Mount Sinai Jewish Center presents
Shlomo Katz Concert

Motzai Shabbat Feb. 21 @8:30 PM
Mount Sinai Jewish Center
Washington Heights, NY
135 Bennett Ave (corner of 187th St.)
$15 per person

Shlomo Katz is a world renowned musician and performer who has forged his own path in Jewish music. Living currently in the Judean Mountains of Efrat,  his beautiful music has captivated audiences of Jews from all walks of life. Please join us for a night of singing and prayer, connecting to Yerushalayim. http://www.pirsumeinisa.com/shlomokatz.html

Semantra Live @ C'naan, Jerusalem
with special guest Ben Draiman

Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 9:00 PM
Cnaan Pub (www.cnaan.org)
15 Shamai Street, Jerusalem
NIS 25

Come out and get your groove on!

For more information, check out our Facebook event page and our Myspace page.

"Semantra" fuses psychedelic-funk sounds, poetry, and ethnic influences in their repertoire of both original music and classic rock. Their dynamic live shows showcase their trademark jams- reminiscent of "The Grateful Dead" and "The Doors", yet in a category of their own.

About Ben Draiman: Heavily influenced by the likes of Coldplay and Evanescence lies the soulful, melancholy, and sweet melodies of Ben Draiman.  This piano based musical journey will leave you teary eyed, but wanting more.

This Tuesday night, February 17th in Jerusalem...

RebbeSoul plays with haMakor
@
Canaan
15 Rechov Shamai, Jerusalem
(in the center of the city)

8:45pm - 11:45pm

Starting off the show is Oneg Shemesh.

and...

AMERICANS, Take heart...
RebbeSoul has been invited to play in the US in early April. We're working on adding other venues to complete the tour.
www.rebbesoul.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JEWLICIOUS FESTIVAL CONCERT SERIES

By far the most ambitious concert series we have ever conceived.

Debut bands this year include Jewdysee all the way from Germany, and Israeli grassroots sensation Aharit Hayamim. Aharit Hayamim 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 Dillz, 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.

FULL DETAILS ON www.JEWLICIOUSFESTIVAL.COM

Jewlicious Festival is a three-day gathering of Jewish students & young adults, held at the massive 85,000 sq. ft. Alpert JCC in Long Beach. The Festival features leading Jewish personalities, musicians, artists, and writers from around the world for a world-class concert series, inspiring Shabbat experiences, discussions and workshops. Jewlicious has been described as an event unlike any other weekend in Jewish history. Jewlicious unites trend-setters, artists and spirit seekers; Ashkenazim, Sefardim, Persians and Mizrachim; atheists, agnostics, skeptics and believers; designers, activists, jocks, and hipsters. Sound impossible?

Don't worry, we have done this before.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Join us this Sunday night to see two of the greatest Jewish performers EVER: C Lanzbom and Noah Solomon (from Soulfarm). This is going to be a relaxed, spiritual show, and since Monday is President's Day they might play a little late. Tickets are only $16 and $12 for students with ID. Doors open at 7:45 pm.
We hope to see you there!

The ROC House
550 W. 110th st
NY, NY 10025
212-222-2470

Coming to the ROC House Monday Night, February 23rd: SIMPLY TSFAT!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shalom all,
I am happy to announce that I am producing a CD Launch "Thanksgiving" Bash in honor of my new CD. The party will take place this Tuesday, 17/2/09 at the Matnas in Karnei Shomron at 8:30.

The band is fantastic! This will be a quality, fun show and afterword, a dance! I'd love to see you there. This time, it's women only.

Tickets may be ordered at the matnas, or via phone with a credit card (09-7920201).

Shabbat shalom.
Love,
Nomi
www.myspace.com/nomiteplow

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOUL FARM
"a sound that's cross-cultural and positively intoxicating." Relix Magazine

ISRAEL TOUR

Soulfarm, which includes musicians C Lanzbom and Noah Solomon, has earned both critical and popular acclaim.

They have shared the stage with musicians such as Bruce Hornsby, Shawn Colvin, Perry Farrell, and Dispatch.

Soulfarm has emerged, with a unique blend of rock, pop, folk, and country, with sweet-as-honey melodies, soulful harmonies, and Lanzbom's captivating guitar leads.

Tour Schedule:

Thursday February 19th
Moadon Raymon,
Karmiel
Show: 21:00
Entrance 40/50 nis
Advance: 052-3414544

Saturday night February 21st
Matnas, Ramat Bet Shemesh
Nachal Dolev, RBS Aleph,
Doors open 20:30

Advance reservations: 40 nis students/youth 50 nis regular
Door 60 nis everyone
Bookings: 052-5665600 077-2164436
Online bookings

Sunday night February 22nd
Milestone Club, Mivtzar Shuni, Binyamina.
Entrance 50/60 nis
Doors open 20:30
Reservations: 04-6388760

Monday February 23rd
Private event - Herzeliya)

Rosh Chodesh Adar performance
Tuesday Feb 24th
The Lab (haMaabada)
Derech Chevron 28
Doors open 21:00
Entrance 60 / 70 nis
Reservations: 02-6292000 1-700-700-923

Wednesday February 25th
Private event
Kibbutz Beerot Yitzchak
Jerusalem

www.rny.co.il

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Announcing the SimplyTsfat Northern Meltdown winter Concert tour Feb 15th - March 1st. Entrance to all penguins and polar bears are free at all concerts! Come help us melt the snow and get ready for the month of Adar and Purim! See http://www.simplytsfat.com for all details

Please pass this on to all your friends in the following cities: Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, NY, Syracuse,
Binghamton, Springfield, Teaneck, Highland Park NJ, St Paul

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ideology is OK, but what's really important is if the party has a good jingle. Now is YOUR chance to vote for your favorite Israeli political party election commercial in the 2009 Knesset elections. Leave your comment and make your opinion be heard!  As host of one of the better music programs featured on Israel National Radio, I have taken it as my duty to share with you my intricately hand-picked videos featuring awesome and cool songs.

Ichud Leumi - National Union, lead by Yaakov "Ketzele" Katz and Aryeh Eldad - The song really is just a jingle at the end, but I like the heroic imagery. Their web site also has some dramatic photos of young Israelis holding flags. This a good solid, normal video with a straightforward message and a pretty catchy jingle. No gimmicks here.

Yisrael Beiteinu - Israel is Our Home, lead by Avigdor Lieberman -  This could possibly be the greatest election song of all time. It's from 2006, so maybe it doesn't count. It also includes some heroic imagery, and some classic historical footage from Entebbe and the Six Day War. The song is so catchy that even though I only understand some of the words, I still walk around singing it all day. It is sung by Alexander Rosenbaum, a Russian singer of Jewish ethnicity. I love his outfit.

Likud, lead by Binyamin Netanyahu - Now that the 2009 elections are upon us, Lieberman has a new ad with this cool typography thing. So I would have to say that the Likud video takes the cake as the most catchy and awesome video and song of the year. I love this guy's hair. His name is Shi 360 and I interviewed him several years ago. His parents are Israeli but they moved to Canada when he was very young. He then made aliyah as an adult after coming on a Taglit - birthright trip. He raps in Hebrew, French and English. Here's another video of Shi 360 singing Home, a pro-aliyah song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzjEl8JVYlA.

Shas, led by Eli Yishai - A great Mizrachi style song that makes me want to dance and pretend I'm Sephardic. It was mostly filmed in Mahane Yehuda, an open air marketplace in Jerusalem, commonly referred to as the shuk. One of the vegetable stalls in the shuk has a giant hand-painted portrait of Menachem Begin on the wall. I don't know the name of the singer. If anyone does, tell me in the talkback section. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, a guy named Benny Elbaz sang at many Shas functions and was considered their offical singer. Elbaz was a formerly secular pop singer with long hair who became religious. He is known for his song "It's Not Hard to be a Jew" which is a duet with his then young son Gad Elbaz. Now Gad Elbaz is a popular singer in his own right who mixes Sephardic, hasidic, hip-hop and other styles.

HaBayit Yehudi - Jewish Home, led by Daniel Hershkowitz - I used to call this party Yehudi HaBaytah, which is a big faux pas because that actually means "Jew, go home." I have heard that "oi oi oi ay ya ya" song a million times but now I can't place it and I guess now I will forever associate it with this commercial.

Torah Ve'Eretz Yisrael - Torah and Land of Israel, lead by Rabbi Moshe Levinger - This video is from 1992. In one scene, it shows Rabbi Levinger at a firing range. After he fires a few shots he turns to the camera and begins talking about his political platform. Now that's hardcore. I wonder how many other political commercials feature firing range scenes? If anyone knows of any, in any country in the world, please post it in the talkback section.

OK, I know this one is also not for the 2009 elections, which are to take place Tuesday February 10th, by the way, but it is so awesome, I just had to end with it. It begins with a guy laughing at the newspaper, and then crying. In the middle there is a great scene where a guy is flying on a dollar bill like a magic carpet. Then a giant hand comes and pulls it out from underneath him. It ends with a guy in a white tuxedo who pulls a pickle out of his pocket and takes a big bite out of it. Forget those new wacky Ale Yarok commercials, this one from 1984 rocks.

In conclusion, I really do think ideology is the most important thing, not whether or not the party has a cool jingle. I love Israel, I love Israelis and their sense of humor and I love voting. This article was in no way meant to endorse or insult any particular candidate. It was meant to be humorous and show a cultural side to the elections. Hope you enjoyed.

To vote, just leave a comment about which is your favorite commercial and why.

The Jewish holiday of Tu BiShvat (Tu B'Shvat) is coming this Sunday night and I am looking for some awesome, cool or funky Tu BiShvat music. If you know of any, please let me know in the talkback section. Chanukah and Passover seem to have their share of song both serious and of the novelty variety. What about Tu BiShvat? Last year I downloaded Dr. Seuss's The Lorax from YouTube to try and use it as a promo on the radio. You know, it's a children's book about trees and Tu BiShvat is the Jewish new year for the trees. But Yishai Fleisher said it sounded awful and claimed he never heard of Dr. Seuss or The Lorax anyway. That reminds me, the original printing of The Lorax had a line that went "I hear it's almost as bad up in Lake Erie." But that line was removed from later editions. Has anyone else noticed this?

There must be some kind of reggae Tu BiShvat album out there. Maybe if Matisyahu is reaidng this, he can record something for me. Then my ultimate dream will come true: to be listed in the liner notes of a CD. I always wanted to have someone write "and a special thank you to DJ Ben Bresky." That has never happened yet, but I did see an album that had a thank you to "that special someone, you know who you are" so I assumed they meant me. You may post your Tu BiShvat song suggestions in the talkback section or email me. In the meantime, here is a nice overview of Tu BiShvat http://www.torah.org/learning/yomtov/tubshvat/