For a long time, religious music has been the butt of jokes among snobby connoisseurs. The image of enthralled youngsters, hands raised towards Heaven, swaying to the strains of say, Creed, was enough to get a chortle out of most. But upon further examination, it appears that religious music often makes it onto secular playlists. Whether it is U2’s Catholicsm or Kanye West’s adamant declaration of how Jesus walks with him, secular culture embraces a wide range of artists who write about their spirituality. Most astonishing is the indie- Christian revival. Though artists like Sufjan Stevens, Pedro the Lion, and Page France wear their faith on their sleeves, they are still adored by cynical hipsters who rarely attend church.
If Bono could get airplay for “With or Without You” after publicly admitting the subject was Jesus, could the same be true about the most extreme types of religious music? To get some perspective, I tracked down award-winning blogger Eric Steiner, whose site jewish-music.blogspot.com focuses on artists that perform in Hebrew, often a capella. Could this make it to MTV?
While Steiner admits that faith is a crucial factor in the music he profiles, it’s not only for the Jews. “To me, Jewish music represents a lifestyle, an expression of a people in exile,” he said. While many artists employ lyrics from Psalms or the Torah, they God only knows what I’d be without you: how Hebrew music could move the masses also write their own. “The original lyrics often deal with themes other than spirituality, such as responses to what’s happening in the world or a satire of eccentricities of the Jewish community,” adds Steiner.
A law student and musician himself, Steiner got involved in covering the Jewish music scene for the reasons many secular bloggers do: a feeling that many Jewish bands were not up to snuff. He began after hearing a Jewish wedding band that did not meet his standards. “I expected that band to match my expectations, but it didn’t,” he remembered. “It was horrible!” Steiner’s approach to his particular subculture is like any music snob’s: expect the most from the sounds you love. “I hoped that people would read [my blog] and be more discriminating in the music they listen to and the bands that they hire, and that bands would read it and ensure that they deliver a quality product,” he said. Isn’t that what Lester Bangs wanted too?
As specific as it may be, Steiner certainly found his niche. His blog, up and running since 2005, attracts hundreds of viewers per week and was a finalist in the Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards for 2007. He’s developed relationships with the largest Jewish recording labels, which frequently send him press packs to review.
Even so, Steiner won’t restrict his personal tastes. A keyboardist, he plays mostly American music and admits that he usually listens to the same stuff as the outside world. That being said, Hebrew music could be something for secular university students to listen to. “Music, and the message it can convey, is universal,” said Steiner. “Jewish music is also very diverse—it can be anything from folk to alternative, depending on the artist.” For a shiksa like me with no prior knowledge of Hebrew music, Steiner recommended artists Yaakov Shwekey, Avraham Fried, and Mordechai Ben David. While I worry that Rotate This! might not carry these particular artists, he assured me that these and more can be found at jewishjukebox.com and mostlymusic.com.
Hope that Hebrew music can reach the wider world isn’t about shoving faith down anyone’s throat. On that note, I’m off to pick up the new record by Hebrew hip-hoppers Subliminal & the Shadow. It’ll fit nicely in the record collection, right next to Sonic Youth.
