Neither rain nor snow keeps Jewlicious from its appointed sounds

BY RYAN TOROK

Matisyahu performs every year at Jewlicious, the three-day Jewish learning and music weekend that takes place at the Alpert Jewish Community Center in Long Beach and this year drew some 900 college students and young professionals.

A friend to JConnect, which organizes the event with Beach Hillel, the Chassidic reggae star has a habit of drawing his audience into his feverish musical frenzy. He did so again this year, but this time, due to snow, he was stuck in a hotel in Canada, while his guitarist was on stage at the Long Beach JCC. Didn’t matter — he Skyped in his performance.

Although the Internet connection cut off several times, the audience was patient and enjoyed the tangential conversations Matisyahu had with friends in the crowd. In what was perhaps the most exhilarating moment of the show, Matisyahu beat-boxed while hip-hop artist Kosha Dillz rapped on stage at the JCC, the two somehow keeping in time with one another.

“Make noise for Skype!” festival director Rabbi Yonah Bookstein said afterward, and the audience actually did.

There was a lot to cheer about all weekend. Now in its seventh year, Jewlicious uses the Coachella Music and Arts Festival as inspiration, offering an extensive lineup of talent and places for attendees to sleep overnight. Organizers keep the recession economy in mind, offering reasonable ticket prices for students — $40 to $50 for full-time undergraduates, which covers all three days as well as meals — and they aim for inclusivity for Jews of all denominations.

“Always, our goal was to be able to draw all parts of the Jewish world,” Bookstein said. “We want it to be a weekend where your political, religious or ethnic background is not a barrier for participation.”

Matisyahu’s wife, Tahlia Miller, a speaker at this year’s festival — she has been involved with Jewlicious the past six years — noted that this year’s festival drew a greater number of less-observant Jews than in previous years.

“I think it’s great because it means that the festival … appeal[s] to a wider audience of college students,” she said.

Live comedy is always an component of Jewlicious, and this year, Randy and Jason Sklar, the sibling performing duo known as the Sklar Brothers, headlined on Saturday night.

“Every time we tell a joke, a tree is planted in Israel,” was among their lines in a 30-minute set. Fools Gold, Soulfarm, Aharit Hayamim and Kosha Dillz were among the musical acts performing between 9:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Saturday night. Fools Gold, a five-piece band from Los Angeles, combined lengthy guitar and percussion jams with Hebrew and English lyrics, rousing the crowd into a dance circle, with couples taking turns venturing into the middle.

“That movement is just what we’re looking for,” said lead singer Luke Top. “In other words, you guys have good taste.”

Attendees came from as far away as Las Vegas; Portland, Ore.; and Louisville, Kentucky.

Larry Forman, 23, a law student at the University of Louisville, had his trip paid for by the Jewish Federation chapter in Kentucky.

“This is like a mini Israel community,” Forman, who lived in Israel for 10 years, said.

Other colleges represented at the festival were Occidental College and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

“A lot of my experiences going to other big Jewish events when I was in BBYO … made me look forward to this,” said Jessica Grenader, a sophomore at Occidental. “It has paid off. I’m so glad I came.”

The folk rock band Moshav played an acoustic set on Sunday afternoon, as UNLV students and members of Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi hung out in the sun by the JCC pool and scarfed barbecued hot dogs. David Bayley, 24, who is studying hotel management and enjoyed playing basketball much of the weekend in the JCC gym, had driven in from Las Vegas.

The festival wasn’t all hot dogs in the sun, though. On Saturday, Matthew Mausner, editor-in-chief of the New Jerusalem Talmud, an online Wiki-type site for controversial social and political topics, such as assimilation, or what to do in Afghanistan, led a discussion about the recent revolution in Egypt and the unrest in Libya.

Activism and politics were in the mix elsewhere, as well. In the JCC’s long main hallway, pro-Israel organization Stand With Us and Livnot U’Lehibanot, which offers one-week volunteer-oriented trips and four- to six-week fellowships in Israel, were just two of the several organizations with information tables. Even Jewish Free Loan Association was there, trying to get the word out about its student loan programs.

At the booth for Repair the World, which promotes Jewish volunteer service and social action, Max Patera, 23, an information technology student at California State University, Channel Islands, asked about overseas volunteer opportunities.

It was Patera’s fifth Jewlicious. “It’s different every year,” he said. “This year, I came with someone who isn’t Jewish. It’s been interesting introducing him to all these Jewish concepts.”

No Jewlicious is complete without a Shabbat celebration, and though the weather was cold and drizzly on Saturday night, that didn’t stop a crowd from dancing and singing outside for a musical Havdalah jam.

Still, whatever the performers and programming, many said they came to Jewlicious for one reason — to meet other people and reconnect with old friends.

I’ve “run into people I haven’t seen forever,” said Evan Fordon, 24, who lives in Los Angeles and works with the autistic. “That’s what’s cool about [being here].”

Back by popular demand — straight from the Holy Land — is Aharit HaYamim, Israel’s #1 Festival Jam Band.

Aharit’s Israeli reggae, dub and ska groove and sensibility is rooted in a longing for peace and love of Zion they share with their Rastafarian brethren. Aharit proclaim their love for “Yerushalayim” and “Holy Mount Zion” with tight four-part harmonies layered over thumping bass lines, lush arrangements and extended play instrumentals. They embody the Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, Funkadelic, and Klezmatics rolled into one.

Acharit are known for their wild street performances in Jerusalem, their massive annual music festival, and traveling the world in search of music. Each member of Acharit comes from a different part of the world, and they bring a colorful variety of instruments into their repertoire. Some of their tracks can be heard on Jewlicious Festival Live Vol.1, which was released in 2010.

The entire band will be joining us for the duration of the Festival starting on Friday, hanging out and being part of the magic of Jewlicious.

Now you can bring the Festival home. This first volume of Jewlicious Festival recordings was mastered and mixed under the supervision of Adam Weinberg in Miami, FL, pressed and printed by Rainbo Records in LA, and recorded live with ProTools at Jewlicious Festival 5.0 on Feb 27 and 28, 2009.

I have been listening to these tracks for a week and it feels like you are there at the Festival.

So you want a copy? To get your copy of the Jewlicious Festival Live – Volume 1 all you have to do is make a
modest $36 donation to the Festival, and you will get the CD as a free gift!

Featuring music by Moshav, Aharit Hayamim, Y-Love, Diwon, Kosha Dillz, Rav Shmuel, Jewdyssee, Dov Rosenblatt. Enjoy these high-fidelity live recordings that will bring you front and center to the Saturday Night Mainstage Concert. (If you want you can also get one at the Fest – We are giving away copies of the CD at Jewlicious Festival thanks to Repair the World!)

Again this is not available for purchase. The bands have graciously donated their tracks to help us raise funds and spread the music of the Festival around the world. This CD is your gift with a donation of $36 or more which goes to subsidizing student tickets to the Festival.

Donation of $36 / S & H: $3.99

This CD was made possible thanks to Repair The World.

Aharit HaYamim is Israel’s #1 Festival Band. Aharit’s Israeli reggae, dub and ska groove and sensibility is rooted in a longing for peace and love of Zion they share with their Rastafarian brethren. Aharit proclaim their love for “Yerushalayim” and “Holy Mount Zion” with tight four-part harmonies, layered over thumping bass lines, lush arrangements and extended play instrumentals. They embody the Grateful Dead and Bob Marley rolled into one.

Check them out on MySpace — Please buy your tickets today at BrownPaperTickets.com

NEW TICKETS ON SALE – SUNDAY DAY PASS AND CONCERT TIX

WEEKEND PASSES INCLUDE
* Food – All meals from Friday until Sunday dinner, plus a 24hr cafe.
* Music. Mind-blowing Saturday night concert, Sunday acoustic stage, as well as Jazz and drum circles throughout the weekend
* 24-hour program with more than you ever thought possible in 3-days
* Presentations, discussions with world-class speakers.
* Shuk/Vendor Fair – Access to the Jewlicious Shuk Vendor Fair on Sunday with loads of cool stuff to buy.

Get a special deal on a room: http://cwp.marriott.com/laxbh/jewlicious

General Admission
$85 – with JCC camping
$75 – without JCC camping

Student Tickets -
$58 with JCC Camping

$48 without camping

CONCERT TIX – $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Sat. Feb 28. Doors open at 9pm

SUNDAY TIX – $36
Sun. Mar. 1. Doors open at 11am
Includes Vendor Fair, Films, Panels, Music Stage.

These concerts are by far the most ambitious that we have ever conceived. So if you cannot come for the whole festival – we have put on sale a limited number of tickets for Saturday night and for Sunday.

What are you waiting for? It will be one of those events that people talk about for a long time. Debut bands this year include Jewdysee all the way from Germany, and Israeli grassroots sensation Aharit Hayamim. Aharit blend the many cultural influences of Israel into one jamming sound. Jewdysee is one of the most exciting acts in all of Europe. Last year Moshav brought down the roof – so we brought them back, as well as internationally acclaimed hip-hop rapper Y-Love. Additional stars of this year’s line-up include, Blue Fringe founder, Dov Rosenblatt, Shempseed creator Erez Safar, aka Diwon and Nosson Zand, who recently toured with Matisyahu. We’ll dance into the night with DJ Eric Rosen & The Twelve Tribes.

Also enjoy the amazing and intense music of these fine performers— Adam Weinberg, J. Kleinberg, Inbar Bakal, David Finlay Quartet, Kosha Dilz, and a surprise guest or two. We are thrilled to announce that the Concert Series will be musically MC’d by Jewlicious fan favorite Rav Shmuel, back by popular demand.

Advance Ticket Price: $ 20
Door Ticket Price: $ 25

Click here, select Feb. 28 from the drop-down menu, buy some tickets today!

We asked every performer to prepare a greeting to the participants of Jewlicious Festival. We think they are pretty clever. Some are made just this week – and a few are classic videos they submitted to highlight their work. We think you’ll find them all very entertaining.

Thanks to all the bands that recorded these fantastic videos. we also can’t wait to see you for JF5

JEWLICIOUS GOES VIRAL

Rav Shmuel – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4GHaYFcVRg

Y-Love – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI_tq-9dtVw&feature=channel_page

Diwon – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfZEMdn_iFw&feature=channel_page

Kosha Dillz – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuy66sChLBs&feature=channel_page

Jewdyssee – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii1-NCkF-Y4

Aharit Hayamim – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcZqyAIbOPI&feature=channel

Nosson Zand – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp4L2cE9Tc0

Moshav – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq1s9_Y8H44

J.Kleinberg – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI9ViQxhDy4

Dov Rosenblatt – http://www.youtube.com/v/qpA_7voclYk&hl=en&fs=1