I Don’t Roll on Shabbos
Cello, Alive
That a former Reconstructionist Jew and hallucinogen-soaked
Phish-head festikid turns into one of the premier icons of young
Judaism through reggae is proof of how bizarrely coincidental
notoriety is in the music industry.
If you knew nothing of Matisyahu but somehow happened upon
his live show, the thought “Dude, there’s a rabbi on stage” might
cross your mind. And you won’t catch him gigging on a Friday night.
That’s not how he gets down — Matis don’t roll on Shabbos.
Though not a rabbi, Matiyahu’s full-on Hasidic Judaism is part of
what makes him the most interesting reggae performer alive. The
hat, the hair, the beard, the chazzan-style singing that is traditional
of his religion: All would seem, at best, subversive were Matisyahu
not as astoundingly talented — no, multitalented — as he is. He is no
mere novelty in the name of ticket sales. Find a reggae singer who
sounds sort of like Eek-a-Mouse mixed with Barrington Levy, who
can beatbox like Rahzel, scat like a jazz catman and freestyle like an
underground hip hop MC, this is what listeners discovered when they
stumbled onto Matisyahu several years ago. Now, in
the custom of his earlier jamband infl uences,
Matisyahu has begun to release live albums
— the third of which, Live at Stubbs Vol.
2, debuted in February and is widely
considered his best yet (Live at Stubbs
Vol. 1 is better).
Conscious of himself as a cultural
fi gurehead for Jewish youth,
Matisyahu takes to the stage bridging
gaps among several worlds, some of
which (like Hassidism and reggae)
have never before been bridged, and
some of which (such as the identity
struggle between race and culture
and nationalism for American Jews)
are ever-changing. He remains in the
big leagues of the American record
labels (Sony BMG, JDub, Epic) and
music scene, as both an oddity and a
staple the likes of which has never
before been seen.
Matisyahu plays 7 pm
Sunday, July 31, at WOW
Hall; $25 adv., $28 door.
— Dante Zuñiga-West
Ben Sollee makes chamber-pop or baroque-folk that is smart, quirky and
charming. In 2007, NPR’s Morning Edition named Sollee one of the “Top Ten
Unknown Artists of the Year,” and in 2008 the network described Sollee’s debut
album Learning to Bend as “an inspired collection of acoustic, folk and jazz-
fl avored songs, fi lled with hope and the earnest belief that the world is good.”
Since then Sollee has stayed busy touring with the Vienna Teng Trio and
collaborating with fellow Kentuckian Daniel Martin Moore on the album Dear
Companion, produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket. James says of Sollee’s
distinctively percussive approach to the cello: “I never expect to see that cello
in one piece after Ben gets done playing it. He bows and
beats and works it over with a passionate fury rarely
seen. Don’t get me wrong — he can play it and hold his
own with the most schooled and delicate scholars out
there, but more importantly, Ben makes it live.”
Sollee is also known for his social consciousness
and political activism, working with regional non-
profi ts like Appalachian Voices and Kentuckians for
the Commonwealth, to help preserve his ancestral
Appalachia. In 2010, Ben and his band toured the
country not in the comfort of a bus or a plane but by
bicycle, hauling all their gear along with them
(including that cello). Sollee says that
this allowed the musicians to accomplish
goals of sustainability while also letting
them “slow down and experience the rich
communities and people that I’ve spent
years fl ying-by and driving past.”
This experience infl uenced Sollee’s
aptly titled 2011 release Inclusions —
in both his signature genre bending
and themes of relationships and
connections (personal, community
wide or between artistic mediums such
as music, fi lm and dance). “I love this
record,” says Sollee. “I love it for all of
its meanings, explicit and incidental. In
these songs, I can hear the city I grew
up in and the people that lived down the
street.”
Ben Sollee plays 4:30 pm Saturday, July
30, at Skip’s Records & CD World, n/c; and
9 pm at WOW Hall; $13 adv., $15 door. —
William Kennedy
Tea, Art and Industrial Noise
The Art of Glass will host a benefi t concert
July 29 for local sculptor David P. Miller. Miller,
whose work was recently featured in the Eugene
Storefront Art Project, has battled brain cancer
for the past two years. Proceeds will go toward his
medical expenses.
The opener is Samuel F. Harmon, whose
gentle, folksy voice seems designed for art gallery
benefi ts. The singer knows how to work both guitar
and poetic wail alike — think Bob Dylan singing Iron
and Wine — but the sound is refreshingly raw and
eerie without being sorrowful and melodramatic.
The second act is Harmon’s opposite — Don
Haugen, a performer whose former stage name
was Warning Broken Machine. Haugen’s electrical-
industrial noise music can be harsh and jarring
at times, but the unconventional combinations of
whirls and static are always intriguing.
Continuing the industrial theme of the night is
“noiz improv” band FRANTIC, a duo consisting
of two distortion-loving bassists known as Mr.
Random and tHE bOY. Electronic elements aside,
FRANTIC offers jazz-like phrasing that shows off
the musicians’ well-matched partnership. And
they are excited about playing to support Miller.
“David has come to FRANTIC shows in the past,
and he has been a faithful supporter of the
local music and arts scene,” said Mr. Random. “I
certainly hope (the event) is successful in raising
substantial funds for David.”
A performance piece by artist Peter Herley,
also the event’s coordinator, will conclude the
evening. Herley will paint onstage accompanied
by a live performance from FRANTIC.
Samuel F. Harmon, Don Haugen and FRANTIC
play the “Tea Time For David P. Miller” 5:30 pm
Friday, July 29, at Art of Glass. — Brit McGinnis
R.I.P.
Amy Winehouse
September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011
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