Three Music Videos Word from: Jake

Talking about synchronicity! Three music videos, united by the same cross-cultural context came my way this week:

-Gospel Choir doing Shlomo Carlebach. Not as much funk as I was hoping for, but still good. I hope they will cover more of his tunes.

-Here's a trailer for the ballistic-kabbalistic project Universal Face, which talks about the world music and mysticism; the film is making its rounds in the US right now. The director's filming / production techniques are far out. If you live in New York you can catch a showing next week, at Makor and the JCC of the UWS.

-Last but not least, the Jamaican-made version of Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues, covered by Sizzla has been around for some while, but it was so great to run into it again. Sweet stuff.

Myspace: Tons of Great Jewish Music Word from: Jake

I don't browse web for fun. Don't read the news (Thoreau: "people who edit and read the news are old ladies gossiping over their tea" - or something like it, I'm paraphrasing.) I even got bored with Jewschool. But! The new addiction replacing blogomania, smoking, napping, (and most certainly - working) is myspace. If you're not on it, where've you been? As a friend of my said yesterday "there is so much good Jewish music on myspace!" Word. So I'd like to take a minute highlight a couple of bands hanging out on there:

-Pharaohs Daughter which I'm always ranting about, the greatest contemporary Jewish music band

-Sway Machinery: dig the sounds of this new weird, brilliant, genious avant-garde project

-David Keesey, the long-standing Mima'amakim brother, who appeared at many of our shows with various bands and solo

-King Django, who I recently rediscovered and became obssessed with - specifically, the Stubborn All-Stars record, a great production of new old-school ska and reggae. He, by the way, also appears in the Awake Zion movie, which I was blogging about just recently.

-Sinai Incorporated, a high-school rock band from Teaneck! It's really catchy fun stuff. Especially a track called "Let Me Go." This one was the most unexpected recent discovery.

Lastly, you can also find all of these bands linked as space-friends of a certain obscure Jewish avant-garde trio, Frantic Turtle.

I definitely left a few good acts out (what am I, a radio?) but maybe someone will do a follow-up.

MASSIVE NEWS Word from: Jake

Please sit down if you're standing. No drama. But, God rested on the seventh day; the Israelites held back from tilling the soil every seventh year; and the Mima'amakim print publication is going to take a brake on the seventh year of its existence.

Aside from being cosmically attuned, of course, we have other considerations as well. We need this break to regroup and rethink... We're going to assess what we've been doing and prepare to get to the next stage.

The website (blog & forums) will continue as before, and we're planning a few great shows including an all-out glorious gig for New York Jewish Music Festival. But, the journal itself will not come out this year. Our deepest apologies to all artists who have submitted their material, and to the fans, who put on their spectacles in eager anticipation.

Distances, said Novalis, make philosophy into poetry. We need this bit of a distance to brew fresh thoughts into real poetry, and come back, reborn as something new.

Stay attuned!

Two Blissed Out Travelogues and One Submissions Call Word from: Jake

Have you read the recent issue of the Jamaican Observer? No?? Where've you been?

A gate blocked the road, manned by a young Israeli border guard with his M-16 at the ready. Sternly approaching us, he did a double-take as he spotted the numerous red, gold and green stickers affixed to our van.

His expression softened with a smile, and he cried out, "Rastafari!"

This is Roger Steffen's travelogue of his trip to Israel, where he's been "preaching the Marley gospel." Both he and Amy "the Night Nurse" Wachtel, who accompanied him, appear in Monica Haim's fantastic documentary on Hebraic roots of Rasta and the contemporary Reggae Jews, called Awake Zion.

Another must-see travelogue is Aaron Hamburger's well-blogged return to Prague! He's the author of The View from Stalin's Head, and Faith for the Beginners, and we had the pleasure of his appearance at our Telos vs. Tahlis gig (there's a video of him reading an excerpt from the novel.)

And here's a submissions call for the New Yorkers. Carlebach Shul is doing a big Lag BaOmer gig on May 16th, and they'd like Mima'amakim folk to come over and read, preferably something esoteric and Biblical. If you're interested, email Eszter and Elyakeem at lagbomer @ yourspark.com.