Hasidic Jew reggae artist turns from Phish to faith

‘ ‘ ‘ If you know one thing about Matisyahu, it’s probably that he’s a Hasidic Jewish reggae… ‘ ‘ ‘ If you know one thing about Matisyahu, it’s probably that he’s a Hasidic Jewish reggae artist. ‘ ‘ ‘ But with a new, hip-hop flavored record about to drop early next year, which will likely push him well into the mainstream, you’re about to find out a lot more. ‘ ‘ ‘ One thing you probably didn’t know, though, is that Matisyahu wasn’t always who he is today. In fact, he was far from it ‘mdash; born Matthew Miller in 1979, the future Matisyahu didn’t grow up in synagogue, he grew up in the temple of Phish, the Grateful Dead-like musical trippers that gathered a cultish following unlike few bands before it. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It was a combination of the music and the lifestyle,’ said Matisyahu in a recent interview with The Pitt News. ‘That first Phish show was a life-changing experience for me. I saw kids my age who, all they did was chase the experience. They weren’t bound by school or parents. It was like Never Never Land.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Soon Matisyahu joined in the chase, following his favorite band on tour around the country. But, as the story goes, he soon wanted more from life and fell into a group of Hasidic (ultra-Orthodox) Jews in Brooklyn and embraced Judaism. In another rather sudden move, Miller adopted the moniker Matisyahu (a Hebrew translation of Matthew, meaning ‘gift of God’) and quit the Phish-following altogether. ‘ ‘ ‘ But music reared its head in Matisyahu’s life before long, and by 2004 he’d recorded his debut reggae record, Shake of the Dust … Arise. Performing in full Hasidic garb (long beard, prayer shawl worn under clothing, all black-and-white garments), he was an odd duck among the highly sexualized contemporary music crowd and quickly garnered mainstream attention from both fans and the press. ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s an unusual story for a certainly left-of-center musician, but it’s one that was so highly publicized, one’s got to wonder if it overshadowed the music. ‘ ‘ ‘ After all, a Hasidic Jew singing reggae songs about God (often in Hebrew) with a faux-Jamaican accent isn’t exactly commonplace on the top 40. ‘ ‘ ‘ But it’s a struggle Matisyahu is willing to deal with in the name of staying true to his faith. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘All too often, in a lot of towns across America, being Jewish isn’t something you’d want to put out there. I came to the scene showing that there was something truthful and real within Judaism,’ said Matisyahu. ‘That’s my inspiration, so that’s what I put out there. In that sense, I feel good that people can connect and open their eyes to something they may already know but couldn’t put their finger on.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ With his second record, Live at Stubb’s, Matisyahu brought his fusion of styles to a much wider audience. The record’s first single, ‘King Without A Crown,’ was picked up by radio stations all across the country and played in heavy rotation on MTV. Slowly, this tall, bearded man began to sink into pop culture and, thankfully, lose his novelty appeal. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It was amazing that radio gave it a shot. It was live reggae sung by a Hasidic Jew ‘mdash; it had everything going against it. It did have something a lot of the usual reggae bands didn’t, though. It had a New York edge to it. It’s a combination of musical styles that people like, but hadn’t heard together before,’ said Matisyahu. ‘Plus, it must’ve had to do with the message.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Matisyahu here points at maybe his biggest draw. ‘ ‘ ‘ Mention the term ‘religious rock’ to most music fans and they’ll cringe in disdain, citing the often cheesy, edge-less styles of contemporary Christian- or Jewish-rock groups, like Rick Recht or Michael W. Smith. But more recently, bands have begun to let their faith shine through in far less obtrusive ways, making for religious rock that’s more the latter than the former. Just check bands like Reliant K, Guster or the entire Christian metalcore scene. ‘ ‘ ‘ In this way, kids clinging to religion can find music that speaks to them about everyday topics without sounding like another morning at church. ‘ ‘ ‘ Still, with his songs often in Hebrew and his message quite pronounced, Matisyahu sticks out. While he’s not coming to your local synagogue to dance the horah with Grandma Ida, he is sticking to his religious guns. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Both Jewish and Christian kids feel like my music is their’s ‘mdash; it’s music about God. But for the Jewish kids, I think I’m the first artist out there to fully represent himself as a Jew and get accepted in the mainstream,’ said Matisyahu. ‘I’m happy that kids can hear my music and feel proud of being Jewish.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Matisyahu certainly is ‘mdash; and he’ll never let his career get in the way of that. Matis doesn’t play shows before Shabbat ends on Saturday nights (at sundown), he keeps kosher even while on tour, and he maintains a strict regiment of praying three times a day. In fact, he put our interview on hold for 20 minutes in order to pray the traditional Mincha service before nightfall. ‘ ‘ ‘ And with a new record incorporating equal parts rock, reggae and hip-hop, Matisyahu’s music will soon become even more the central part of his act. But, Matisyahu assures me, his Judaism and his music will never be mutually exclusive, whether one is more prominent in the public eye or not. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Music and life are not separate. In my daily life I strive to have some sort of communication and relationship with the ultimate other, being God,’ he said. ‘Music is an outlet for that inner life.’