Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or if you do not see the holidays as anything more than a way to celebrate consumption, we don’t see why you wouldn’t be interested in the cross cultural work of JDub Records. More than a non-profit organization that aims to support Jewish musicians who are creating innovative work, JDub Records is also a production company focused on strategic planning (including events, tours and content distribution) with artists who dwell on various crafts, from music to comedy.
Founded in December 2002 by Ben Hesse and Aaron Bisman – who were then NYU students -, JDub Records brought attention to American Hasidic Jewish reggae musician Matisyahu, and now holds in its artist roster bands Balkan Beat Box, Girls in Trouble and The Macaroons, amongst others, like Soulico and the comedian Michael Showalter. JDub’s mission is to introduce proud Jewish artists into mainstream culture by investing into presenting a community identity that has shifted away from crisis and reaction, focusing on celebration and transformation.
Balkan Beat Box
Balkan Beat Box was started by ex-Gogol Bordello member Ori Kaplan, along with Tamir Muskat and Tomer Yosef. In the studio and also in live performances, the musicians often work with collaborators. Kaplan and Muskat grew up in Israel, having moved to Brooklyn, New York, later in their lives. The band, which once invited a Palestinian rapper on stage at a concert in Israel, seeks to bring freshness to Jewish traditional music and to encourage peace between citizens from various cultures. Balkan Beat Box combines elements of Jewish klezmer with Jamaican dub, hip-hop, dancehall beats, and also with Mediterranean and Balkan traditions.
Girls in Trouble is the project of Alicia Jo Rabins, a multi-instrumentalist who had her first experience with music by playing a violin at age three. Since then, Alicia has developed her songwriting skills and her abilities as a musician and, before moving to Brooklyn, she bought a one-way ticket to Jerusalem, where she spent two years learning Hebrew, Aramaic, and studying ancient texts and rituals. Upon returning to the United States, Alicia earned a Master’s degree in Jewish women’s studies and a Master’s degree in poetry, and dedicated herself to Girls In Trouble, along with bassist Aaron Hartman, drummer Tim Monaghan and musician Jascha Hoffman (who plays piano, keyboards, and vibraphone). Alicia arranges and performs all string parts, guitar parts and vocal harmonies of her indie-folk songs – all of which are simultaneously complex and delicate, especially the track I Was a Desert, which opens the Girls in Trouble self-titled album.
The Macaroons is the first band of JDub Kids, a segment of the company that is dedicated to Jewish kids music and programming. The Macaroons members are author, journalist and musician Michael Azerrad, and musicians Shawn Fogel, Dan Saks and Dave Schneider. The band’s first album, Let’s Go Coconuts, was recently released and is available at JDub’s website for $11.99. The Macaroons’ digital single, Hurry Up, It’s JDub Kids’ Hanukkah!, consists of two tracks, Dreidel Bird and Hurry Up and Light the Candles, and can be downloaded for $1.98 at the iTunes store.
