All Blog Posts (126)

Rag-tag musicians roll into Skokie Theatre

Our show with Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour was captured beautifully by the photographers at Time Out Chicago.  Check out all the photos hear:…

JDub Records, the label and event organization that brought us Matisyahu, Balkan Beat Box and 33 releases by a roster of 16 acts announced it will close it doors and cease operations.

"The decision to close was entirely financial, as the challenges facing our business model are too great to overcome. We were never a normal record label, nor were we ever just a record company. We always

knew that in order to…

The famed stained glass windows by artist Marc Chagallhave been reinstalled at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The windows, one of 2 major permanent installations by the artist in Chicago, were removed for extensive…

Snow once again blankets NYC, but it has failed to restrain the fearsome Golem! Indeed the Klezmer Rockers have fled for the Windy City for a January 15 show by KFAR Jewish Arts Center at the venerable venue Martyrs.  Before they rock the stage, they've rampaged the page in the local…

Debbie Friedman, Jewish music luminary, has passed way in California at the age of 59. A prolific songwriter, spiritual leader and Transformational force in contemporary Jewish life, she was a native of Utica, New York raised in MInnesota.  Her formative and early productive years as a composer were spent at Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute in Wisconsin.

Her 19 albums and clear Joan Baez style vocal…

This week, representatives from Jewish cultural institutions from around the world convened in New York for the annual 'Schmooze Conference" of the International Jewish Presenters Association. Other commitments prevented my attendance, but I was fortunate to speak at the first one a few years back.

Its a wonderful concept, and it seems to have some…

Irreverent singer-songwriter is coming to town with a satirical way of looking at his tribe...

Read the whole article here

The show that…

"In the proud tradition of Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song, Jewmongous celebrates Jewishness at a time when the reason for the season seems lost in pastiche and opportunity for irreverence abounds. Sean Altman, founder of Rockapella (!), handily takes on tongue-in-cheek semitism of the Silverman variety with a concert/borderline musical of…

Tim Monaghan, drummer for our pals GOLEM, is in serious condition after being found unconscious in the stairwell of a Brooklyn loft building.  He underwent emergency surgery to relieve bleeding in the brain.  Like so many musicians, Tim is uninsured. Hell, musicians can barely make a living. And as a musician playing Jewish music? Puh-lease. A relief fund has been set up to help defray Tim's mounting expenses.

Tim Monaghan in Recovery…

In advance of Saturday's show, Jewmongous creator Sean Altman talks to the Sun-Times:

In his liner notes and in his show, Altman, 49, talks about his faith -- or lack of it. He admits he hasn't been much of a believer since he went through the motions of his bar mitzvah. That doesn't mean,…

New York Times has a feature story on Diddy Sean Combs protege Shyne's conversion to…

Next weekend, the Association for Jewish Theater holds its annual conference in Chicago. As one of America's leading theatrical cities, Chicago is also the home of two AJFT member theaters, The Piven Theatre Workshop and Northwestern University's Jewish Theatre Ensemble. Both of those organizations co-host the conference with AJT President David Chack.

The conference will…