New Matisyahu Album is now out: LIGHT. Purchase information available here!

And now just to switch it up a little, how about Matisyahu and the crystal Method?

Crazy…

One Day (new single)

Check out Rob Eshman’s article “ONE DAY” in the Jewish Journal for a backstage look at Matisyahu’s tour this year.

I have seen the Jewish future — it’s loud, and hypnotic, and it reeks of pot.

Last week, for two nights, I became a groupie. The singer Matisyahu came into my life just when I needed him most, and I followed him, like a Deadhead after Jerry Garcia, for two days and two nights.

Matisyahu has a few more shows before his tour is over – it’s been a great tour. Hope you can catch it.

One of the single best Summer Music Festivals in the country is June 4-7 in Arkansas. The Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival is a 4-day foot-stomping party born in 2004. Music loving folks from all 50 U.S. States and several countries are expected this year and as many as 100 artists, on 7 stages, with 4 days of non-stop music and entertainment.

Organized by the Shabbat Tent Team (including yours truly), and sponsored by Birthright Israel NEXT, Matisyahu and friends will be setting up prayer services, meals, and parties throughout the weekend.

No knowledge of Shabbat is required, and all activities are open to everyone who wants to attend.

Festival Campers can stop by the Shabbat Tent at anytime throughout the festival simply to hang out, take shelter, nosh, or get into a heated conversation.

Follow Shabbat Tent on Twitter, for more Tent News as the Festival nears, and some more Shabbat Tent projects that are coming down the pipeline.

THAT JEWLICIOUS FEELING!

On stage in the final hour of the record breaking 2009 Festival, BEN PERLSTEIN (LA), Festival Production Manager, and long time Tour Manager for MATISYAHU, steps in on guitar. REB LEIBISH, Montreal’s Ghetto Shul Rabbi on Sax. ADAM WEINBERG (Miami), Matisyahu’s acoustic accompaniment of choice, and Jewlicious Festival’s National Music Director. Filmed by Scott Drucker.

Three days of non-stop fun, music, food, films, workshops, and games. You have to experience Jewlicious to know what its about.

Four more videos and updated YouTube Channel – check it out.

… and you can too!

Uh… visit dancewithmatis.com to create your own made up memory video. What the hell was that dancing guy on??

75 mpg Baby!

Anyone in the vicinity of the Alpert JCC in Long Beach last week may have witnessed somewhat of a bizarre sight – a grammy nominated, Hassidic hip hop/reggae artist puttering around the parking lot in a totally sweet Vespa scooter. The Vespa LXV 150 to be exact. It’s a sweet machine, with long standing hipster cred, a highway safe maximum speed of 59 miles per hour and, in keeping with the Greenkeit element of our Festival, capable of 70-75 miles per gallon. Wow. And did I mention that it was hellaciously fun to ride too? Yeah… sometimes running the Jewlicious Festival can be loads of fun! How much fun? Well, Matisyahu owns a Harley and he was still all giggly riding the Vespa. Thank you good people at Vespa for lending us your awesome scooters! As for the rest of the Festival? Check out the pics below:

www.flickr.com Jewlicious’ Jewlicious Festival 5.0 photoset

Obviously more to come later…

LimmudLA was a terrific success and the organizers and their sponsors should be thanked again and again. LA brought out its best and brightest for this weekend retreat. The program was alive, the vibe good, and the entertainment first rate. Sunday’s concert featured a variety of Jewish performers for a PBS style showcase. It was a unique feat, created by Robbie Helperin. Kudos to Linda Fife & Shep Rosenman, conference co-chairs, & Ruthie Rotenberg, Executive Director of LimmudLA, and all the dozens of volunteers.

The LA Times covered the Limmud LA conference, where Rabbi Yonah, Festival Director and Rachel, Program Director, taught sessions this past Presidents Day Weekend. Jewlicious Festival presenters MATISYAHU and Adam Weinberg brought the crowd to their feet with an inspiring acoustic set on Saturday night, then invited everyone to join them at Jewlicious for another round. The LA Times interviewed another JF5 presenter, Avi Averbach, of Jewish World Watch:

“It’s been an amazing weekend. It’s very relaxed, and you’re meeting all these new people from different areas and different parts of Judaism,” said Ari Averbach, 25, who works with Los Angeles-based Jewish World Watch, an organization focused on ending genocide…. Most of the conference sessions were rooted in Jewish traditions with modern adaptations and messages. Read More,,,

Thanks LimmudLA — it was a great weekend.

[Facebook Event]

FRIDAY NOV 21: SHABBOS WITH MATISYAHU!
Come join one of the most famous American Jewish musicians for a FREE SHABBAT DINNER.
Join us for a brief, private service at 6pm, followed by dinner at 6:30.

LOCATION: Chabad at 1261 S Arville St, Las Vegas 89102

SAT NOV 22: MATISYAHU IN CONCERT!
Shavua Tov! Shabbat’s over and it’s time to celebrate the new week by seeing Matisyahu in Concert! Hillel will be subsidizing tickets, but the amount will be dependent upon student interest.

House of Blues – Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd South
Doors open at 6pm. on Sat. Night. Nov 22

So Matisyahu’s in Jerusalem for the holidays. Saw him at a show two nights ago – Samuel Nelson’s new band Semantra was performing at Canaan on Shamai street (they were pretty good!) – all the usual Nachlaot suspects were in attendance. So Matisyahu ambles over and tells me about a show he put together at the last minute – just him, his guitarist who was in town and a couple of locals. The show was in a small retrofitted Cafe near the shuk – it barely fit 50 people and there was a huge overflow crowd outside – folks who didn’t heed the warning that the show would sell out in like… a minute. Hippies… what do you expect? So yeah. Great show.

Sasha, who shot this vid, and I know Matisyahu well from his time hangin’ at the Jewlicious Festival. The locals were all “how you know Matis?” after they saw him talking to us. Sasha lied and said they used to date and I told them that I met him in Jail. Anyhow the Festival is coming up at the end of February. One of the things we want to do to promote it is to put together a compilation CD of some of the artists who have appeared at Jewlicious. That’s why this post has the schnorrer box. We’re still a little short of the $2500 we’ll need to produce 1000 CDs. Now’s your chance to help us out and get some phat toonzes. Donate $18 or more and get a free CD! Yay!