Blog
By Michael Croland
Bram Presser Discusses Yidcore While Promoting Book in the U.S.
Australian author Bram Presser just wrapped up a weeks-long U.S. book tour for The Book of Dirt. (Check out my 2017 post and Matthue Roth‘s review.) In addition to speaking about his award-winning book, Presser discussed his past as the singer of Yidcore, the quintessential Jewish punk band, at events and in interviews. I attended two of Presser’s […]
Shabbat of Comfort and Renewal
Today Sen. Susan Collins announced that she’ll vote for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be on the Supreme Court, signaling that he has enough votes to get confirmed. For many of us who objected to Kavanaugh’s nomination, this was devastating. The news came on a Friday afternoon. In Facebook posts, two thought-provoking Jewish musicians referred to […]
“Angry Jew Punk” Band Confronts Nazis on “Oi Vey”
Damn Dirty Commies’ Oi Vey is a pithy album. If you don’t count the two comedic interludes and the one rap bonus track, there are just three songs, taking up less than five minutes combined. At a time when Kanye West can offer up seven songs as an album, let’s not debate whether it’s an album. The Philadelphia-based “Angry […]
On the Radio: “Mosh Hashana: A Punk Tribute to the Jewish New Year”
Have you ever listened online to a public radio show in Alaska and felt like the DJ was speaking directly to you? Today on Soundings on KRNN Juneau, Johnny Negotiable started off his show by saying: We have listeners from far-flung Queens, New York. Well, actually, that’s a little bit of a hyperbole. We have one listener in […]
Guest Post: Jewish Metal Music Politics on the Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud
The following guest post is by Jim Hale. Jim lives in Juneau, Alaska, with his wife, Michelle, and their two dogs, Murphy and Molly. Under the nom de guerre Johnny Negotiable, he hosts a music show he calls “episodes in the history of noise,” on Friday mornings from 10 to noon on 102.7 FM, KRNN Juneau and […]
Sports Illustrated & My Other Air Guitar Media Hits
This week Sports Illustrated TV included a 30-second interview clip with me in a show about air guitar! You can watch the full 10-minute episode here; a free 7-day trial is required. Click here to watch a 1-minute preview video that includes a brief quote from me. Here’s a transcript: Me: Are you really here from Sports […]
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 […]
