Blog
By Michael Croland
Punk Rock Shabbat on the Warped Tour
After 24 years, the Warped Tour, the iconic touring punk rock festival, concluded its final cross-country run last week. For the seven Fridays of the tour, Punk Rock Shabbat brought together Jewish punks at Warped. The weekly gathering was organized by Kosha Dillz (a rapper who hosted the event), One Table (which brings people together for Shabbat dinners), and Shabbat Tent (which […]
Traditional Music with a Punk Edge & Punk with a Traditional Edge
Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys at Forest Hills Stadium Photos by David Perle On Friday, I saw Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys on their first-ever U.S. tour together. I’ve now seen them about 16 and 9 times, respectively—about 25 times combined. After I saw the two bands together for the first time in 2016, I […]
Yiddish Under the Stars
On Wednesday night, stylistically diverse musicians delivered crowd-pleasing performances in Yiddish at Central Park’s SummerStage in New York. Klezmer was front and center, but there were elements of rock, cantorial, bluegrass, jazz, rap, American folk, world fusion, and show tunes along the way. I went primarily for the two punk-oriented klezmer acts—and they didn’t disappoint! Golem opened […]
Jewcy Series: Punk Playlists for Jewish Holidays
I’ve written fifteen punk-related articles for Jewcy in the last two years (plus more in 2009 and 2010). I’m particularly proud of what I now consider to be a complete series, which explored Jewish punk songs vis-à-vis Jewish holidays. Published between September 2016 and today, these nine articles cover a wide range of holidays and occasions (including some […]
Anthony Bourdain: Jewish Punk?
After celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain committed suicide today, I was surprised to learn that he was Jewish and had a punk background. Bourdain was Jewish on his mother’s side. When filming in Jerusalem in 2013, he reportedly said that he “was raised without religion. One side of the family long ago, Catholic. I think. The […]
DIY Shavuot Learning Fest, Including My “Vegetarianism in the Jewish Tradition” Presentation
Wandering Jews of Astoria hosted a learning fest for Shavuot last night. While I’ve enjoyed the massive, all-night version at the Manhattan JCC in years past, it was more intimate having a dozen people in a board member’s living room. In a very DIY manner, community members taught—and learned from—each other. While all my Jewish […]
Farewell, Punk Jews Facebook Group
The 2012 documentary Punk Jews shined a spotlight on alternative Jewish culture, including the Torah hardcore band Moshiach Oi! The team behind the documentary (director Jesse Zook Mann, producer Evan Kleinman, and co-producer Saul Sudin) did more than just create a great film. Dating back before the film’s release, they created a community for outside-the-box Jews, both with events and […]
Two Years Since the Book Was Published
Today marks two years since Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk was published. I did a one-year anniversary post, and now it’s time to recap everything that’s happened since! My article with the most reach was “Punk Bands Prove Shofar Isn’t Just for the High Holidays.” I wrote it for JTA (a wire service), and it was […]
Elisha Wiesel Discusses the Ramones, Nazi/German Imagery in Punk/Hardcore
Since Holocaust survivor and educator Elie Wiesel passed away in 2016, there have been a few articles profiling his son, Elisha Wiesel, and mentioning his punk background. Howie Abrams, author of Finding Joseph I: An Oral History of H.R. from Bad Brains, interviewed Elisha for Decibel, and the piece just went online today. The interview focuses on Elisha’s […]
Jewish Museum of Maryland Presentation & Na Nach Oi! Performance
At the Jewish Museum of Maryland on Sunday, I gave a multimedia presentation about Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk and Moshiach Oi! front man Yishai Romanoff performed a solo acoustic set (under the stage name Na Nach Oi!). The Baltimore Jewish Times had this to say about my presentation: “If being an American Jew […]
