Born in Pennsylvania and raised in New York, Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jewish reggae musician. He is known for his rare mesh of hip-hop and reggae and traditional Jewish ideas. He has become a cultural icon and his music has helped build him a loyal fan base around the world. It encompasses diverse styles and sounds – including dancehall, ska, pop-rock and folk – a fact which speaks to the diversity of his own musical tastes. In this video, http://www.WatchMojo.com speaks with Matisyahu about his name, his culture and religion, his journey and his most recent album, ‘Light.’ continue reading...
Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu will embark on an extensive summer tour beginning May 30, playing major festivals and co-headlining several shows in the South with Les Claypool and on the East Coast with Umphrey’s McGee, including Central Park Summerstage on July 9. (Please see reverse for a complete schedule of confirmed dates.)
Bass virtuoso Les Claypool is known for his seminal work with Primus, as well as a bevy of his own projects including Oysterhead (with Trey Anastasio and Stewart Copeland) and The Frog Brigade. Umphrey’s McGee, which has several critically acclaimed albums to its credit, is one of the most visible and successful improvised music bands in recent years.
In addition to his shows alongside Claypool and Umphrey’s McGee, Matisyahu plays a slew of major festivals this summer including Wakarusa Festival (June 5), Harmony Music Festival (June 14-15), Milwaukee Summerfest (July 2), 80-35 Festival (July 3), Rothbury Festival (July 5), Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest (July 11), Festival d’été de Québec (July 12), Mile High Music Festival (July 19).
Joined by a new backing band, the acclaimed dub-rock band Dub Trio along with Matisyahu band veterans Aaron Dugan (guitar) and Rob Marscher (keyboards), Matisyahu kicks off the tour May 30 in Florida. Dub Trio, whom The New York Times says “affectionately recall Bad Brains,” consists of DP Holmes (guitar & keyboards), Stu Brooks (bass & keyboards) and Joe Tomino (drums & melodica). Dub Trio played on Matisyahu’s cover of John Lennon’s “Watching the Wheels” for 2007’s compilation Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
Matisyahu emerged in 2004 with his debut album Shake Off the Dust…Rise. With the release of Live at Stubb’s (2005), which reached #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and Youth (2006), which debuted at #4 on Billboard’s Top 200 and reached #1 on the Reggae Albums chart, Matisyahu gained considerable critical acclaim. Both albums subsequently went Gold and Youth was nominated for a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. continue reading...
Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu will release a new full-length album, Light on April 21 (Epic Records). On the heels of a sold-out, critically acclaimed national tour in support of the new Shattered EP, as well as the 3rd annual Festival of Light concerts in New York City, Matisyahu continues the creative momentum with his most adventurous and personal record to date. Further tour dates will be announced shortly.
Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, Sublime), Light was recorded and mixed in Jamaica, New York, Los Angeles and Virginia. Several guest artists contribute to the record: son of legendary reggae artist Freddie McGregor and among Jamaica’s youngest and most innovative producers Stephen McGregor (co-producer, keyboards, drum-programming, “Smash Lies,” “Motivate” and “Struggla”—Remix), ground-breaking Jamaican reggae rhythm section Sly & Robbie (drums and bass, “Two Child One Drop,” “Temple,” “I Will Be Light” and “7 Beggars”), noted production team Eric Krasno & Adam Deitch of Fyre Dept. (co-producers and live instruments, “Struggla”) and Fish and Norwood Fisher (drums and bass, “We Will Walk” and “So Hi So Lo”) of the L.A. alt-punk-ska band Fishbone. continue reading...
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