by Carlebach and Nachman of Breslov.
2007 Aryeh Kunstler Orthodox alternative rock singer-songwriter from Queens, New York. Bassist in Yaakov Chesed.
Hamakor American-Israeli grunge/trance band from Mevo Modi'im. Lead singer Nachman Solomon is the son of Diaspora's Ben Zion Solomon and has brothers in Soulfarm and Moshav Band.
Yood Israeli blues rock trio from Beit Shemesh. Formed by Lazer Lloyd of Reva L'Sheva.
Yaakov Chesed Orthodox alternative rock band from Long Island. Won Yeshiva University's Battle of the Bands in 2007.
2008 The Shondes Brooklyn-based Jewish feminist punk band known for their political activism.
2009 Moshiach Oi! Breslov-oriented hardcore punk band from Long Island.
Ashira All-female Orthodox Israeli band formed at Bar-Ilan University.
Breslov Bar Band Ensemble combining traditional Breslov melodies with styles including rock, punk, funk, jazz, reggae, and klezmer.
2010 JudaBlue Orthodox rock band formed in Silver Spring, Maryland. Lead singer Shlomo Gaisin later formed Zusha.
The Groggers A Modern Orthodox satirical pop punk band from New York.
2011 Schmekel Transgender Jewish folk punk band from Brooklyn, known for their humorous lyrics.
Moshe Hecht Band Folk rock band fronted by Moshe Hecht, a Chabad rabbi from Brooklyn.
8th Day Formed in California by nephews of Avraham Fried. Incorporates klezmer, funk, blues, and reggae.
Shtar Haredi rap rock band composed of American, British, and Israeli members. Formed at Aish HaTorah yeshiva in Jerusalem. Uses elements of Sephardic music.
2012 Bulletproof Stockings All-female Hasidic alternative rock band from Crown Heights.
2013 Deveykus Philadelphia-based drone/doom metal band incorporating traditional Hasidic nigunnim . Signed to Tzadik Records.
2014 Distant Cousins Los Angeles indie pop band. Formed by Dov Rosenblatt of Blue Fringe and Duvid Swirsky of Moshav Band.
Zusha Neo-Hasidic folk/soul band specializing in nigunim . Co-formed by Shlomo Gaisin of JudaBlue.

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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.

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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.

Safam is an American Jewish rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Singer-songwriters Dan Funk, Joel Sussman, Robbie Solomon, and Alan Nelson formed the band in 1974.

References

  1. Marvin Lin (2006). "Black Ox Orkestar - Nisht Azoy". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved 22 December 2015.